In my most recent post (which you can read here), I talked about the history of Canada’s Juno Award celebrations and discussed some of this year’s more established winners, from a career-experience perspective. Those folks included host Nelly Furtado, Hall of Fame inductee Maestro Fresh Wes, along with singers Tegan and Sara, Amanda Marshall, as well as Leslie Feist. While it was nice to see these veteran musicians have their moment in the spotlight, the aspect of this year’s ceremony that was most heartening was the sheer number of nominees and winners who are relatively fresh faces in our national music scene. Some like The Beaches, Tate McRae and William Prince have been profiled by me in previous posts, but many of this year’s Juno winners are so new that even I haven’t had time to talk to you about them yet. So, let this post be their introduction. Here is the 2024 Juno Young Guns edition! Enjoy.
In the wake of this year’s Juno Awards telecast, I read an online comment by a fan who liked the show but mourned the fact that so few of his friends had bothered to watch. He raised the question of whether the Juno Awards were relevant to our country anymore. I thought that this was an interesting question and a great place to begin today’s post. I can’t say for sure how good the TV ratings were for the Junos, but I will say that I stand behind them and believe that they are relevant and incredibly important to us as Canadians. Culture and commerce are always factors that dictate who gets airtime on Canadian radio and television stations and who does not. As important as someone like Gordon Lightfoot is here in Canada, I am willing to bet large dollars that a live concert of his on Netflix, for example, would get smoked by a live concert by Taylor Swift or Beyoncé. When artistic merit is based upon audience penetration and advertising revenue, then, of course, stars from larger markets such as the U.S. will seem more worthy of air time. Not taking anything away from Taylor Swift or Beyoncé, but who is more important as a musician when it comes to the cultural history of Canada? Of course, it is Gord. The Gordon Lightfoots of our country all have something to say that is unique to us being Canadians and their voices deserve to be heard. All throughout my lifetime, there has been an ongoing battle to maintain the uniqueness of our own national star system in the face of overwhelming commercial competition from south of the border. We are Canadians, and our country has its own unique flavour. In order to safeguard that identity, it is important to resist the siren song of the almighty dollar. That means that sometimes it is important to provide a platform for artists who may not yet be household names but, hopefully, soon will be. That’s what this year’s Junos seemed like they were doing to a greater extent than I can remember in recent times. The 2024 Juno Awards showed how well women are doing, as well as how quickly the roster of Indigenous artists and those possessing other ethnic voices seems to be growing. With that said, let’s meet some of the rising stars who made their mark at the 2024 Juno Awards. Here we go!!!!
Karan Aujla: Fan Choice Award
Karan Aujla is the perfect person to launch this post. Admittedly I had not heard of him prior to his winning this award that is given out based on votes from Canadian music fans. Aujla faced stiff competition from many higher profile acts, such as The Weeknd, Tate McRae and Shania Twain, but he came out on top because he represents a new wave of East Indian musicians that have taken root in Canada. For years now, the venerable institution that is Hockey Night in Canada has had a Punjabi edition geared specifically to meet the cultural needs of the growing Indian and Pakistani demographic that exists in large numbers in and around Toronto but which is also growing in all regions of the country. In much the same way that Korean K-Pop swept the music world in the past few years and Latin music spearheaded by acts such as Bad Bunny has become the most streamed music in the world, the music that represents East Indian culture is also on the rise. That was never more apparent in the fact that Karan Aujla garnered more online support from his own cultural community than did more established acts such as The Weeknd. Aujla may be the first East Indian musician to grab the national spotlight, but I am fairly confident that he won’t be the last. The Punjabi Wave is real and it is here to stay. Karan Aujla is probably the biggest Punjabi recording star you have never heard of…until now. On the Junos, Aujla performed a song called “Admirin’ You, Softly”, which you can listen to/watch here. His official website can be found here. Canada’s musical voices are no longer just in English and French anymore…and that is ok. Enjoy Karan Aujla, Juno Fan Choice award winner.
Aysanabee: Songwriter of the Year, Alternative Album of the Year
The 2024 Juno Awards established a record for the most nominations by Indigenous artists and bands in the history of the awards programme with 33 overall in multiple categories. When the Indigenous music categories were first added to the roster of awards handed out, the artists who received nominations essentially stayed in their musical lane, so to speak. This year was the year that Indigenous music exploded beyond their own dedicated categories and expanded into many mainstream categories usually reserved for the likes of the Barenaked Ladies, Blue Rodeo and Sarah McLachlan. The greatest example of this new trend in music was seen in the double Juno win for Indigenous musician Aysanabee in the Songwriting and Alternative Album of the Year categories.
Aysanabee is an Oji-Cree singer who is a member of the Sandy Lake First Nation. He grew up outside of Thunder Bay, Ontario, and was given the Asian name of Evan Pang by his mother in an attempt to shield her son from the racism that often greets Indigenous youth in the Thunder Bay region. (If you don’t know what I am talking about, then let me recommend the important book Seven Fallen Feathers by journalist and writer Tanya Talaga). In any case, when Aysanabee reached adulthood, he reclaimed his Indigenous name. When the COVID pandemic struck us all, Aysanabee used the time at home to record conversations with his grandfather about his life and family and what it meant for him to be Indigenous. Ayasanabee took those conversations and created an album of music that was called Watin, which was his grandfather’s first name. Watin was listed as one of the Top Ten albums of the year in 2023. The song “Nomads” became the first song by an Indigenous artist to reach #1 on the Alternative Album charts in Canada. You can listen to/watch “Nomads” here. The link to the official website for Aysanabee can be found here. As noted with Karan Aujla, Canada’s musical voices are no longer restricted to anglophone or francophone singers. The world of music in Canada is growing to reflect the diversity of our true culture…and that is OK. In fact, it is long overdue.
TOBi: Rap Single and Album of the Year
TOBi is a rapper who was originally from Nigeria. In 2002, Oluwatobi Feyisara Ajibolade moved to Canada with his family, settling in the city of Brampton, which resides just northwest of Toronto. Ajibolade is a graduate of Wilfrid Laurier University with a degree in biology and psychology. As a teen, he began writing poetry. As he progressed through high school and into university, Ajibolade’s poetry evolved into the lyrics of rap songs. Never entirely confident in his ability to speak English in everyday life, rapping gave Ajibolade a sense of confidence and authority that has allowed him to express himself and his vision of the world around him. As part of his transition into the world of rap music, Ajibolade gave himself the stage name of TOBi Aji and then, simply to TOBi.
In addition to winning two Juno awards this year, TOBi won the Juno award for Best Rap Album in 2019 for his album Elements Vol. 1. That album was also shortlisted for the Polaris Prize. Furthermore, the song “24 (Toronto Remix)” was a finalist for the Prism Prize which is awarded for the artistic merit of music videos in Canada. You can watch/listen to the video for the song “24 (Toronto Remix)” here. The link to the official website for TOBi can be found here. If we are to believe the words of a wise Canadian man who stated a few years ago that diversity was our (Canada’s) strength, then if these first three artists are any indication, our music scene has never been stronger.
The Beaches: Rock Album of the Year and Group of the Year
The short strokes of this big win for the band are that they penned arguably the catchiest song of the year called “Blame Brett”. That song was a GoGos-esque battlecry from four young women who were declaring their independence to do and act as they pleased while on tour. The success of the song “Blame Brett” allowed The Beaches to tour extensively across North America and Europe, as well as appearing on major late night television shows in the U.S. This band has a lot of moxy and are actually quite talented musicians in their own right. I am hopeful that since The Beaches have knocked the door wide open, they will now take the next step and release more great tunes and become the next great Canadian rock band on the world stage.
You can watch/listen to the video for the song “Blame Brett” here. The link to the official website for The Beaches can be found here. For what it is worth, I am a fan of this band and this song. I am also a fan of strong, confident, creative women and wish them nothing but success in their future endeavours.
Tate McRae: Single of the Year and Artist of the Year
Tate McRae is certainly the performer who is riding the biggest wave of success as you read these words. McRae won the award for Single of the Year for the song “Greedy”. McRae, who was born in Calgary and who loves hockey, was the star attraction at the recent NHL All-Star festivities that were held in Toronto. She has also appeared as the musical guest on Saturday Night Live. While a wonderful singer and a professionally trained dancer, McRae is also a young woman who has learned to capitalize on her looks. She is one of social media’s hottest stars anywhere in the world and can be regularly seen tossing her hair suggestively, posing while scantily clad and prancing confidently about. If self-confidence is a measure of attractiveness, then Tate McRae is one of the world’s most beautiful young women at the moment.
You can watch/listen to the video for the song “Greedy” here. The link to the official website for Tate McRae can be found here. I am a strong admirer of Tate McRae as a dancer. I think that she has incredible control of her body when she dances. She is truly a pleasure to watch from an aesthetic perspective. Being almost old enough to be her grandfather makes me immune to the sensuality that she is attempting to market. But, you know, young women with strong healthy bodies like Tate McRae should be allowed to strut and preen with as much social license as was afforded to Mick Jagger in his prime. As long as she controls her image and continues to direct her career toward music and strong songwriting, then I wish her nothing but the best. Have fun! If you’ve got it, flaunt it! I hope that her star remains in ascendancy and that she has many more Juno wins in her future.
Charlotte Cardin: Album of the Year and Pop Album of the Year
Charlotte Cardin was born in Montreal. She is quite used to being in the spotlight as she has been a model since she was a teenager. As her teens progressed, Cardin entered several talent show-type TV contests in which she sang songs in her native French language. In the time since then, she had released several Francophone singles and was making a name for herself in the dance-oriented Pop market in Quebec. In 2021 she released her debut English album called Phoenix. The hit song from that was called “Meaningless”. Cardin won four Juno Awards at the 2021 event. This past year she received two Juno Awards based on the song “Confetti” from the album 99 Nights.
There are many people who compare Charlotte Cardin to Pop sensation Dua Lipa because they are both tall, slender brunettes who have wonderful singing voices and know how to work a stage, as well as a runway. While Dua Lipa has more hits to her name, it is not beyond the realm of possibility that Charlotte Cardin may one day be her commercial equal. For now, she is all ours and we are lucky to have her in Canada. You can watch/listen to the song “Confetti” here. The link to her official website can be found here.
David Francey: Traditional Roots Album
David Francey, in my mind anyway, is the one person at this year’s Juno Awards who most stereotypically resembles the iconic image of a “Canadian singer” in the minds of many. He is a dead ringer for comedian Robin Williams. To look at his face is to see a depth of experience in his eyes that his music only begins to hint at. Francey is an inspiration to every person who toils away at their labour while dreaming of poetry and music and a different way of living. David Francey came to Canada from Scotland as a boy. He never had any formal musical training. Yet he had a creative mind and one day decided to pick up an acoustic guitar and learn how to make music that complemented his poetry. Like many Canadian folk singers, Francey began playing in local bars and Legion halls and discovered that the quiet strength of his lyrics resonated with listeners. Soon he graduated to playing small folk festivals. Before long, Francey found himself the winner of three Juno awards in the Roots and Folk categories. When listening to his music, comparisons to Valdy and Ben Caplan (who you can read about here) come to mind. Needless to say, David Francey is a working class man whose experiences with sweat and toil inspire his writing. Because he writes about aspects of life that so many of us can relate to, his status as a songwriter of note has steadily grown.
You can watch/listen to the song “The Breath Between” here. The link to the official website for David Francey can be found here. Of all of the performers mentioned in this list, David Francey is the person most likely to appear at a church hall or county fair in a community near you. If you are so blessed as to have the chance to listen to his music, then, by all means, grab yourself a ticket. You won’t be disappointed. While much about the Canadian music scene appears to be changing, it is performers such as David Francey who are the backbone of our cultural identity. I wish him continued success and thank him for inspiring so many others by singing about real life in this country we call Canada.
In conclusion, I will end this post by returning to the question that opened it: are the Juno awards still relevant? When it comes to culture, I have always believed that a duality exists. There is the culture that is created for mass consumption, and there is the culture that exists to tell the stories of who we really are in our daily lives. I am not a Kardashian and neither are you. I am not a zillionaire rapper with, as Lorde sang about, gold chains and tigers on a gold leash and neither are you. Why do we so easily flutter to this form of culture like moths to a light? Where I live, most folks are more concerned with the price of groceries rather than driving around in Ferraris and wearing the latest brands. The community in which I live possesses diversity of race, of religion, of language and of the Arts. Canada is evolving into a land where many voices and languages and religions and gender expressions are all welcome and are all contributing to our cultural landscape. Because Canada and the communities that exist within its borders from coast to coast to coast are growing and becoming more diversified, we need to have that reflected in the institutions that serve to represent us. For those reasons, I value television networks such as the CBC. I value radio stations and online streaming services that showcase Canadian voices, regardless of language, music genre or commercial success. Conversely, my spidey senses always tingle whenever I hear a right-wing politician campaign on defunding the CBC and other organizations that serve, as their mandate, to protect and promote real Canadian culture. What is their motivation for destroying institutions that represent who we really are? Yes, I am looking at you, Poilievre! The Junos have made clear that real Canadian culture includes languages other than English and French. It also contains musical expression that tells our authentic stories and whose worth is measured in more than mere dollars and record sales. So, are the Juno Awards still relevant? I would argue that they are more relevant than ever and have never been more reflective of what Canada actually is like than they were this year in 2024. Congratulations to all of the nominees and those who ended up being declared as the big winners of the night. You have done us all proud.
The link to the official website for the Juno Awards can be found here.
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