Junos 2017: Everything You Need to Know about Canada’s Biggest Music Night

by Renée Tse April 3, 2017

ICYMI, last night Canada celebrated its biggest night in music at the annual JUNO Awards. Held at the Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa, Ont., the show was co-hosted by comedian Russell Peters and the legendary Bryan Adams. And while the evening was filled with incredible performances (we still can’t stop thinking about the latter’s star-studded performance of “You Belong to Me”) it was also chock-full of tears and slight jabs via the hosts.

It's a "Summer of 69" sing-along w @bryanadams, @billytalentband, @SarahMcLachlan, @alessiacara, @thestrumbellas pic.twitter.com/f88FGqqAsq

— The JUNO Awards (@TheJUNOAwards) April 3, 2017

An awards show isn’t a true awards show without an awkward moment or two. Enter: Rob Baker and Paul Langlois of The Tragically Hip, who went up to accept the award for Group of the Year. (Lead singer Gord Downie, who picked up two of seven awards, was not present.) Here’s where the cringe comes in: Their acceptance speech ended up being longer than anticipated, which resulted in the cut-off music interrupting them. And Langlois was not having it.

Standing ovation for @thehipdotcom, who take home Group of the Year #JUNOS pic.twitter.com/i3Rlw9RHXB

— The JUNO Awards (@TheJUNOAwards) April 3, 2017

“Oh, you’re actually going to play me off, are you?” he said, which prompted the music to transition into the band’s hit “Ahead By a Century.” This fuelled him to further taunt the producers. “Go to commercial, go ahead. This is my arena, not yours.”

Unfortunately, Langlois got exactly what he requested: His mic got cut-off and the broadcast went straight to commercials. Yikes.

In terms of the night’s winners, Canadian sweethearts Shawn Mendes and Alessia Cara picked up the Fan Choice Award and Best Pop Album of the Year, respectively, while multi-Juno-award-winner Sarah McLachlan was finally inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame.

.@ThisIsAdamCohen accepts Album of the Year Sponsored by @MusicCanada on behalf of his father, Leonard Cohen. pic.twitter.com/3rGgiZtGTB

— The JUNO Awards (@TheJUNOAwards) April 3, 2017

But the most memorable win of the night went to the late Leonard Cohen, who was honoured with the award for Album of the Year for You Want it Darker. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Sophie Grégoire Trudeau, delivered a moving, bilingual speech (that’s Canada for you!) to honour the influential songwriter/musician/poet who passed away last November. Cohen’s son, Adam, and grandson, Cassius, took to the stage to accept the award on his behalf. “My father said that he saw a Juno in my future. Of course, it was his,” Adam joked.

From Alessia Cara to Shawn Mendes, flip through the gallery for the shots of the night’s performers from our very own pop-up portrait studio, courtesy of George Pimentel with accessories provided by HSG Fur.