Rezz, Loud Luxury and Felix Cartal were all big winners at this year's JUNO Awards

By Ryan Hayes

This year's 49th Juno's celebration took place under an unprecedented set of circumstances. On June 29th the Juno's were held as a virtual broadcast through CBC Gem. It was a big night for Canada's talented electronic music scene. Nominees included; Frank Walker, Sultan + Shepard, Bob Moses, Keys N Krates, Electric Youth, Jacques Greene, & Ralph. Taking home honours in three categories, this year's winners continue to represent Canada on the international EDM stage by innovating and elevating their craft.

Dance Recording Of The Year:

Source: Twitter

Felix Cartal & Lights took home the top honour for their collaborative effort Love Me. Recently Lights has delved fully in to the realm of EDM. Along with her Cartal collaboration she toured with Deadmau5 throughout 2019, released a four track EP entitled 'AM 444' with i_o, and recently finished an instrumental synthwave record entitled 'How To Sleep When You're On Fire' with all proceeds being donated to Black Lives Matter Vancouver. This is Lights sixth Juno; past awards include New Arist, & Pop Album Of The Year. After thirteen years in the industry this was Felix Cartal's first Juno award. His first nomination was in 2013, and his last album, 'Next Season', was nominated for Electronic Album Of The Year. Cartal celebrated with Lights in Vancouver before heading out for a celebratory mint Oreo blizzard from Dairy Queen.

Electronic Album Of The Year:

Source: REZZ FB

This year's top honour went to Rezz and her latest album 'Beyond The Senses.' She also won for her debut album 'Mass Manipulation.' Ever since catapulting in to the scene with her distinct sound Rezz has been a fixture in the EDM scene. She shares the honours of album of the year with past winner including; Grimes,Ryan Hemsworth, and Kaytranada.

Group Of The Year:

Source: Twitter

Twenty Eight legendary groups have garnered the title of Group Of The Year—and this year Loud Luxury held down the crown. Now in the company of Arcade Fire, Our Lady Peace, Matthew Good Band, The Tragically Hip, & Rush—among others—Loud Luxury represent a big breakthrough in a category that traditionally does not represent electronic music artists. Last year the duo won Dance Recording Of The Year for their breakthrough single Body. With a digital only event Loud Luxury's members, Andrew Fedyk and Joe Depace, jokingly celebrated with a homemade Juno to commemorate the occasion.

Top 4 Highlights from the 2019 JUNOs Weekend

By Sinejan Ozaydemir 

Last weekend, Canada Celebrated their very own musical talent at The JUNO Awards in London. There were many exciting events and performances and celebrations. Here are a few of the highlights from the weekend: 

Spotlight on Producers and engineers

One of my favourite parts of JUNOs weekend is the Producer/Engineer panel that happens each year. It is an amazing opportunity to not only hear stories from the studio but also celebrate the talented producers and engineers that work tirelessly to create the many hits we hear on the radio and stream daily. All the artists who are nominated appreciate their teams, but one mention at the Gala awards was quite aligned with what was discussed at the Stories From the Studio Panel. After winning Rock album of the Year, the Arkells spoke in the media room about Eric Ratz, their producer who won Jack Richardson Producer of the Year. They mentioned how he and all producers are “musical translators” or “social workers” who gather ideas from the room and are able to put it all together in a magical way. 

Some takeaways from the panel were: 

Always try to be the hardest working guy/girl in the room and try not to be defeated when you take a loss and not get too high when the wins come. Put your head down and do great work, it doesn’t matter who you are working with, do the best you can every time. 

Keep your focus on the artist, don’t let the chatter of the managers or record people take over 
It’s all about the artist, when you work with a compelling artist that can perform well, and who is going to connect with people, a part of your job is to realize who you want to work with and once you find an artist like that, to understand when to get out of the way and help elevate what they are trying to create.  Sometimes it takes 10, 20, 30 bad songs before you get one good song. 

Every presence in the studio counts: Feeling comfortable with even the smallest employee running around in the studio is very important for the overall experience and work flow. Flexibility is key/find your flow: remember every artist you work with will have a different work flow. 

Must chase the most authentic and most compelling talent you can find to work with : not just the person in front of the mic but also the songwriters and producers and the engineers.
 
Create a team. Don’t worry about trying to work with the biggest act out there. As you grow as a team, people will reach out to you. 

The electronic album of the year  nominees and winners 

Milk & Bone took home the 2019 JUNO for Electronic Album of the Year for their album ‘Deception Bay’. The album contains some intimate topics, thoughts and experiences. The ladies shared with us how it was a bit less scary to release the album into the world after having the opportunity to work together on the music. They talked about how being a part of a duo rather than being a solo artist  gives them strength. They want to encourage other female electronic artists that are in the process of developing their sound to trust themselves and do their thing! They explain how they still sometimes have worries and doubts but they suggest that trusting yourself as a young artist, as early as possible  in your career will help greatly! We had a chance to chat with the ladies on the red carpet about their win and JUNOs experience: 

iamhill who now lives in LA says being back in Canada and around Canadian talent feels so supportive. She was nominated for her album ‘Give it a Rest’ which was a project that took 3 years and resulted in an excellent album where she learned a lot and found her sound. We are looking forward to seeing more of her upcoming work this year! We had a chance to chat with her on the red carpet about her album and JUNOs experience: 

Felix Cartal, says that he has always been passionate about songwriting. He wrote an entire album and scrapped it before he started to write the songs that are now on 'Next Season'. He describes how he wanted to be in the room to write about his life but have it so you are hearing it through the various beautiful voices of talented singers included on the album. He has a new song with Canadian artist Lights called ‘Love me’ out now and he will soon be going back on tour! We had a chance to chat with him on the red carpet about his album and JUNOs experience: 

Being real, letting your truth shine and doing things that are bigger than yourself and your music 

Watching the JUNOs Gala Dinner and Broadcast as well as sitting in the media room on both nights, we heard a few messages repeated by the talented Canadian artists who were a part of the JUNOs. Many artists spoke of realizing what an impact being real and true to themselves had on their careers. This is a topic that comes up regularly in interviews with artists we have the pleasure of chatting with at EDM CANADA, and over the weekend, it quickly became very apparent that it was prevalent in all areas of the music industry. Many of the artists touched on this, including Milk & Bone and Jeremy Dutcher, so, I wanted to highlight the topic just as they did, as a reminder for any artists who are maybe starting out or who are trying to find their place in the industry, that it seems to be one of the biggest challenges artists face. It also is one of the biggest pieces of advice that will not only set you apart but also keep you happy and fulfilled as an artist: really be true to what feels best to you and create what you like. Another topic that was also touched on a few times was the notion of working towards something beyond yourself and your music. Again, a great example was Jeremy Dutcher talking about reconciliation. Also Jesse Reyez, who won her second JUNO award for RnB Soul Recording of the year, spoke in the media room about how crazy it feels to be representing the Latin community and also that her driving force behind why she is in music is philanthropy, passing on what she has learned from the legends that she has had the opportunity to work with and giving back to the music community. 

The performances & Concerts 

Loud luxury started things off right with a grand opening to the 2019 JUNOs. For anyone who missed the live broadcast, the duo from London took great pride in not only bringing Brando out to perform their hit track ‘Body', but also brought out the Western Marching band and Cheerleaders. The stage was full and the performance was lively. A perfect way to start the night. The duo also took to the side stage after the JUNO awards alongside Ryan Shepherd to throw a great dance party. Although there were many wonderful performances throughout the evening, the one performance that personally stood out for me was Jeremy Dutcher’s performance of ’Sakomawit’ The performance that also featured violinist Blake Pouliot was special in that it not only was extremely captivating but really demonstrated Jeremy Dutcher’s passion and talent. He won the Indigenous Music Album of the Year for Wolastoqiyik Lintuwakonawa at the 2019 Juno Gala Dinner & Awards the night before the JUNOs broadcast.

What a wonderful weekend celebrating Canadian Music! Congratulations to all the nominees and winners at last weekend’s JUNO Awards! Here is the full list: https://junoawards.ca/winners/

2019 JUNOS Gala night highlights

Loud Luxury

By Sinejan Ozaydemir  (Photos by Wendy Wei)

The gala night is where it all starts! Where 36+ JUNO award winners were awarded, as well as the recipients of the Walt Grealis Special Achievement Award and the Humanitarian Award Presented by Music Canada have been honoured.

Among these winners were recipients of the Jack Richardson Producer of the year award, recording engineer of the year, Dance Recording of the Year award as well as Electronic Album of the year award. 

Here are the winners: 

Dance Recording of the Year
Gotasoul AZARI - Get Physical - *Independent/Zebralution
Jackie Chan (ft. Preme & Post Malone) - Dzeko & Tiësto - Universal
Avatar Beach - Jacques Greene - Arts & Crafts*Universal
CURA - Keys N Krates - Keys N Krates*Dim Mak
Body - Loud Luxury - Armada Music B.V*Sony 

Milk & Bone

Electronic Album of the Year
Crystal Eyes - Ekali - OWSLA/Atlantic*Warner
Next Season- Felix Cartal - Physical Presents*Fontana North/Universal
Give It a Rest - iamhill - Independent
Deception Bay - Milk & Bone - Bonsound*Sony
Certain Kind of Magic - REZZ - mau5trap*Kobalt

Eric Ratz

JACK RICHARDSON PRODUCER OF THE YEAR
David Foster and Michael Bublé “My Funny Valentine”, “Where or When” (co-producer Jochem van der Saag) LOVE – Michael Bublé Warner
Eric Ratz “People’s Champ”, “Relentless” RALLY CRY – Arkells Arkells*Universal
Greg Wells “Waving Through a Window” DEAR EVAN HANSEN (BROADWAY CAST RECORDING) DELUXE – Katy Perry Atlantic*Warner, “This Is Me” – THE GREATEST SHOWMAN (ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURE SOUNDTRACK) – Keala Settle, The Greatest Showman Ensemble Atlantic*Warner
Mike Wise “Not A Love Song”, “Two Punks In Love” DAMAGED – bülow Universal
Thomas D’Arcy “I’ve Got A Hole Where My Heart Should Be” CHANGING COLOURS – The Sheepdogs Warner, “Love The Way You Are” (co-producers James Younger, Jeffrey Innes) CRITICAL HIT – Yukon Blonde Dine Alone*Universal

Shawn Everett

RECORDING ENGINEER OF THE YEAR (SPONSORED BY 3M)
Ben Kaplan “Get Up”, “It’s Alright” DANCE AND CRY – Mother Mother Universal
Jason Dufour “Truck Full Of Money” BOTH WAYS – Donovan Woods Meant Well*Fontana North/Universal “When My Body Breaks” HOLY SMOKE – Kandle Sleepless*Universal
Robbie Lackritz “No Wrong”, “Way With Words” EARTHTONES – Bahamas Universal
Shawn Everett “Slow Burn”, “Space Cowboy” GOLDEN HOUR – Kacey Musgraves Universal
Steve Bays “Flashes” PHASES – Dear Rouge Universal, “UnAmerican” UNAMERICAN – Said The Whale Arts & Crafts*Universal

There are 80 First time nominees this year, including Loud Luxury, who are the EDM artists nominated for the greatest number of JUNOs this year with 4 nominations in the JUNO Fan Choice, Single of the Year, Breakthrough Group of the Year and Dance Recording of the Year categories. 

With regards to their Dance Recording of the Year win, Loud Luxury stressed how amazing it was to win the award in their home town. They gave a special shout out to Sony talking about how hard it is to get a dance music song on the radio and thanking them for their support! "We know how hard it is to get a dance music song on the radio, to have it #1 all year is amazing".

In the media room. they talked again about the connection to London, Joe was born and raised there and met Andrew in London while attending Western University.  They talked about how it feels like they have come full circle. That where it started is where they receive their first Juno! They spoke about the dance music scene in Canada, expressing that they believe it is thriving and how fans are so supportive and excited to see, not only Loud Luxury but many dance music artists live. “Every single DJ that we speak to says that Canada is one of their favourite places to play. It deserves a little bit more credit for that so that’s what we are here to do. To recognize and show people how special Canada is”. 

Electronic Album of the Year, winners Milk & Bone ran up to the stage shocked saying “what the fuck first of al!” they thanked their colleagues and followed that by saying that they are so excited of having more women in the category and all across the board. They spoke about how hard it is to be a musician and asked their fellow musicians in the room to take good care of themselves in this industry. 

The first time they were at the JUNOS was three years ago when they were nominated for Breakthrough group. “I think we write in a very personal way, everything in the album comes from a real place, the raw emotion that we share together.” They talked about being very lucky to be close friends and go through things together and talk to each other about it, so it is a lot easier to finish songs. They also talked about growing as humans and how the experience of having done this for 5 years now has helped them develop as artists and become more confident. “With the second album, we really knew what we wanted to say and we really knew what our worth in the creative process was and that has helped us make this album extremely personal, an album that we are extremely proud of."

The awards will be broadcast live tonight, Sunday, March 17th on CBC worldwide at cbcmusic.ca/junos. 

For the full list of nominees in all categories visit: https://junoawards.ca/2019-juno-award-nominees/
Congratulations to all the winners so far! We are excited to see who else will make the winners list at the 49th Annual JUNO Awards!  

Canada Gears up for its Biggest Night of the Year in Music: The 2019 JUNO Awards

By Sinejan Ozaydemir 

This weekend, London Ontario plays host to the 2019 JUNO Awards. The awards show will be televised and live-streamed at 8 PM ET on Sunday, March 17, 2019, will feature performances from Arkells, Bahamas, bülow, Coeur De Pirate with Loud, Loud Luxury, Jeremy Dutcher with Blake Pouliot, NAV, The Reklaws, Sarah McLachlan, Corey Hart and a special performance from Europe by Shawn Mendes. The Awards Gala will take place on Saturday, March 16, 2019, where 36+ winners, as well as the recipients of the Walt Grealis Special Achievement Award and the Humanitarian Award Presented by Music Canada will be honoured. The festivities aren’t just reserved for the JUNOs broadcast and Gala Dinner. There are many exciting things happening around town all weekend! 

For any fans who are in London this weekend, there will be plenty of opportunities to see and meet your favourite artists. 

Running for three nights (March 15, 16 & 17) is the JUNO Side Stage Presented by Budweiser Gardens and Live Nation Canada, which will feature performances by JUNO award nominees. Each night will showcase different genres of music: Friday: Budweiser Country Night, Saturday: Hip Hop/Rap Night, Sunday: EDM Night. The JUNO Side Stage will take place at the South Parking lot heated tent at Budweiser Gardens and is free to attend all three nights. Sunday night’s event will be a combination of viewing party and concert featuring Loud Luxury and Ryan Shepherd! 

Also happening Sunday March 17th, is the JUNO Red Carpet Viewing Party. The Red Carpet Viewing Party will also take place at the JUNO Side Stage: Budweiser Gardens South Lot (Outdoor heated tent) starting at 4pm. This free event is open to the public (Subject to capacity) and is a great place to be in the middle of all the action and to see your favourite stars walk the red carpet. 

One more event where you can really get up-close and personal with the stars is the JUNO Fan Fare at Centre Court, CF Masonville Place on Saturday, March 16. At this event, fans will be able to meet and enjoy Selfie Sessions with Brett Kissel, KILLY, Loud Luxury, Johnny Orlando, Meghan Patrick, The Reklaws, Scott Helman and Tyler Shaw. 

For those wishing to immerse themselves in live performances, JUNOfest has got you covered! With 100+ Artists/Bands performing across 15+ Venues over  2 Nights in London, 1 Wristband can get you into all the JUNOfest shows on March 15th & 16th! 

For further event details and tickets visit: https://junoawards.ca/events/

EDM CANADA will be at the events throughout the weekend so be sure to follow us on Twitter and Instagram for live coverage and backstage access! 

CARAS announces the 2019 Nominees for the JUNO Awards

By Sinejan Ozaydemir 

The nominees for the 2019 JUNO Awards were announced today in Toronto. 

We at EDM Canada have been eagerly waiting for the nominations, particularly in the Dance Recording of the Year and the Electronic Album of the Year categories. 

And here they are: 

Dance Recording of the Year

• Gotasoul AZARI - Get Physical - *Independent/Zebralution

• Jackie Chan (ft. Preme & Post Malone) - Dzeko & Tiësto - Universal

• Avatar Beach - Jacques Greene - Arts & Crafts*Universal

• CURA - Keys N Krates - Keys N Krates*Dim Mak

• Body - Loud Luxury - Armada Music B.V*Sony

Electronic Album of the Year

• Crystal Eyes - Ekali - OWSLA/Atlantic*Warner

• Next Season- Felix Cartal - Physical Presents*Fontana North/Universal

• Give It a Rest - iamhill - Independent

• Deception Bay - Milk & Bone - Bonsound*Sony

• Certain Kind of Magic - REZZ - mau5trap*Kobalt

REZZ, who won the JUNO for Electronic Album of the Year at the 2018 JUNO Awards, is nominated again this year in the same category for her album 'Certain Kind of Magic'. Felix Cartal, who was nominated for the Dance Recording of the Year last year for his song 'Get What You Give' is now nominated for his album 'Next Season' in the Electronic Album of the Year category. First time nominees Loud Luxury are the EDM artists nominated for the greatest number of JUNOs this year with 4 nominations in the JUNO Fan Choice, Single of the Year, Breakthrough Group of the Year and Dance Recording of the Year categories. 

This year’s JUNO Awards and JUNO week will be hosted in London Ontario. The awards will be broadcast live on Sunday, March 17th on CBC worldwide at cbcmusic.ca/junos. 

For the full list of nominees in all categories visit : https://junoawards.ca/2019-juno-award-nominees/

Congratulations to all the nominees! We are excited to see who will win at the 48th Annual JUNO Awards!