Metric, Billy Talent, Serena Ryder and The Weeknd lead our hometown artists on the list of 2013 JUNO nominees.
The nominations for the 2013 JUNO Awards were released this morning andm as ever, Toronto’s musical stars were well-represented. After T.O’s great success at the 2012 Polaris Music Prize, perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised.
Toronto’s biggest hopefuls for 2013 are Metric, who scored three major nominations in the categories of Group of the Year, Alternative Album of the Year, and JUNO Fan Choice Award, and Billy Talent, who snagged noms for Group of the Year, Single of the Year, and Rock Album of the Year.
Scoring two noms each are Serena Ryder (Single of the Year, Adult Alternative Album of the Year), Bahamas (Songwriter of the Year, Adult Alternative Album of the Year), and Rush (Group of the Year, Rock Album of the Year).
The categories of Rap Album of the Year and R&B/Soul Album of the Year are dominated by local artists, with JD Era, Maestro Fresh Wes, and Mississauga’s Rich Kidd scoring noms in the former, and The Weeknd, Jully Black, Melanie Fiona, and Shawn Desman in the latter.
Electro-house star Deadmau5 and Brampton’s Johnny Reid are up for Artist of the Year, and the Breakthrough Artist of the Year category includes both Cold Specks and The Weeknd.
Crystal Castles and Trust are up for Electronic Album of the Year, Cancer Bats have a shot at the hilariously-titled Metal/Hard Music Album of the Year, and Elliott BROOD are nominated for Roots & Traditional Album of the Year: Group.
Among honorary Torontonian acts, we have Stars (Alternative Album of the Year), The Tragically Hip, and Big Wreck (Rock Album of the Year).
And though Drake‘s most recent album Take Care was released in 2011, the perennial JUNO loser managed to grab a Fan Choice nomination, while Director X, who helmed the rapper’s Bar Mitzvah-themed music video for “HYFR,” was recognized in the category of Video of the Year.
The full list of JUNO nominations can be seen here. The award ceremony is scheduled for April 21 in Regina.
Which Toronto artists do you think should’ve been nominated for a Juno this year? Let us know in the comments section below.
