Furtado, k-os, Billy Talent top 2007 Juno nominations

The 2007 Juno Awards kicked into high gear last night with the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences’ (CARAS) big announcement of this year’s award nominations. Topping the list of Juno hopefuls, with five nods each, were previous Juno winners k-os, Billy Talent, and Nelly Furtado. Furtado, who has had a phenomenal year with her album Loose, isn’t just one of the top nominees this year though – she’ll also be hosting the live CTV telecast set to air Sunday, April 1 from Saskatoon.

During the nomination announcement at the Mod Club in Toronto last night, multiple guests came out to cheer on the events that will lead up to one of Canada’s biggest yearly celebrations of Canadian culture. Hosting the party was Tara Spencer Nairn, who stars in CTV’s Corner Gas; Susanne Boyce, CTV’s President of Programming; Melanie Berry, the President of CARAS; Saskatchewan Premier Lorne Calvert; and singer Kyle Riabko.

And it’s going to be another huge year for the event to be sure. Recognizing the best in Canadian music, the 36th Annual Juno Awards will include performers by the likes of k-os, Billy Talent, Three Days Grace, Gregory Charles, and confirmed just yesterday, the Tragically Hip. More performers are also expected to be announced in the coming weeks leading up to the big event. Speculation is high on which international act might make an appearance since at least one of the artists nominated in the International Album of the Year category usually shows up to perform. This year’s nominees include the Dixie Chicks, Il Divo, Justin Timberlake, Madonna and the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Other nominees included Sarah Harmer, Nickelback, Chantal Kreviazuk, Hedley, and Mobile, just to name a few. Rock producer Bob Rock was also named as this year’s Canadian Music Hall of Fame inductee.

So what do the artists think about their nominations? Well, as Nickelback put it, it’s all about the fans: “It’s always exciting and an honour to be nominated for a Juno Award, and getting nods for ‘Songwriter Of The Year’ and ‘Juno Fan Choice’ is truly a privilege. We’re thankful for the opportunity to do something we love everyday of our lives and we really believe that we have some of the greatest fans in the world.”

Those lucky enough to make it to Saskatoon for the Juno Awards can expect a whole weekend of events, which includes JunoFest, the Juno Cup, Juno Fan Fare, and of course, the industry’s Juno Gala Dinner where the majority of the awards are presented.

Keep an eye on The GATE, which is celebrating eight years of covering the Junos, for lots more news, photos, and interviews. You can also see photos from last night’s event over in the Juno Awards gallery, or head over to www.junoawards.ca for more on the awards.

The 2007 Juno Awards air live on CTV Sunday, April 1.

Highlights of the 2007 Juno Nominees (view the full list in the Juno Spotlight):

JUNO FAN CHOICE AWARD
Gregory Charles
Michael Bublé
Nelly Furtado
Nickelback
Sarah McLachlan

SINGLE OF THE YEAR
“Devil In A Midnight Mass” – Billy Talent
“All I Can Do” – Chantal Kreviazuk
“Pull Me Through” – Jim Cuddy
“Sunday Morning” – k-os
“Promiscuous” – feat. Timbaland Nelly Furtado

INTERNATIONAL ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Taking The Long Way – Dixie Chicks
Ancora – Il Divo
FutureSex/LoveSounds – Justin Timberlake
Confessions On A Dance Floor – Madonna
Stadium Arcadium – Red Hot Chili Peppers

ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Billy Talent II – Billy Talent
I Think of You – Gregory Charles
Hedley – Hedley
Loose – Nelly Furtado
ONE-X – Three Days Grace

ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Diana Krall
Gregory Charles
Loreena McKennitt
Nelly Furtado
Pierre Lapointe

GROUP OF THE YEAR
Alexisonfire
Billy Talent
Hedley
The Tragically Hip
Three Days Grace

NEW ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Eva Avila
Melissa O’Neil
Neverending White Lights
Patrick Watson
Tomi Swick

NEW GROUP OF THE YEAR
Evans Blue
Idle Sons
Jets Overhead
Mobile
Stabilo

COUNTRY RECORDING OF THE YEAR
Big Wheel – Aaron Pritchett
Love & Negotiation – Carolyn Dawn Johnson
Doc Walker – Doc Walker
Countrified – Emerson Drive
Somebody Wrote Love – George Canyon

RAP RECORDING OF THE YEAR
The Frenzy Of Renown Arabesque
Hitch Hikin’ Music Classified
Organic Music For A Digital World – DL Incognito
The Answer – Rich London
Black Magic – Swollen Members

ALTERNATIVE ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Skelliconnection Chad VanGaalen Flemish Eye/Outside
Sometimes City and Colour Dine Alone/Universal
Return To The Sea Islands Equator/EMI
Trompe-l’Oeil Malajube Dare To Care/Outside
Not Saying/Just Saying Shout Out Out Out Out Normals Welcome/Warner

POP ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Ghost Stories – Chantal Kreviazuk
Atlantis: Hymns For Disco – k-os
Loose – Nelly Furtado
Wintersong – Sarah McLachlan
Stalled Out In The Doorway – Tomi Swick

ROCK ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Billy Talent II – Billy Talent
Tomorrow Starts Today – Mobile
Chemical City – Sam Roberts
Never Hear The End Of It – Sloan
World Container – The Tragically Hip

CONTEMPORARY JAZZ ALBUM OF THE YEAR
From the Heart – Hilario Duran and His Latin Jazz Big Band
Hugmars – Hugh Marsh
At Sea – Ingrid Jensen
Obsession – Kent Sangster
Moment In Time – Richard Underhill

FRANCOPHONE ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Il était une fois dans l’est – Antoine Gratton
Le coeur dans la tête – Ariane Moffatt
Trompe-l’Oeil – Malajube
La forêt des mal-aimés – Pierre Lapointe
Compter les corpes – Vulgaires Machins

R&B/SOUL RECORDING OF THE YEAR
Life Less Ordinary – Deesha
Believe – George
mySOUL – jacksoul
Face Behind The Face – Karl Wolf
Been Gone – Keshia Chanté

ABORIGINAL RECORDING OF THE YEAR
Seeds Digging Roots – Jericho
Burn – Jason Burnstick
Sedzé – Leela Gilday
Stay Red – Northern Cree
Blood Red Earth – Susan Aglukark

BLUES ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Colin James & The Little Big Band 3 – Colin James
Easin’ Back To Tennessee – Colin Linden
Acoustic – David Gogo
House Of Refuge – Jim Byrnes
The Way It Feels – Roxanne Potvin

VIDEO OF THE YEAR
“Devil In A Midnight Mass” – Sean Michael Turrell – BILLY TALENT
“Hurt” – Floria Sigismondi & Christina Aguilera – CHRISTINA AGUILERA
“Coast Is Clear” – Drew Lightfoot – IN-FLIGHT SAFETY
“ElectriK HeaT: The Seekwill” – The Love Movement feat. k-os, Micah Meisner & Zeb Roc – K-OS
“Bridge To Nowhere” – Duplex (aka Dave Pawsey and Jonathan Legris) – SAM ROBERTS