Canadian superstar The Weeknd emerged as a top winner at the 2023 Juno Awards, amassing four awards during the Opening Night event at the Edmonton Convention Centre on Saturday (March 11).
The multi-talented artist set new records as he secured his fourth win for both artist of the year and songwriter of the year, as well as a record-tying third win for single of the year for “Sacrifice”.
The Weeknd received two more nominations for the main Juno Awards telecast on Monday (March 13) — TikTok fan choice and album of the year.
Additionally, The Weeknd claimed his first pop album of the year award for “Dawn FM”.
With these victories, he has now tied with Bryan Adams for second place on the all-time Juno leaderboard, totaling 21 Juno Awards.
More Nominations and International Success
The Weeknd received two more nominations for the main Juno Awards telecast on Monday (March 13) — TikTok fan choice and album of the year.
His album “Dawn FM” was later crowned the best album of the year, a win that followed an earlier victory for best artist of the year, beating out Avril Lavigne, Lauren Spencer-Smith, Michael Bublé, and Shawn Mendes.
Numerous Juno awardees experienced triumph in the American market as well, such as Michael Bublé’s “Higher” (year’s best adult contemporary album), Tenille Townes’ “Masquerades” (top country album of the year), Kaytranada and Anderson Paak’s “Twin Frame” (year’s best rap single), and Rêve’s “CTRL + ALT + DEL” (outstanding dance recording of the year).
Harry Styles’ “Harry’s House” claimed the Juno Award for international album of the year, continuing its global sweep of awards, such as the Brit Award for British album of the year and the Grammy for album of the year.
Memorable Moments and Special Awards
During the main Juno Awards telecast, Avril Lavigne experienced a stage-crashing incident involving a topless environmental activist, which led to Lavigne shouting expletives on live television.
Lavigne also won the Juno Fan Choice Award for the fourth time.
An emotional high point of the event was a performance by Oji-Cree singer-songwriter Aysanabee, accompanied by a video testimony recalling his grandfather’s time at the McIntosh Residential School in northwestern Ontario.
The Opening Night Awards featured various special award recipients, such as the Walt Grealis Special Achievement Award (Ron Sakamoto) and The MusiCounts Inspired Minds Ambassador Award (Kevin Drew from Broken Social Scene).
Host and Performances
The Juno Awards were hosted for the second consecutive year by actor Simu Liu, known for his role in the 2021 Marvel Cinematic Universe film “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings”.
The Inaugural Night Awards, broadcasted live, featured co-hosts Andrew Phung and Angeline Tetteh-Wayoe.
The event showcased performances by Alberta’s pop vocalist Devon Cole, R&B sensation Dylan Sinclair, contemporary classical pianist Jean-Michel Blais, and the sibling ensemble The Bearhead Sisters.
Article In a Snapshot
- The Weeknd triumphed at the 2023 Juno Awards, winning four awards during the Opening Night event, and later earning the best album of the year for “Dawn FM.”
- With these victories, The Weeknd has now tied with Bryan Adams for second place on the all-time Juno leaderboard, accumulating a total of 21 Juno Awards.
- Harry Styles’ “Harry’s House” continued its global success by winning the Juno Award for international album of the year.
- Avril Lavigne won the Juno Fan Choice Award for the fourth time and experienced a stage-crashing incident involving a topless environmental activist during the main Juno Awards telecast.
- The Juno Awards were hosted by actor Simu Liu for the second consecutive year, with performances from various artists, including Devon Cole, Dylan Sinclair, Jean-Michel Blais, and The Bearhead Sisters.
