With award season in full swing and the Junos right around the corner, there is no better time to showcase Canadian talent. CJRU’s Juno’s Essentials playlist has you covered! This playlist consists of 25 songs by different artists across multiple genres, all of which are nominated for one or multiple Juno awards this year. Rediscover some songs and artists you love, or discover something new!
1. MEMORIES – 347aidan
Nominated for TikTok Juno Fan Choice and Breakthrough Artist of the Year, Ontario-born rapper 347aidan took the internet by storm with “Dancing in My Room,” released in 2020. Check out 347aidan’s second most streamed song “MEMORIES,” a bonus track on his EP CHASING HARMONY, which currently stands at over 95 million streams.
2. i remember – bbno$
bbno$ (pronounced ‘baby no money’) is a rapper from Vancouver, British Columbia, who is also nominated for Tiktok Juno Fan Choice, as well as Rap Single of the Year. Songs like “Lalala,” “nursery,” and ”shining on my ex” brought bbno$ to the spotlight on TikTok in 2019 and 2020. The release of ”edamame” in 2021 landed the rapper with a Juno nomination for Rap Single of the Year. We’ve included bbno$’ single i remember, off of his most recent album eat ya veggies released in 2021.
3. Peaches – Justin Bieber (ft. Daniel Caesar and Giveon)
“Peaches” is a fan favourite among Juno veteran Justin Bieber’s newer singles. This song also features Toronto’s own Daniel Caesar, earning the two of them (along with American singer Giveon) a nomination for Single of the Year. Bieber is also nominated for four more Junos this year, including Tiktok Juno Fan Choice, Album of the Year, Artist of the Year, and Pop Album of the Year.
4. Take My Breath – The Weeknd
Justin Bieber isn’t the only Juno veteran returning with five nominations this year. After the monumental success of The Weeknd’s 2020 album After Hours, and its hit single “Blinding Lights” currently sitting at a groundbreaking 2 billion streams on Spotify alone (it’s second most streamed song on the platform of all-time!), this Toronto native dropped his newest album Dawn FM on January 6th, 2022. “Take My Breath,” a single from the album that currently has over 52 million streams on Spotify, is nominated alongside Justin Bieber’s Peaches for Single of the Year. The Weeknd is also nominated for Tiktok Juno Fan Choice, Artist of the Year, Songwriter of the Year and Contemporary R&B Recording of the Year.
5. Meaningless – Charlotte Cardin
Getting her first two Juno nominations in 2018, Charlotte Cardin is also no stranger to the Junos. This year, the French-Canadian singer is nominated for five Juno awards. “Meaningless,” a single off of her 2021 album Phoenix (which is nominated for Album of the Year), is up against Justin Bieber and The Weeknd for Single of the Year. Charlotte Cardin’s other nominations include TikTok Juno Fan Choice, Artist of the Year, and Pop Album of the year.
6. Wonder – Shawn Mendes
Nominated for Breakthrough Artist of the Year back in 2015 and continuing to appear on the list of Juno nominees ever since, Shawn Mendes is back on this year’s nominees for Album of the Year with his 2020 release Wonder. The album’s title track, which is included in this playlist, notably stands at over 416 million streams on Spotify, and is currently one of his most streamed songs on the platform. Shawn Mendes is also nominated for TikTok Juno Fan Choice, Artist of the Year, and Pop Album of the Year.
7. If the World Was Ending – JP Saxe (ft. Julia Michaels)
Toronto artist JP Saxe found his way onto the Juno Nominees list for the second year in a row with his 2021 album Dangerous Levels of Introspection, which is nominated for Album of the Year. Included on this album is his most popular song, ”If the World Was Ending,” which currently has over 786 million streams on Spotify. The song features American singer Julia Michaels, who has famously collaborated with top artists including former One Direction member Niall Horan, Selena Gomez, Australian pop band 5 Seconds of Summer, and more. JP Saxe is also nominated alongside previously mentioned artists Justin Bieber, The Weeknd, Charlotte Cardin, and Shawn Mendes for Artist of the Year.
8. you broke me first – Tate McRae
Another artist up for Album of the Year against JP Saxe is Calgary-born singer Tate McRae, with her 2021 EP TOO YOUNG TO BE SAD, which was named the most streamed female EP of 2021 on Spotify. McRae’s single, “you broke me first,” which is featured on this EP, is the longest charting song released by a female artist in 2020 on the Billboard Hot 100, and currently has over 907 million streams on Spotify. TOO YOUNG TO BE SAD is also nominated for Pop Album of the Year, alongside Justin Bieber’s Justice, Shawn Mendes’ Wonder, and Charlotte Cardin’s Phoenix.
9. Hayloft – Mother Mother
Although they’ve been an active band since 2005, British Columbia Indie Rockstars Mother Mother have been nominated for a Juno Award for Group of the Year. Multiple songs off of their 2008 release O My Heart suddenly spread like a wildfire across social media platforms, most notably on TikTok. Songs like “Burning Pile,” “Arms Tonite” and “Hayloft” became regularly used TikTok audios for video trends in 2020 and 2021. “Hayloft,” featured in this playlist, is currently the band’s most streamed song on Spotify with over 288 million streams. After the song’s success, Mother Mother released a different version of the song titled “Hayloft II” in 2022, 14 years after its initial release.
10. Come to Light – Arkells
Ontario rock band Arkells have won a Juno Award for Group of the Year four times, and are undoubtedly nominated for the same category again this year, following the success of their 2021 single “You Can Get It.” The track features American singer K.Flay, and currently has over 7 million streams on Spotify. Their most successful album to date; High Noon released in 2014, features noteworthy singles like “Leather Jacket” and “Come to Light.” The latter, which is featured on this playlist, currently has over 4 million streams on Spotify. Arkells is also nominated for Rock Album of the Year, for their 2021 album Blink Once.
11. Can We Make It? (Jim Carrey) – Valley
Competing against Arkells and looking to steal the band’s potential fifth win for Group of the Year is Toronto indie-pop band Valley. Valley was nominated for Breakthrough Group of the Year at the 2020 Juno Awards after the release of their 2020 EP sucks to see you doing better, and have made a name for themselves once again in 2022. Towards the end of 2021, the group released their second album Last Birthday, with the deluxe version titled Last Birthday (The After Party) following not long after in February 2022. The album’s first single, “Like 1999,” gained popularity in many different countries, putting the Canadian band on the world’s radar. Valley has toured with other indie artists including The Band Camino, Lennon Stella, and most recently, COIN. The song featured in this playlist, ”Can We Make It? (Jim Carrey),” is the third track off of Last Birthday (The After Party), and currently has almost 1 million streams on Spotify.
12. Minefields – Faouzia (ft. John Legend)
Alongside previously mentioned artist 347aidan for Breakthrough Artist of the Year is Faouzia. Born in Casablanca, Morocco and raised in Manitoba, Faouzia has been featured on tracks from hit artists like David Guetta’s ”Battle” in 2018, as well as Kelly Clarkson, who invited her to translate the American singer’s song “I Dare You” into Moroccan-Arabic in 2020. Faouzia released her first EP Stripped on August 6th, 2020, which featured many of her past releases performed as piano ballads. At the end of 2020, she released a new single, “Minefields,” which features American soul singer John Legend. “Minefields” is currently Faouzia’s most popular track with over 79 million streams on Spotify.
13. I’m not Pretty – JESSIA
British Columbia pop singer JESSIA joined the list of 2022 Juno nominees for the first time in her career, collecting a total of four nominations. Her fourth single “I’m not Pretty,” released in 2021, gained success after it went viral on TikTok. The song currently stands at almost 98 million streams on Spotify, and is her most popular release. “I’m not Pretty’s” triumph on social media has granted JESSIA with nominations for Breakthrough Artist of the Year, TikTok Juno Fan Choice, Pop Album of the Year and Single of the Year, alongside celebrated Canadian artists like Justin Bieber, The Weeknd and Shawn Mendes.
14. Jalebi Baby – Tesher (ft. Jason Derulo)
Along with JESSIA, Faouzia and 347aidan, Saskatchewan singer Tesher is nominated for 2022’s Breakthrough Artist of the Year. Tesher’s 2020 single ”Young Shahrukh” saw success after going viral on platforms like YouTube, Instagram and TikTok. After this release, Tesher performed an original verse in a remix of Justin Bieber’s single “Yummy,” which also gained popularity on social media. When Tesher’s TikTok audience demanded a full version of his verse, he stripped the verse from his “Yummy” remix and went on to record a full original song with this verse included, titled “Jalebi Baby.” This song was originally released in November of 2020, which was later rereleased in 2021 as a remix with American singer Jason Derulo. Tesher and Derulo’s collab of “Jalebi Baby,” featured in this playlist, is currently the former’s most popular song on Spotify with over 104 million streams.
15. hometown – cleopatrick
Born in Cobourg, Ontario, Ian Fraser and Luke Gruntz serve as Canadian hard rock duo cleopatrick. Formed in 2015, the group has released two EPs and one studio album as of 2022, and have almost 600,000 monthly Spotify listeners. Their most popular song, “hometown,” released in 2017, peaked at No. 6 on the US Mainstream Rock Charts, and currently has over 60 million streams on the Spotify. Following the release of their 2021 album BUMMER, the band is nominated for Breakthrough Group of the Year.
16. New Threads – MONOWHALES
Also up for Breakthrough Group of the Year is Toronto alt-rock band MONOWHALES. Two of their singles, “Take it Back” (their first single, released in 2017) and ”RWLYD (Really Wanna Let You Down)” were featured on the Mediabase Canada Alternative Rock Chart, and three songs from their 2018 EP Control Freak were featured in the 2020 Netflix series Spinning Out. The band will be touring with Juno nominated band Mother Mother in the upcoming months. Their newest single, “New Threads,” released on April 7, 2022, currently has over 8,000 streams on Spotify.
17. I Got You, Honey – Ocie Elliott
British Columbia folk duo Ocie Elliott are also a contender for 2022’s Breakthrough Group of the Year. Formed in 2017, Jon Middleton and Sierra Lundy who make up the duo have released two albums and four EPs, and currently have over 2 million monthly listeners on Spotify. Two of Ocie Elliott’s singles, “Run to You” and “The Less We Know,” have been used in episodes of Grey’s Anatomy; one in 2019, and another this year. Their most popular song, “I Got You, Honey,” which is featured on their 2018 EP titled EP, has over 12 million streams on Spotify.
18. Make a Life, Not a Living – Brett Kissel
Alberta native and Juno veteran Brett Kissel has added two more Juno nominations to his now total of seven. In Kissel’s entire career, Kissel has had three of his singles go platinum; “Airwaves,” ”Drink About Me” and ”She Drives Me Crazy.” His 2021 single, “Make a Life, Not a Living,” which is featured in this playlist, was his fourth career Number One at Canadian country radio, and his first song to chart in the top 50 of the Billboard Canadian Hot 100. The single also set a record as the most-added song at Canadian country radio in a single week ever. The success of ”Make a Life, Not a Living” has Brett Kissel nominated for Single of the Year against Justin Bieber, The Weeknd, JESSIA, and Charlotte Cardin, making him the only country artist in this category. He is also nominated for Country Album of the Year.
19. Where I’m From – The Reklaws
Also nominated for Country Album of the Year is Ontario duo The Reklaws. This is the fourth year in a row that The Reklaws have received a Juno nomination. The duo’s claim to fame has been providing songs to serve as theme songs for different sports events, including singles like “Long Live the Night” for CFL games, and “Roots” for the IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship in both 2019 and 2020. The featured track in this playlist, “Where I’m From,” comes from their 2020 album Sophomore Slump, which is nominated this year for Country Album of the Year.
20. Can’t Help Myself – Dean Brody (ft. The Reklaws)
Another artist under the Country Album of the Year category is British Columbia singer Dean Brody. Brody has been a frequent Juno-goer since 2011, where he was nominated for the same award. The album in question this year, his 2020 release Boys, had many successful singles. “Canadian Summer,” “Boys,” and “Can’t Help Myself” all reached number 1 on the Canadian Country Radio chart. The final single, “Can’t Help Myself,” features fellow nominees The Reklaws, reached number 49 on the Billboard Canadian Hot 100, and is Dean Brody’s most popular song on Spotify with over 27 million streams on the platform.
21. On & On – Half Moon Run
Half Moon Run is a Canadian indie rock band from Montreal, Quebec. The band formed in 2009, and has seen quite a bit of success across many of their releases. Their debut album, Dark Eyes, released in 2012, is certified platinum, and their 2015 album Sun Leads Me On is certified gold. Their recent EP, Inwards & Outwards, helped the band gain a 2022 Juno nomination for Adult Alternative Album of the Year. “On & On,” the second track on the EP, currently sits at over 1 million streams.
22. Tried to Tell You – The Weather Station
Another contender for Adult Alternative Album of the Year is Toronto band The Weather Station. The Weather station has released six albums and three EPs over the span of their career, and currently have nearly 275,000 monthly listeners on Spotify. Their 2021 release, Ignorance, scored them this year’s Juno nomination. The third track on the album, ”Tried to Tell You,” which is featured in this playlist, is The Weather Station’s second most popular song with over 5 million streams.
23. Half Your Love – Bahamas (ft. The Secret Sisters)
Toronto has multiple artists up for Adult Alternative Album of the Year this year. Along with The Weather Station, another nominee for this category is Toronto-born, Finnish musician Bahamas. Some of Bahamas’ most popular songs include “Lost in the Light” with almost 143 million Spotify streams, “All The Time” with over 101 million streams, and “Whole Wide World” with over 66 million streams. His 2020 album, Sad Hunk, features a song called ”Half Your Love,” that currently has 12 million streams. In 2021, Bahamas released an EP titled Live to Tape: Volume I, which included live versions of songs including ”Half Your Love.” This version of the song features American duo The Secret Sisters, and has over 807,000 streams. This EP led Bahamas to a nomination for Adult Alternative Album of the Year.
24. Blow Up – The Beaches
Another Toronto band up for a nomination this year is all-girl rock band The Beaches. The Beaches won Breakthrough Group of the Year at the 2018 Junos, and this year’s nomination for Rock Album of the Year is their second Juno nomination in their career. The group has toured with bands like Allstar Weekend, The Glorious Sons, and Passion Pit. Their 2021 album, Sisters Not Twins (The Professional Lovers Album), combines their two EPs, The Professional (2019) and Future Lovers (2021), and received a Juno nomination for Rock Album of the Year. “Blow Up,“ a song from said album and featured in this playlist, currently has over 1 million plays.
25. Shakin’ Off the Rust – The Blue Stones
The final song in the playlist is by Windsor blues rock duo The Blue Stones. Formed in 2011, the group has released two EPs and two studio albums. The Blue Stones have had many successful singles, mostly from their 2018 album Black Holes, including the title track “Black Holes (Solid Ground),” “Be My Fire,” and “Rolling With the Punches.” Their most recent album, Hidden Gems released in 2021, is up against The Beaches for Rock Album of the Year. Ending the Junos essentials playlist is the second track on the album “Shakin’ Off the Rust,” which currently has over 18 million streams on Spotify.
To check out the full list of Juno nominees; bands and artists who were not mentioned for awards discussed in this article, as well as awards and their nominees not covered above, head to CBC.ca.
Don’t forget to tune in to the 2022 Juno Awards on May 15th, hosted by Canadian actor Simu Liu and featuring performances by mentioned nominees Arkells, Charlotte Cardin and more! Watch the Junos live on CBC-TV and CBC Gem, listen on CBC Radio One and CBC Music, and stream globally at cbcmusic.ca/junos.
