Joni, Nelly and fascinating JUNOS facts
Lifetime Achievement Award recipient Joni Mitchell and Nelly Furtado, the newest inductee into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, will make special appearances at Sunday’s JUNO Awards in Hamilton. Read all about them and some things you might not know about Canada’s music awards!
There are two towering women in Canadian music who will take centre stage at Sunday’s JUNO Awards.
The iconic singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell will receive a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS). And the powerhouse that is Nelly Furtado will be inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame.
Both will make appearances at the ceremony being broadcast live from Hamilton’s TD Coliseum.
Mitchell, who was born in Fort Macleod, Saskatchewan and raised in Saskatoon, was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame an incredible 45 years ago (she was inducted by Pierre Elliott Trudeau). Over the last 25 years, Mitchell’s disillusionment with the record industry and a series of health issues, had her step back from performing.
That changed in 2022 when Americana star Brandi Carlile convinced Mitchell to sing at the Newport Folk Festival.
“We knew then that we had to find a way to bring Joni back. So we were beyond thrilled that when we started this conversation with her management, there was willingness,” says Allan Reid, president and CEO of CARAS.
“I think the political climate also played a role in Joni saying, ‘I want to go back home to my home country and be recognized.’ So honestly, we could not be more thrilled that Joni is going to be able to come back here and be in Hamilton and be part of this celebration.”
Mitchell, 82, has won 11 GRAMMYS, received a GRAMMY Lifetime Achievement Award in 2002 and three of her records are in the GRAMMY Hall of Fame.
She was given a standing ovation at the Grammys in February, where she won for Best Historical Recording. She will become just the third person to be given a JUNO Lifetime Achievement Award, joining fellow Canadian icon Anne Murray (who was honoured last year) and Pierre Juneau, the first CRTC chairman and Canadian music champion for whom the JUNOS were named.
Furtado, a 47-year-old native of Victoria, is being recognized for her unique artistry in producing seven albums that were each entirely different from the last, says Reid.
She has released albums that span pop, hip-hop, folk, R&B, alternative, electronica, and leans heavily into her Portuguese roots and Spanish-speaking influences.
“To sell 35 million records is incredible. But you go back to her career and it’s just been massive single after massive single. She's such a unique artist,” says Reid.
Furtado has over 20 billion streams, and three No. 1 hit singles on the Billboard Hot 100. Her unique songwriting and “Nelly sound” has earned her Grammy and Latin Grammy Awards, 10 JUNO Awards, multi-platinum certifications, and millions of fans around the world.
In 2007, she made JUNO history when she won each award she was nominated for, taking home five statuettes.
In October, Furtado announced on social media that she was retiring from live performances "for the foreseeable future" to pursue other creative and personal endeavours.
“One of my favourite things to get to do in this job is to make those phone calls and say that on behalf of the board of directors of CARAS, it's my honour to let you know we'd like to induct you into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame.”
Reid says that while the music industry has undergone monumental shifts over the last several decades, the Canadian sector continues to grow.
Over the last 10 years, the number of JUNO submissions has doubled. This year marked the second-highest submission count ever, second only to 2025.
“What is amazing is the amount of talent that comes out of this country,” says Reid, who worked in talent acquisition for record companies for 26 years.
“We say it all the time: we as a nation, punch way above our weight when it comes to music, from a global superstar standpoint, and across all spectrums, and all genres of music.”
DID YOU KNOW?
JUNOS TO Hamilton
2026 will be the 55th annual JUNO Awards and the lucky seventh time Hamilton has hosted the JUNOS. Hamilton played a critical role in the evolution of the awards show, serving as the first host city in 1995 where fans could attend and helping the event morph into a fan-driven arena event that travels the country.
Credit for the idea goes to Debra Vivian, marketing and public relations director of what was then the City-owned Hamilton Entertainment and Convention Facilities Incorporated (HECFI), which operated Copps Coliseum, Hamilton Place, and Hamilton Convention Centre. She lobbied her boss Gabe Macaluso in 1993, who supported the idea. From there, Hamilton native Dave Charles, then president of CARAS (the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences), championed the concept to a reluctant CARAS board.
The rest is JUNOS history.
READ THE WHOLE JUNOS TO HAMILTON STORY HERE
The JUNOS statuette
A Hamilton artist has been critical to the hardware handed out to JUNOS winners for the last quarter century. The late Stoney Creek artist Shirley Elford created more than 2,200 handcrafted glass statues for JUNOS recipients after redesigning the award in 2000. The human statuette was made of molten glass and wrapped in an upward, spiralling musical staff.
When poor health meant Elford had to give up her handcrafted creations in 2010, she designed a new award that machine-engraved the shape of the figure inside of a glass block. That award was first given out in 2011, the year Elford died of cancer.
But to celebrate the JUNO Awards’ 50th anniversary in 2021, three new statuettes were created, honouring Elford’s individually crafted design. Ever since, a gold version has been given out to JUNO Award winners, a silver version for Special Award recipients and a gold and silver version for Canadian Music Hall of Fame inductees.
The JUNOS name
The music industry, led by music publication editor and publisher Walt Grealis and record label executive Stan Klees, formed the RPM Gold Leaf Awards in 1964. In 1971, those were renamed the JUNOS in honour of Pierre Juneau, the CRTC chairman who did much to improve Canadian content regulations, which grew the domestic music industry.
The first JUNOS were presented to Andy Kim for best male vocalist, the Guess Who for best group, Gordon Lightfoot for best folk artist, and Ginette Reno for best female vocalist.
The numbers
Anne Murray holds the record for the most JUNOS with 26 wins and 53 nominations, followed by Céline Dion and Bryan Adams. Hamilton’s Arkells have nine wins (tied with some pretty great company: Neil Young, Jann Arden, Leonard Cohen, k.d. lang, Barenaked Ladies and Loverboy), and have won Group of the Year a record six times.
The first JUNOS gave out awards in 12 categories. This year, there are 52. About 40 awards are handed out at an industry-only gala event the day before the broadcast. Tune in live on CBC Music and CBC Gem to the gala co-hosted by Damhnait Doyle and Odario Williams. Performers will include Fredz, Isabella Lovestory, Manitou Mkwa Singers, Ryan Ofei, and Saya Gray.
Voting
There’s a strict Canadian content requirement to qualify for nomination. Two award categories are determined entirely by sales/streaming (International Album of the Year, Album of the Year). Five are determined by a mix of sales/streaming and votes (Breakthrough Artist, Breakthrough Group, Rock Album, Pop Album, Artist of the Year and Group of the Year.) Fan Choice is determined by public online voting. The rest are determined by voting members of the CARAS Academy.
Surprises
Neither The Band nor Great Big Sea have ever won a JUNO. The former have never been nominated but do reside in the Canadian Music Hall of Fame. The latter have been nominated 11 times but never taken home an award.
CHECK OUT OUR COMPLETE JUNOS COVERAGE HERE!
The Hall of Fame
There have been 70 artists inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame since its inception in 1978. Now located at Studio Bell in Calgary, the hall of fame recognizes Canadian musicians who have achieved significant commercial success and artistic impact, both nationally and internationally.
Award show moments
On-air JUNOS moments are many: From Alanis Morissette’s famous nude suit in 2004, to Shania’s glittery Canadian team NHL jerseys as host in 2003; from Bob Dylan’s appearance to induct Gordon Lightfoot into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 1986, to Carole Pope’s lewd gesture while leading Rough Trade in “High School Confidential” in 1982.
What will happen this year? Find out by getting tickets to the show or watching on CBC and CBC Gem.
Hosted by Mae Martin, there will be live performances by Alessia Cara, Allison Russell, Arkells, The Beaches, Cameron Whitcomb, Daniel Caesar, Jully Black, MICO, Sarah McLachlan, Shawn Desman, Sofia Camara, Tanya Tagaq, and William Prince.
