Furtado, Billy Talent, k-os lead Juno noms
TORONTO (CP) – Hip-shaking songstress Nelly Furtado will not only be hosting this year’s Juno Awards – she’ll also have a shot at winning five trophies.
Furtado, the British Columbia-raised singer who has had a remarkable career resurgence this year with her chart-topping album “Loose,” led the list of nominees announced Tuesday along with rockers Billy Talent and hip-hop star k-os, who also received five nods apiece.
Triple nominees include Sarah Harmer, Quebec recording star Gregory Charles, francophone band Malajube, and Hedley – the hard-driving outfit fronted by former “Canadian Idol” contestant Jacob Hoggard.
Hoggard was not the only Idol alum nominated Tuesday. Eva Avila, who won last year’s edition of the televised singing contest, and 2005 winner Melissa O’Neil are both up for new artist of the year.
Alberta rockers Nickelback received a nod for the fan choice award.
The 2007 Juno Awards will be staged April 1 at Saskatoon’s Credit Union Centre and broadcast live.
In recent years, the awards have been held in various locations across Canada, including Ottawa, Edmonton, Winnipeg and – last year – Halifax. The strategy to take the show on the road has been a resounding success, generating fan buzz in the host cities.
This year that trend will no doubt continue with Furtado as host. The singer, after all, began her career in 2001 as a Juno darling, taking home a slew of trophies for her debut album, “Whoa, Nelly.”
Her subsequent release, “Folklore,” did not have the same success, prompting some to wonder if Furtado was a flash in the pan. But the singer re-emerged with a vengeance earlier this year with “Loose” and a new sexed-up image that surprised many of her fans.
In Saskatoon, “Promiscuous” – her smash hit featuring Timbaland – will vie for single of the year. Furtado is also up for album of the year, artist of the year, pop album of the year and for a fan’s choice award.
K-os is also no stranger to the Junos, with nine previous nominations and a handful of trophies. This time around he got nods for single of the year, songwriter of the year, pop album of the year and video of the year. He’s also nominated for a producing award.
Billy Talent, meanwhile, has three previous Juno wins. The Toronto-based band is nominated for single of the year for “Devil in a Midnight Mass,” album of the year, group of the year, rock album of the year and video of the year.
The nominees are selected based on a combination of sales and votes from members of the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.
The academy also announced Tuesday that producer Bob Rock will be this year’s inductee to the Canadian Music Hall of Fame.
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Some of the key categories in the 2007 Juno nominations announced Tuesday:
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.
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,” Nelly Furtado (featuring Timbaland).
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.
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.
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.
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.
Adult Alternative Album of the Year: “The Light That Guides You Home,” Jim Cuddy; “When the Angels Make Contact,” Matt Mays; “Living With War,” Neil Young; “Time Being,” Ron Sexsmith; “I’m a Mountain,” Sarah Harmer.
Alternative Album of the Year: “Skelliconnection,” Chad VanGaalen; “Sometimes,” City and Colour; “Return to the Sea,” Islands; “Trompe-l’Oeil,” Malajube; “Not Saying/Just Saying,” Shout Out Out Out Out.
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.
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.
A full list of nominees can be found at www.junoawards.ca.
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