Junos 2015: Kiesza wins breakthrough artist of the year, takes home 3 Junos
Calgary singer Kiesza emerged as the big winner at the 44th annual Juno Awards, picking up three trophies over the weekend.
The Sound of a Woman singer picked up her third award Sunday night, taking home the trophy for breakthrough artist of the year. The 26-year-old won her first two Junos at Saturday’s non-televised gala for dance recording of the year (Sound of a Woman) and video of the year (Hideaway).
At the 2015 Juno Awards, Kiesza skipped into the spotlight, Arkells were hailed as hometown heroes, the Weeknd worked and an 80-year-old Leonard Cohen snagged the biggest Juno of his career — and then Alanis Morissette was here to remind us she still knows exactly how to steal a show.
The 40-year-old Morissette was ushered into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame and closed the show Sunday at Hamilton’s FirstOntario Centre with a powerful medley of Uninvited, You Oughta Know and Thank You that melted a grateful Steeltown audience.
“I am deeply appreciative of this country,” she said calmly after a standing ovation. “A lot of people around the planet ask me what [it]
is about you Canadians that make you so expressed and so compelling.
“And I say, ‘There’s definitely something in the water other than fluoride.”‘
Morissette’s serene presence steadied another breathlessly efficient show in which several decorated artists could stake rightful claim to the status as the year’s most distinguished victor.
There was the absent Cohen, Montreal’s bard of blackness whose gold-certified Popular Problems took the evening’s top prize for album of the year, thus giving him six career Junos and continuing his unlikely late-career creative renaissance.
Or perhaps the year’s crown jewel was Calgary’s Kiesza, winner of her first three career Junos after her irrepressible one-take, Brooklyn-shot video for Hideaway — a throaty ode to ’90s house — catapulted her to unlikely worldwide success.
Before she claimed her award for breakthrough artist of the year, she even took a moment seemingly offering support to 16-year-old fellow nominee Shawn Mendes (backstage, she called him “such a sweetheart” and testified that he was a deserving winner: “That kid did it all on his own.”)
“I’m shaking. I’m a little nervous,” she said as she accepted her award. “Thank you to all my fans … thank you for all the support this past year — it hasn’t been a full year yet, which is crazy.”
The Junos also proved to be believers in Magic!, the evening’s leading nominees whose reggae-redolent smash Rude landed the Toronto quartet awards for single of the year and breakthrough group of the year.
They performed the song too — married as it was to new single No Way No — and frontman Nasri Atweh was air-conditioner breezy both while singing and speechifying.
“We really didn’t think that Rude would become a big hit around the world and we’re very thankful that it’s a hit in our own country, in Canada,” said Atweh calmly, flanked by his bandmates, identically clad in two-tone suits.
Magic! and Kiesza weren’t the only Juno newcomers to make their presence felt.
Although Toronto’s the Weeknd (the moniker for master of grim seduction Abel Tesfaye) had won two awards in prior years, he performed for the first time — crooning his pitch-black 50 Shades of Grey tune Earned It on a dimly lit stage, illuminated by spare lightbulbs — and claimed the biggest Juno of his career for artist of the year, in addition to R&B/soul recording of the year.
he typically publicity-averse 25-year-old allowed his speaking voice a rare cameo when he accepted the show-closing award.
“Um, I’d like to thank the Junos of course,” he said, checking the mic to make sure it was on. “I want to thank Canada man, thank you guys. I wouldn’t be here without you. Thank you.”
And in performances, Mendes put in a winsome acoustic performance of Life of the Party, electro-pop songwriter Lights teamed with Sam Roberts to flash through her Up We Go and his We’re All In This Together and mega-popular dance producer Deadmau5 and Colleen D’Agostino powered through a funky, laser-focused (and enhanced) Seeya.
And Kiesza briefly opted for minimalist elegance on her powerfully sung piano ballad Sound of a Woman before exploding into Hideaway and the fleet-footed fury for which we all pined, leap-frogging dancers and all.
Hamilton’s own Arkells, meanwhile, were boosted by both the comfort of home-court advantage and the swell of the National Academy Orchestra of Canada. They performed Come to Light, appropriate since they were basking in the glow of winning rock album of the year and group of the year.
“This is an embarrassment of riches,” marvelled frontman Max Kerman. “We feel so lucky to be in this category with some of my favourite bands. I covered a Sam Roberts song when I was in Grade 12 and to be in his company is always an honour.
“Our first show was about 10 minutes away from here at McMaster University,” he added, pausing as the crowd roared. “Our second show was at the Casbah about two blocks away — that was very cool.
“And to be here on this stage is, yeah, totally overwhelming.”
Host Jacob Hoggard opened the show with a brisk comedy bit featuring taped contributions from Michael Buble, the Trailer Park Boys and even Prime Minister Stephen Harper before he and his Hedley bandmates strutted through Anything backed by a drum squad and a hail of sparking pyro.
Later, he joked in a brief monologue that it was a “total honour that everybody else said no” and cracked: “Millions of viewers are tuning in right now and they’re all thinking the same thing: ‘Russell Peters looks sick and white.”‘
But with due respect to a game and seemingly comfortable Hoggard, it was Morissette whose formidable presence threaded the show together.
She accepted her award at the halfway point after a touching presentation from longtime collaborator Glen Ballard, and closed the evening with three signature hits still indelibly etched into the memories of most Canadians.
It was in the same city that Morissette jogged her five-award Jagged Little Pill victory lap back in 1996. Beyond the usual gratitude, Morissette in her speech mused on what it means to be Canadian.
“I moved to Los Angeles and I waited six months for someone to ask me a question — so I listened,” she said. “And then I realized I had to adopt a whole other approach to life because Canadians are very engaging, very curious, very self-deprecating, very funny.
“So I took advantage of the cloth from which I was cut and continued to tell stories and feel so touched by how people interpret my songs.
“As an artist, I write for myself in a very self-indulgent way,” she added. “I love you, and I thank you, and I thank all people who have supported me in Canada for the many decades.”
2015 Juno Award winners:
Juno fan choice award: Michael Buble.
Single of the year: Rude, Magic!
Album of the year: Popular Problems, Leonard Cohen.
Artist of the year: The Weeknd.
Breakthrough artist of the year: Kiesza.
Rock album of the year: High Noon, Arkells.
International album of the year: In the Lonely Hour, Sam Smith.
Group of the year: Arkells.
Breakthrough group of the year: Magic!
Songwriter of the year: Bahamas.
Country album of the year: Lifted, Dallas Smith.
Adult alternative album of the year: Bahamas is Afie, Bahamas.
Alternative album of the year: July Talk, July Talk.
Pop album of the year: Little Machines, Lights.
Vocal jazz album of the year: Red, Diana Panton.
Jazz album of the year (solo): Vista Obscura, Kirk MacDonald.
Jazz album of the year (group): Jane Bunnett and Maqueque, Jane Bunnett and Maqueque.
Instrumental album of the year: Encuentro, Quartango.
Francophone album of the year: Maladie d’amour, Jimmy Hunt.
Children’s album of the year: Where in the World, Fred Penner.
Classical album of the year (solo or chamber ensemble): Bartok: Chamber Works for Violin Vol. 3, James Ehnes.
Classical album of the year (large ensemble or soloist with large ensemble accompaniment): Schubert: Winterreise, Gerald Finley and Julius Drake.
Classical composition of the year: Airline Icarus, Brian Current.
Rap recording of the year: The Legends League Presents: Naturally Born Strangers, Naturally Born Strangers.
Dance recording of the year: Sound of a Woman, Kiesza.
R&B/Soul recording of the year: Often, the Weeknd.
Reggae recording of the year: Welcome the King, Exco Levi.
Aboriginal album of the year: Animism, Tanya Tagaq.
Roots and traditional album of the year (solo): The Raven’s Sun, Catherine MacLellan.
Roots and traditional album of the year (group): Let it Lie, The Bros. Landreth.
Blues album of the year: Solo Recordings, Vol. 2, Steve Hill.
Contemporary Christian/gospel album of the year: VIP, Manic Drive.
World music album of the year: 500 Years of Night, Quique Escamilla.
Jack Richardson producer of the year: Adam Messinger.
Recording engineer of the year: Eric Ratz.
Recording package of the year: Roberta Hansen (art director/designer/illustrator), Mike Latschislaw (photographer), Pilgrimage, Steve Bell.
Video of the year: Hideaway, Kiesza.
Electronic album of the year: Our Love, Caribou.
Metal/hard music album of the year: Z(squared), Devin Townsend Project.
Adult contemporary album of the year: Shine On, Sarah McLachlan.