Nelly Furtado flew through the Juno Awards with gusto as Charlotte Cardin, Talk and the Beaches emerged as notable winners in a night of surprises, breakthroughs and political commentary.
One of the biggest surprises came when Karan Aujla sailed to a fan choice win on the growing popularity of the Punjabi-Canadian music genre, which has seen its profile rise as more listeners gravitate to its fusion of hip-hop, pop and other mainstream sounds.
鈥淭his is definitely a first one, but not the last one,鈥� the 鈥淪oftly鈥� singer proclaimed Sunday while clutching the only Juno prize voted on by viewers.
鈥淪ometimes I just can鈥檛 believe I鈥檓 the same kid that lost his parents when he was in India, made my way out to Canada, this beautiful country and today I鈥檓 here.鈥�
鈥淚f you are dreaming, make sure you dream big.鈥�
Later in the CBC telecast, Halifax-bred actor Elliot Page denounced recent political policies while presenting the humanitarian award to pop sisters Tegan and Sara, who were honoured for their work with LGBTQ+ youth.
鈥淲e are at a time in history where the rights of 2SLGBTQ+ people are being revoked, restricted and eliminated throughout the world, and the effects of which are devastating,鈥� Page said before the sisters specifically called out the Alberta government for moves they said threaten the health of trans youth.
The show started with a cheeky surprise guest.
Anne Murray walked onto the stage to give viewers a hearty East Coast welcome to kick off the show. The Springhill, N.S.-born singer, who also holds a record 25 Juno wins, was met with a rousing cheer from the crowd inside Halifax鈥檚 Scotiabank Centre.
鈥淪eeing that I鈥檓 a Nova Scotian who lives just up the street, the producers thought I鈥檇 be just the person to welcome you to Halifax,鈥� Murray said with a smirk.
鈥淪o here I am. And welcome to Halifax.鈥�
Murray then presented the first award of the evening, giving Toronto band the Beaches the group of the year prize.
It was the second win for the female four-piece act, after they picked up rock album of the year at a Saturday pre-telecast ceremony. They excitedly embraced and encouraged other young women to start bands with their friends.
Other winners included Montreal singer-songwriter Cardin whose 鈥�99 Nights鈥� scored album of the year. It was her second win of the weekend after she landed pop album of the year Saturday.
Ottawa-raised singer Talk was chosen as breakthrough artist for his incredible rise on the back of the hit single 鈥淩un Away to Mars.鈥�
Meanwhile, Furtado took on a decidedly more composed presence for her second effort hosting the Junos. In 2007, she famously flew into the show wearing a Las Vegas-styled bird outfit in a comedic moment that was largely received with head scratches.
This time, she opted to forgo her wacky side and focus on the musical spark that made her a Canadian favourite. She opened the show with a dizzying medley of her hits while dressed in a silver 鈥淏arbarella鈥�-esque space-age outfit.
Furtado, who is planning to release a comeback album sometime soon, reminded viewers of her formidable pop impact as she breezed through one of her latest tracks 鈥淓at Your Man鈥� and her pop classics 鈥淪ay It Right,鈥� 鈥淢aneater鈥� and 鈥淚鈥檓 Like a Bird.鈥�
Also Sunday, Canadian Music Hall of Fame inductee Maestro Fresh Wes became the first hip-hop member of the esteemed space.
The 鈥淟et Your Backbone Slide鈥� rapper, born Wesley Williams, took a moment to reflect on his pioneering history as a Canadian hip-hop performer, which started when he wrote his first rhyme in 1979.
He then thanked family and collaborators who helped elevate his career, including past industry players and TV station MuchMusic.
鈥淲e don鈥檛 make records, we make history,鈥� he proclaimed, clad in a black tailcoat.
鈥淲e created a backbone and started conducting things and鈥ow this music we love won鈥檛 ever be underestimated.鈥�
Among the moving highlights of the night was a tribute to late artists Gordon Lightfoot, Robbie Robertson and Karl Tremblay, the lead singer of Quebec鈥檚 Les Cowboys Fringants.
Allison Russell, Aysanabee and pianist Alexandra Str茅liski started the in-memorium performance before they were joined by Indigenous musicians Logan Staats, Shawnee Kish, Julian Taylor and William Prince to close it out in a nod to Robertson鈥檚 heritage, which was Mohawk on his mother鈥檚 side.
Backstage, some musicians waded into several political conversations of the moment.
Musician Jeremy Dutcher was dressed head-to-toe in Indigenous designers while sporting a decorative necklace emblazoned with 鈥淐ease Fire Now,鈥� in recognition of the Israel-Hamas conflict.
鈥淚 thought we might not need it by now,鈥� he explained of the message while clutching it in his hands.
Tegan and Sara spoke of the recent 鈥渁nti-transgender legislation鈥� introduced in Alberta and New Brunswick.
Tegan Quin described it as a 鈥渕ovement against trans youth and the Conservative government putting their nose where it doesn鈥檛 belong鈥�
鈥淲e shouldn鈥檛 be complacent,鈥� she said.
鈥淲e should step up鈥�. I also think we have a voice to remind our government we should be focused on more important things like climate change, the fentanyl crisis, the housing crisis.鈥�
Allison Russell suggested there is hope in these dark times and that musicians are part of the solution.
鈥淭here鈥檚 only one tactic of all fascism, of all bigotry 鈥� and it鈥檚 divide and conquer,鈥� she said.
鈥淗ope is a practice and it requires community.鈥�
Other Canadian talent picked up multiple awards at a non-televised gala on Saturday. Rapper Tobi, alternative singer Aysanabee and pop star Tate McRae each won two awards for their work.
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