Nanaimo singer Lauren Spencer-Smith earns pair of Juno Awards nods
Lauren Spencer-Smith of Nanaimo, B.C., is among the nominees for this year's Juno Awards, including for the artist of the year category.
The 19-year-old singer who rose to fame after a stint on American Idol is up against established names like Michael Bublé, Avril Lavigne and The Weeknd in the most coveted category.
Spencer-Smith was also nominated Tuesday in the TikTok Juno Fan Choice award category, which will be decided by awards viewers.
The awards will be broadcast from Edmonton's Rogers Place arena on March 13, marking the first time the awards are to be held outside of Toronto since the start of the pandemic.
The Weeknd tops the nominees list this year with six nods across some of the main categories heading into the annual celebration of Canadian music.
Other big contenders include Lavigne, the Napanee, Ont., pop-punk artist, and Tate McRae of Calgary, each with five nominations.
Heading to the Junos with three nominations each are pop newcomers Preston Pablo and Rêve. Country siblings the Reklaws and rapper Nav also have three nominations apiece.
Here's a look at the Juno Awards nominees in some of the key categories:
ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Avril Lavigne
Lauren Spencer-Smith
Michael Buble
Shawn Mendes
The Weeknd
SINGLE OF THE YEAR
“Bite Me” - Avril Lavigne
“Flowers Need Rain” - Preston Pablo and Banx & Ranx
“When You're Gone” - Shawn Mendes
“She's All I Wanna Be” - Tate McRae
“Sacrifice” - The Weeknd
ALBUM OF THE YEAR
“Who Hurt You?” - Ali Gatie
“Love Sux” - Avril Lavigne
“Demons Protected By Angels” - Nav
“I Used to Think I Could Fly” - Tate McRae
“Dawn FM” - The Weeknd
GROUP OF THE YEAR
Arcade Fire
Arkells
Billy Talent
Metric
The Reklaws
BREAKTHROUGH ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Dax
Devon Cole
Preston Pablo
RealestK
Reve
TIKTOK JUNO FAN CHOICE (to be voted on by viewers)
Avril Lavigne
Lauren Spencer-Smith
MacKenzie Porter
Preston Pablo
Reve
Shawn Mendes
Tate McRae
The Reklaws
The Weeknd
Tyler Shaw
With files from The Canadian Press
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