The Juno Awards of 2009 honoured music industry achievements in Canada in the latter part of 2007 and in most of 2008. These ceremonies were held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada during the weekend ending 29 March 2009.
Loverboy was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, and Sarah McLachlan received the Allan Waters Humanitarian Award. Long-time broadcast executive Fred Sherratt, a former CHUM Limited executive, received the Walt Grealis Special Achievement Award.
Events
Preliminary award-related events began on 26 March 2009. The following day featured a Welcome Reception at the Commodore Ballroom and a Juno Cup ice hockey game at the UBC Thunderbird Arena.
Most awards were announced at a Gala Dinner and Awards which was a restricted-access, non-televised event at Vancouver's Westin Bayshore Hotel on 28 March 2009. The only multiple-category winner at that event was The Stills who won New Group of the Year and Alternative Album of the Year (Oceans Will Rise). Kardinal Offishall's single "Dangerous" was awarded Single of the Year, over competition from songs by established major artists such as Michael Bublé, Céline Dion and Nickelback.
Primary ceremonies
The primary awards ceremony on 29 March 2009 was telecast by CTV from General Motors Place and hosted for the second consecutive year by Russell Peters.
Artists performing at the ceremonies broadcast included City and Colour, Nickelback, Sarah McLachlan and Simple Plan. The complete list of performing artists was:
Bryan Adams
City and Colour
Crystal Shawanda
Divine Brown
Eccodek
Great Big Sea
Hawksley Workman
Kathleen Edwards
Nickelback
Sam Roberts
Sarah McLachlan
Serena Ryder
Simple Plan
The Stills
Nominees and winners
The band Nickelback received five Juno Award nominations, the most of any band or individual artist. Celine Dion and Hedley earned nominations in three categories apiece. Performances have also been scheduled from Simple Plan and Alexisonfire vocalist Dallas Green (performing as City and Colour).
Nominees were announced at a press conference on 5 February 2009. Reporters in attendance expressed an uncertain reaction to the announcement, particularly to the number of nominations given to the critically reviled Nickelback.
The following were the 2009 Juno nominees and winners:
Artist of the Year
Winner: Sam Roberts
Other Nominees: Bryan Adams City and Colour (Dallas Green) k.d. lang Serena Ryder
Group of the Year
Winner: Nickelback
Other Nominees: Great Big Sea Simple Plan Tokyo Police Club The Trews
New Artist of the Year
Winner: Lights
Other Nominees: Jessie Farrell Crystal Shawanda Kreesha Turner Nikki Yanofsky
New Group of the Year
Winner: The Stills
Other nominees: Beast Cancer Bats Crystal Castles Plants and Animals
Jack Richardson Producer of the Year
Winner: Daniel Lanois, "Here Is What Is" and "Not Fighting Anymore" (Daniel Lanois)
Other nominees: Stuart Brawley, "Don’t Stop Now" and "Falling" (Emmy Rossum) David Foster, "A Change Is Gonna Come" (Seal), "Silent Night" (Josh Groban) k.d. lang, "I Dream of Spring" and "Coming Home" (k.d. lang) Nickelback and Joey Moi (co-producer Mutt Lange), "Gotta Be Somebody" and "Something in Your Mouth" (Nickelback)
Recording Engineer of the Year
Winner: Kevin Churko, "Disappearing" and "The Big Bang" (Simon Collins)
Other nominees: John "Beetle" Bailey, "Lucky" and "If I Were A Bell" (Molly Johnson) Mike Fraser, "Rock N' Roll Train" (AC/DC), "Them Kids" (Sam Roberts) Joey Moi, "Gotta Be Somebody" and "Never Gonna Be Alone" (Nickelback) Randy Staub, "Something in Your Mouth" (Nickelback)
Songwriter of the Year
Winner: City and Colour, "Waiting...", "Sleeping Sickness", "The Girl"
Other nominees: Nathan Ferraro, "Never Again", "Change For You", "Unaware" (The Midway State) Hedley, "Old School", "For The Nights I Can’t Remember" (with Dave Genn), "Never Too Late" (with Greig Nori) (Hedley) Alanis Morissette, "Underneath", "Not As We", "In Praise of the Vulnerable Man" (Alanis Morissette) Gordie Sampson, "When I Said I Would" (Whitney Duncan), "Just A Dream" (Carrie Underwood), "Davey Jones" (Gordie Sampson)
Fan Choice Award
Winner: Nickelback
Other nominees: Céline Dion Feist Hedley The Lost Fingers
Nominated albums
Album of the Year
Winner: Dark Horse, Nickelback
Other nominees: Famous Last Words, Hedley Lost in the 80's, The Lost Fingers 70’s Volume 2, Sylvain Cossette Simple Plan, Simple Plan