The Junos, Canada’s biggest music awards, carried a somewhat somber tone as the late Leonard Cohen took two of the top prizes of the night while Gord Downie, who is suffering from terminal brain cancer, won five including three as a solo artist and two with his group The Tragically Hip.
Cohen took home Entertainer of the Year and Album of the Year for his final studio set, You Want It Darker.
A number of tributes were also given to Cohen including Feist performing an emotional Hey That’s Now Way to Say Goodbye and words from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau who called Cohen “one of the greatest artists Canada has ever produced,”
Downie took home Songwriter of the Year for three songs from his Secret Path project along with Adult Alternative Album and Recording Package of the Year. The Tragically Hip took Group and Rock Album of the Year for their album Man Machine Poem.
In addition, Sarah McLachlan took Adult Contemporary Album of the Year for Wonderland.
The full winners list:
Album Of The Year – Leonard Cohen, You Want it Darker
Group Of The Year – The Tragically Hip, Man Machine Poem
Breakthrough Artist – Ruth B
Songwriter Of The Year – Gord Downie for The Stranger, The Only Place to Be and Son from Secret Path
Pop Album Of the Year – Alessia Cara, Know-It-All
Country Album Of The Year – Jess Moskaluke, Kiss Me Quiet
Fan Choice Award – Shawn Mendes
Artist Of The Year – Leonard Cohen
Single Of The Year – The Strumbellas, Spirits
Breakthrough Group Of The Year – The Dirty Nil
Adult Alternative Album Of The Year – Gord Downie, Secret Path
Alternative Album Of The Year – July Talk, Touch
Rock Album Of The Year – The Tragically Hip, Man Machine Poem.
Rap Recording Of The Year – Jazz Cartier, Hotel Paranoia
Dance Recording Of The Year – Bit Funk Featuring Shae Jacobs, Off The Ground.
R&B/Soul Recording Of The Year – The Weeknd, Starboy
Reggae Recording Of The Year – Exco Levi, Siren
Indigenous Music Album Of The Year – Quantum Tangle, Tiny Hands
Contemporary Roots Album Of The Year – William Prince, Earthly Days
Traditional Roots Album Of The Year – The East Pointers, Secret Victory
Blues Album Of The Year – Paul Reddick, Ride The One
Vocal Jazz Album Of The Year – Bria Skonberg, Bria
Jazz Album Of The Year – Solo – Renée Rosnes, Written In The Rocks
Jazz Album Of The Year – Group – Metalwood, Twenty
Instrumental Album Of The Year – The Fretless, Bird’s Nest
Francophone Album Of The Year – Laurence Nerbonne, Xo
Children’s Album Of The Year – Diana Panton, I Believe In Little Things
Classical Album Of The Year – Solo Or Chamber – New Orford String Quartet, Brahms: String Quartets, Op. 51, Nos. 1 & 2
Classical Album Of The Year – Large Ensemble – Steve Wood And The Northern Cree Singers And Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, Going Home Star – Truth And Reconciliation.
Jack Richardson Producer Of The Year – A Tribe Called Red, R.E.D. (Featuring Yasiin Bey, Narcy And Black Bear) And Sila (Featuring Tanya Tagaq) From We Are The Hallucination
Recording Engineer Of The Year – Jason Dufour For Push + Pull And Beck + Call From July Talk’s Touch
Recording Package Of The Year – Gord Downie, Secret Path — Jonathan Shedletzky (Art Director), Isis Essery (Designer) And Jeff Lemaire (Illustrator)
Video Of The Year – Grimes, Kill V. Maim (Director: Claire Boucher)
Electronic Album Of The Year – Kaytranada, 99.9%
Metal/Hard Music Album Of The Year – Mandroid Echostar, i
Adult Contemporary Album Of The Year – Sarah Mclachlan, Wonderland
International Album Of The Year – Coldplay, A Head Full Of Dreams
