TORONTO - Pop performer Tate McRae and country star Josh Ross are leading contenders at the 2025 Juno Awards.
The Calgary-raised McRae and Burlington, Ont.-native Ross each have five nominations, including in the single and artist of the year categories, as well as for the viewer-voted fan choice award.
Both artists are also up for album of the year — McRae for her sophomore record "Think Later," and Ross for "Complicated."
They’re trailed by fellow fan choice nominees Shawn Mendes and the Weeknd who each hold four noms.
McRae has been a favourite of the Junos since she picked up her first nomination in 2021. She won two awards last year — artist of the year and single of the year for her hit "Greedy."
Ross is newer on the Junos radar, having only previously been nominated for the fan choice prize.
Other big nominees this year are Karan Aujla and AP Dhillon, two breakout stars of the Punjabi music scene. They’re both nominated three times, including in the newly minted South Asian music recording of the year category.
The Junos air live on CBC from Vancouver on March 30 with crooner Michael Bublé as host.
This year's album of the year contenders represent an array of languages, with Elisapie's "Inuktitut" recorded in the Inuk singer's native tongue, Quebec singer Roxane Bruneau's "Submergé" in French and Sukha's "Undisputed" in Punjabi. McRae's "Think Later" and Ross's "Complicated" are both in English.
For single of the year, the nominees are Ross for "Single Again," Aujla's "Winning Speech," "Mendes for "Why Why Why," McRae with "Exes" and "Timeless," a collaboration between the Weeknd and Atlanta rapper Playboi Carti.
Rock band Sum 41, which recently wrapped a farewell tour, was previously announced as the ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø Music Hall of Fame inductee.
Matthew Samuels, better known as Toronto producer Boi-1da, will receive the international achievement award for a career that includes working on Drake's first mixtape.Â
Burlington, Ont.-native Sarah Harmer is this year's humanitarian award recipient for her support of environmental and human rights issues.
This report by ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø was first published Feb. 11, 2025.
