A night of surprises, breakthroughs and political commentary at the 53rd Juno Awards

Halifax played host this weekend to the annual Juno Awards show, with singer-songwriter Nelly Furtado presiding over the event.

Sunday night's show was kicked off by surprise guest Anne Murray, with the native Nova Scotian presenting the first award of the evening, group of the year, to Toronto band the Beaches.

Montreal's Charlotte Cardin scored album of the year with her "99 Nights," while Ottawa-raised singer Talk was chosen as breakthrough artist for his incredible rise on the back of his hit single "Run Away to Mars."

Pop sisters Tegan and Sara were honoured for their work with LGBTQ+ youth and were presented the humanitarian award by Halifax-bred actor Elliot Page. Page and the sisters took the opportunity to call out a recent trend in politics that they say threatens the health of trans youth.

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.

And Maestro Fresh Wes was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame. Born Wesley Williams, the artist whose biggest hit was "Let Your Backbone Slide," becomes the first hip-hop member of the esteemed space.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 25, 2024.

The Canadian Press