Michael Buble, Feist Win Big at Canadian Juno Awards

Feist and Michael Buble came away as big winners at this year’s 41st annual Juno Awards.

The Juno Awards celebrate achievement by Canadian music artists, and are often seen as that country’s equivalent to the Grammy Awards. Feist won three awards including Artist of the Year, while Buble came away with the Album of the Year award for his Christmas album that was released in October of last year.

Other winners included Deadmau5, who won for Best Dance Recording and legendary Canadian country rock band Blue Rodeo, who were elected into the Hall of Fame.

Feist’s three awards tied for the most wins of the night with the Sheepdogs, an indie band that were essentially unknowns this time last year. The band won Single of the Year (for “I Don’t Know”), New Group of the Year and Rock Album of the Year. Feist’s two other wins were for Adult Alternative Album of the Year and Music DVD of the Year.

Justin Bieber won the Fan Choice Awards, and rock band Hedley broke its longtime Juno drought with a Pop Album of the Year award for its record Storms. Adele’s 21 took the International Album of the Year category over Coldplay, Lady Gaga, LMFAO and Rihanna.

The show was broadcast from Scotiabank Place in Ottawa, ON and hosted by Canadian legend William Shatner. The former “Star Trek” star also released an album in 2011, Seeking Major Tom, though it was not nominated for any awards at the ceremony. He did, however, work through a medley of songs by Canadian artists in his characteristic spoken word style. Songs included Steppenwolf’s “Born to Be While,” Bryan Adams’ “Summer of ’69,” Bachman Turner Overdrive’s “Takin’ Care of Business,” Rush’s “Tom Sawyer” and Trooper’s “Raise a Little Hell.”

There were many live performances throughout the ceremony, and the show was opened by a pyrotechnics filled show by Nickelback that caused Shatner to comment, “If the drummer survived, what’s the point?”