Alessia Cara leads winners of virtual Junos show

Alessia Cara, lead nominee and host of the scrapped Juno Awards in Saskatoon in March, was the big winner Monday night during a revamped online edition of the annual Canadian celebration of music. 

The young singer-songwriter from Brampton, Ont., picked up a leading three trophies during the streamed broadcast, which came about three months after the Junos festivities were cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Cara ⁠— who earned a Grammy for best new artist in 2017 ⁠— added a trio of major Junos honours to her growing list of accolades. She won songwriter of the year, best album and best pop album for The Pains of Growing.

Pickering, Ont., pop singer-songwriter Shawn Mendes earned a pair of Junos. He received the prestigious artist of the year designation, as well as single of the year, which he shared with romantic partner Camila Cabello for their popular duet Senorita. 

Tory Lanez, another Brampton, Ont., artist and another leading nominee along with Cara, was also a double Juno winner Monday night. His track Freaky was named best rap recording, while the hip hop star also shared in the win for Feel It Too (R&B/soul recording of the year) with singer Jessie Reyez and reggaeton producer Tainy. 

Other prominent wins include:  

• Group of the year:  Loud Luxury.
• Breakthrough artist:  Lennon Stella.
• Breakthrough group:  Neon Dreams.
• Juno fan choice:  Avril Lavigne.
• International album:  When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?, Billie Eilish.

As coronavirus restrictions on large gatherings continue, the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts opted for a virtual celebration. The show combined the traditional two nights of in-person Juno Award celebrations into a single event to honour this year's winners in more than 40 categories.

The event included performances by multiple nominees and winners, including Cara, iskwé and Neon Dreams. Presenters included familiar faces from the worlds of entertainment, sports and beyond, including Juno winners Jessie Reyez and Measha Brueggergosman, Stranger Things actor Finn Wolfhard, Kim's Convenience actor Andrew Phung, Toronto Raptors player Chris Boucher and Steven Guilbeault, minister of Canadian heritage.

The awards celebration was streamed by broadcast partner CBC on its Gem service, as well as at CBCMusic.ca and CBC Music's  YouTube, Twitter and Facebook pages. 

Full list of Junos 2020 winners: 

• Country album: Wild As Me, Meghan Patrick.
• Adult alternative album: A Blemish in the Great Light, Half Moon Run.
• Alternative album: Morbid Stuff, PUP.
• Pop album: The Pains of Growing, Alessia Cara.
• Rock album: A War on Everything, The Glorious Sons.
• Vocal Jazz album: Stay Tuned!, Dominique Fils-Aimé.
• Jazz album, solo: MiGRATIONS, Jacques Kuba Séguin.
• Jazz album, group: Abundance, Ernesto Cervini's Turboprop.
• Instrumental album: INSCAPE, Alexandra Stréliski.
• Album francophone: La nuit est une panthère, Les Louanges.
• Children's album: Greatest Hits, Vol. 4, Big Block Singsong.
• Classical album, solo or chamber: detach, Angela Schwarzkopf.
• Classical album, large ensemble: The John Adams Album, Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, conducted by Kent Nagano.
• Classical album, vocal or choral: Handel: Dixit Dominus; Bach & Schutz: Motets, Ottawa Bach Choir, conducted by Lisette Canton.
• Classical composition: Evta, Ana Sokolović.
• Rap recording: Freaky, Tory Lanez.
• Dance recording: Love Me, Felix Cartal & Lights.
• R&B/soul recording: Feel It Too, Jessie Reyez, Tory Lanez & Tainy.
• Reggae recording: The Warning Track, Lyndon John X.
• Indigenous artist or group: Stories from a Downtown Apartment, Celeigh Cardinal.
• Contemporary roots: Mohawk, Lee Harvey Osmond.
• Traditional roots: Sugar & Joy, The Dead South.
• Blues: Mad Love, Dawn Tyler Watson.
• Contemporary Christian/gospel album: The Advent of Christmas, Matt Maher.
• World music album: BAROKAN, Djely Tapa.
• Producer: Ben Kaplan.
• Recording engineer: John 'Beetle' Bailey.
• Album artwork: Selections from Cuphead, Kristofer Maddigan, Chad Moldenhauer, Ian Clarke, Warren Clark and Lance Inkwell.
• Music video: Little Star (iskwé), Sarah Legault.
• Electronic album: Beyond The Senses, REZZ.
• Metal/hard Music: Play to Win, Striker.
• Adult contemporary: Shine a Light, Bryan Adams.
• Comedy album: Lil Bit of Buddle, Sophie Buddle.
• Juno Fan Choice: Avril Lavigne.
• Single: Senorita, Shawn Mendes & Camila Cabello.
• International album: When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?, Billie Eilish.
• Album: The Pains of Growing, Alessia Cara.
• Artist: Shawn Mendes.
• Group: Loud Luxury.
• Breakthrough artist: Lennon Stella.
• Breakthrough group: Neon Dreams.
• Songwriter: Alessia Cara.