It’s the biggest celebration of Canadian music, and JUNO Week is in full swing.  

The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS) will, along with the CBC, be bringing virtual events available to stream all week long, leading up to the 50th annual JUNO Awards broadcast on Sunday (June 6). 

Live music content is being distributed each day leading up to Sunday’s JUNO Awards show on the CBC Listen app and to watch over on CBC Gem. So far, we’ve heard: the Classical Session, a one-hour concert of chamber music performed by past winners and nominees of this year’s JUNO Awards; The Block Session, an hour of live performances by Black Canadian artists of the past and present; and an exclusive interview segment with Gord Sinclair, Rob Baker, Johnny Fay and Paul Langlois of the Tragically Hip as they reminisced on their career, their friendship, the 2021 Juno Humanitarian Award, and the passing of friend and bandmate Gord Downie. 

Events still to come are: the Jazz Session, a concert featuring the nominees from this year’s Juno Awards jazz categories; and the Reclaimed Session, a celebration of Indigenous music across the country also featuring performances from this year's nominated artists. 

On Friday, you can tune into the Juno opening night awards show which will feature performances by Jamaican-Canadian artist Ammoye, Ontario rock duo Crown Lands, pop singer-songwriter Klô Pelgag, Canadian country sweethearts Lindsay Ell and MacKenzie Porter. During this broadcast, 37 Juno awards will be handed out, including the Walt Grealis Special Achievement Award and the MusiCounts Inspired Minds Ambassador Award. 

The JUNO Awards goes back to basics on Saturday with the Juno Songwriters' Circle, celebrating excellence in songwriting. Hosted by Blue Rodeo's Jim Cuddy, this event features veteran singer-songwriter Carole Pope, multiple Juno Award winner and R&B star Deborah Cox, and alt-rock super group July Talk. 

The next is, of course, JUNO Awards Day. 

All day long, CBC Music will recap past events of the week including the Classical, Jazz, Block, and Reclaimed sessions, and the Juno Songwriters’ Circle. Also included will be segments on nominated world music albums, new up-and-coming artists to the Canadian music scene, and a Deep Dive on Canadian Music Hall of Fame inductee Jann Arden’s 1994 Living Under June album. Lastly, The Juno Winners' Circle, will feature an hour of commentary brought to you by winners from the Juno opening night awards and various CBC Music hosts.

Phew! If you’re not totally exhausted from the non-stop music content, you’ll be happy to know you’re just a couple hours away from the 50th annual JUNOs ceremony to begin. 

The CBC will also take us behind the curtain to share some intimate and nostalgic stories with two specials. 

The first, “If These Walls Could Talk”, takes audiences backstage at the grandest music halls and small rock venues across the country. In these treasured spots, Juno nominated and award-winning musicians reminisce on performances and share stories of why such places are so memorable.  

In a new one-hour primetime segment called ‘My JUNOs Moment’, host Alessia Cara interviews some of the biggest Canadian artists as they look back at significant Juno moments of the past. Featured will be iconic artists including k.d. lang, Alanis Morissette, Maestro Fresh Wes, Corey Hart, Michael Bublé, and more. 

Then, of course, the moment we’ve all been waiting for: the JUNO Awards. The Weeknd leads artists in nominations this year with a whopping six, followed closely by Jessie Reyez, JP Saxe (of COVID-19’s anthem “If the World Was Ending” fame) and seven-time Juno award winner Justin Bieber with five nominations each. Bieber will also be performing at the ceremony, which is a big deal for the “Beliebers” watching the show on Sunday, given he hasn’t performed at the event since the 2010 JUNO Awards. 

Exciting newcomers include Calgary’s Tate McRae, Ontario’s Ryland James, and lo-fi pop sweetheart Powfu and indie pop group Peach Pit—both from Vancouver (naturally, they have our vote). 

Those appearing at the Junos include Ed Robertson of the Barenaked Ladies, Feist, Gordon Lightfoot, Jessie Reyez, JP Saxe, Julia Michaels, Jully Black, Max Kerman from Arkells, Michael Bublé, Paul Brandt, Sarah McLachlan, Serena Ryder, Shania Twain, Tate McRae, members of The Tragically Hip, and Will Arnett—just to name a few.