Avril Lavigne stopped Shawn Mendes from sweeping the board at Sunday night’s (17Mar19) Juno Awards, by taking home the Fan Choice gong.
It was a massively successful night for Canadian star Shawn, who took home prizes for Artist of the Year, Songwriter of the Year, Album of the Year and Pop Album of the Year for his eponymous record, and Single of the Year for In My Blood. He was also nominated for the Juno Fan Choice Award, but was pipped to the post by Avril.
Despite their victories, neither Avril or Shawn were at the ceremony. While Shawn is currently on tour in Europe, Avril is being kept busy in Abu Dhabi, where she recently performed alongside Luis Fonsi at the opening ceremony of the Special Olympics World Games Abu Dhabi.
Shawn, meanwhile, delighted fans by appearing on the Canadian TV broadcast of the Junos with a taped performance of hit In My Blood.
Other big winners at the Juno Awards, held in London, Ontario, included Post Malone, who took home the International Album of the Year gong for his record Beerbongs & Bentleys, and Arkells, who left with prizes for Group of the Year and Rock Album of the Year.
Sunday night’s prizegiving also saw 1980s heartthrob Corey Hart, who has not performed on television in more than 20 years, inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame.
Sarah McLachlan took charge of hosting the ceremony, and wasted no time in taking aim at Canada’s neighbour America, and their controversial president Donald Trump, as she told the audience: “You know when you live somewhere peaceful and beautiful, then you get a crazy neighbour, and they start causing all sorts of trouble like putting up weird walls, picking fights with all the other neighbours, and telling your daughters how they should behave, all the while saying they’re making the area great again, and you just watch, feeling helpless, and hope they’ll be gone by 2020…”
To cheers from the crowd, she added: “He does make me want to swear.”
The main winners are as follows:
Juno Fan Choice Award – Avril Lavigne
Single of the Year – Shawn Mendes, In My Blood
International Album of the Year – Post Malone, Beerbongs & Bentleys
Album of the Year – Shawn Mendes, Shawn Mendes
Artist of the Year – Shawn Mendes
Group of the Year – Arkells
Breakthrough Artist of the Year – Bulow
Breakthrough Group of the Year – The Washboard Union
Songwriter of the Year – Shawn Mendes, Lost in Japan
Country Album of the Year – Brett Kissel, We Were That Song
Adult Alternative Album of the Year – Bahamas, Earthtones
Alternative Album of the Year – Dizzy, Baby Teeth
Pop Album of the Year – Shawn Mendes, Shawn Mendes
Rock Album of the Year – Arkells, Rally Cry
Vocal Jazz Album of the Year – Laila Biali, Laila Biali
Jazz Album of the Year: Solo – Robi Botos, Old Soul
Jazz Album of the Year: Group – Andy Milne & Dapp Theory, The Seasons of Being
Instrumental Album of the Year – Gordon Grdina, China Cloud
Francophone Album of the Year – Loud, Une annee record
Children’s Album of the Year – Splash’N Boots, You, Me and the Sea
Blues Album of the Year – Miles To Go, Colin James