Pop stars Tate McRae and Justin Bieber have taken the lead in the 2026 Juno nominations, each grabbing six nods, as per the announcement by the show’s organizers on Tuesday. Following closely with five nominations each are the Weeknd and newcomer Cameron Whitcomb, a country singer from Nanaimo, B.C.
Bieber and McRae will be competing in multiple categories, contending for awards such as the TD Juno Fan Choice Award, album of the year, single of the year, artist of the year, songwriter of the year, and pop album of the year. McRae has been nominated for her work “So Close to What,” while Bieber has been recognized for “Swag II.”
Before releasing “Swag” and “Swag II” in 2025, Bieber’s last album was “Justice” in 2021, and he hadn’t been nominated at the Junos since 2022. McRae secured four Juno wins in 2025, including album of the year for “Think Later.”
A total of 225 nominees have been unveiled for the 55th Juno Awards, set to be hosted by comedian-singer-actor Mae Martin in Hamilton on March 29. Expressing her excitement about hosting, Martin mentioned, “I’m unbelievably honoured to be hosting the Junos this year. Canada’s biggest night in music! No pressure, just decades of iconic artists.”
The Weeknd and Whitcomb are both in the race for album of the year, single of the year, and the TD Juno Fan Choice Award. Whitcomb has also received nominations for breakthrough artist and country album of the year, while the Weeknd is vying for pop album of the year and artist of the year.
If the Weeknd sweeps all his nominations, he will surpass Anne Murray’s 26 wins and become the most awarded Junos recipient of all time.
Country singer Josh Ross and R&B star Daniel Caesar are tied with four nominations each, while bbno$, Jessie Reyez, and the Beaches trail closely behind with three nods apiece. The Beaches, contending for group of the year, have the opportunity to secure a three-peat in that category, having won in 2024 and 2025.
This year, 156 first-time individual nominees have emerged, up from last year’s 117. Whitcomb leads the first-timers with five nods, and several other country artists have earned their maiden nominations, including Hofmann, Goldie Boutilier, Mariel Buckley, and Sacha.
Among the new nominees are artists who received recent Polaris Music Prize recognition, including last year’s winner, Yves Jarvis, and Saya Gray, the OBGMs, and Lou-Adriane Cassidy, all shortlisted in 2025. Debby Friday, the 2023 prize winner, has earned her first two Juno nominations this year.
Ontario artists continue to dominate, representing 44% of the nominees, with Justin Bieber, Josh Ross, Aysanabee, and Jessie Reyez among the nominees in various categories. Quebec’s representation decreased to 15%, with just three artists nominated in the electronic genre categories, compared to six last year.
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