Get to know these 10 first-time Juno nominees
These are the rising stars you'll likely see a lot more of in the coming months.
The Juno Award nominations were announced this week and while many may know who leading nominees Shawn Mendes and the Weeknd are, there are some exciting new names that some may not be as familiar with.
To help you get acquainted with these acts, we're breaking down 10 first-time nominees that you need to know. From up-and-coming pop artists to rising R&B acts, these are the names you'll be seeing a lot more of in the coming months and years.
Name: Bülow.
Nominated for: Juno Fan Choice Award, single of the year, breakthrough artist of the year, pop album of the year.
Why we should know her: Bülow has lived in England, the U.S. and the Netherlands, but the Germany-born singer now calls Toronto her home. (Her mom is Canadian and she spent summers attending camp here.) The rising pop star was first discovered in 2016 at a summer camp and has since released two EPs, Damaged Vol. 1 and 2. The first EP alone racked up more than five million streams on Spotify, and Bülow was featured as the "New Artist of the Week" on Apple Music Canada. She has teamed up with Canadian songwriters and producers like Lowell, Dragonette's Joel Stouffer and Mike Wise (Scott Helman, Virginia to Vegas). And last year, she was featured on a remix of Fall Out Boy's hit "The Last of the Real Ones."
Where to start: "Not a Love Song," "Sad and Bored."
Name: Elijah Woods x Jamie Fine.
Nominated For: Juno Fan Choice Award, breakthrough group of the year.
Why we should know them: Last year, Ottawa's Elijah Woods x Jamie Fine got their big break on the CTV reality series The Launch. The result was not only nationwide exposure, but a now-platinum-certified single. That song, "Ain't Easy," was co-written by The Launch mentor Ryan Tedder (OneRepublic), Zack Skelton and pop star Camila Cabello, but it's the duo that truly makes the song soar with Fine's beautiful vocals. While Woods and Fine claim that they have "more than two albums' worth of music ready" to release, the newcomers are taking it slow and have only released a handful of followup singles. They likely want control of their future, given their televised thrust into the spotlight, but fans are definitely clamouring for more.
Where to start: "Ain't Easy," "Better Off."
Name: Killy.
Nominated for: Juno Fan Choice Award, breakthrough artist of the year, rap recording of the year.
Why we should know him: Toronto rapper Killy has slowly amassed a dedicated fanbase over the past few years off the success of some Soundcloud tracks and lots of hustling in the local hip-hop community. After briefly living in Vancouver, the rapper, whose real name is Khalil Tatem, returned to Toronto where he says networking with other like-minded creatives helped set him up for success. In an interview with Noisey, Tatem says, "I kind of built a little following before I dropped a couple songs on SoundCloud and began doing little shows and stuff. But even before I got booked for those shows people knew me."
He started uploading music online in 2015, but it was his 2017 single, "Killamonjaro," a bass-bumping anthem, that really blew up. (That song now has more than 24 million views on YouTube.) Since then, he has premiered a track on Drake's OVO Sound Radio, sold out a hometown show in just two minutes and released a critically acclaimed debut album, Surrender Your Soul.
Where to start: "Killamonjaro," "No Romance."
Name: Dizzy.
Nominated for: Breakthrough group of the year, alternative album of the year.
Why we should know them: What started off as a hobby that was used to "combat the anxieties of the vortex of boredom" in their hometown of Oshawa, Ont., has since become international success for Dizzy. Made up of three brothers — Charlie, Alex and Mackenzie Spencer — and led by friend and singer Katie Munshaw, Dizzy's delicate indie-pop is polished, lush and has won over the likes of NME, Stereogum and Q Magazine. Their debut album, Baby Teeth, was produced by Grammy-nominated Damian Taylor (Björk, Arcade Fire), and the band spent most of last year on the road playing some big gigs including Osheaga and the Austin City Limits Music Festival.
Where to start: "Joshua," "Swim."
Name: iamhill.
Nominated for: electronic album of the year.
Why we should know her: Edmonton producer iamhill may be nominated for electronic album of the year, but she often describes her music as a blend of experimental, pop and R&B. Her most recent EP, Give it a Rest, pairs synthetic sounds with warm, soulful vocals and last year, her song "On Camera" earned her an Edmonton Music Award nomination for dance/electronic recording of the year. Our Lady Peace's Raine Maida also appears to be a fan, writing on his Facebook page last year: "Hate using this word but iamhill is a 'STAR!'"
Where to start: "On Camera," "Give it a Rest."
Name: Loud Luxury.
Nominated for: Juno Fan Choice Award, single of the year, breakthrough group of the year, dance recording of the year.
Why we should know them: Loud Luxury may have released its single "Body" in 2017, but the dance anthem truly took over in 2018. It was named one of CBC Music's songs of the summer, it raked in 30 million streams on Spotify and it broke into the top 10 charts in Canada, Australia, the U.K. and Germany. ("Body" has now gone six-times platinum in Canada and double platinum in Australia.) All that forward momentum has gotten Loud Luxury onto some of the biggest EDM stages around the world, but on its followup single, "Love No More," the London, Ont., duo stayed local and teamed up with Mississauga, Ont., singer Anders.
Where to start: "Body," "Love No More."
Name: Grandson.
Nominated for: breakthrough artist of the year.
Why we should know him: Jordan Benjamin, a.k.a. Grandson, was born in the U.S. but spent most of his formative years in Toronto and Montreal, where he attended McGill University. He then relocated to Los Angeles, where he pursued music and eventually found a mentor of sorts in Linkin Park's Mike Shinoda. Benjamin even appears on Shinoda's 2018 album, Post Traumatic, on the track "Running From My Shadow." Benjamin's own material, which draws inspiration from rap, rock and electronic music, is energetic, rebellious and politically charged, directly addressing the divisive times we live in. (The cover art for his single, "War," is an illustration of Donald Trump with xes over his eyes.)
Where to start: "Blood // Water," "Best Friends."
Name: Anders.
Nominated for: R&B/soul recording of the year.
Why we should know him: Anders has only been making music for a few years, but his star is quickly rising in the Toronto hip-hop/R&B scene. In the past three years, he has released two EPs, amassed millions of online streams and worked with some of Toronto's best producers including FrancisGotHeat (Drake, Roy Woods), Jordon Manswell (Daniel Caesar, Mariah Carey) and Bizness Boi (PartyNextDoor, Swae Lee). He has even teamed up with fellow Juno nominees, Loud Luxury on the 2018 single "Love No More."
Where to start: "Bad Guy," "Diamonds."
Name: Kaia Kater.
Nominated for: contemporary roots album of the year.
Why we should know her: Grenades is Montreal singer-songwriter Kaia Kater's third album, but this year marks her first Juno nomination for contemporary roots album of the year. Kater's previous releases, Sorrow Bound and Nine Pin, relied on her banjo skills and studies in Appalachian music, but her latest record strays away from that to explore a new and wider range of sounds. Teaming up with producer Erin Costelo and guitarist Christine Bougie (Bahamas, Good Lovelies), Grenades takes a personal look at her family history, especially the story of her father, who fled to Canada from Grenada in the '80s. Kater's music is poetic and beautiful, and has earned rave reviews from NPR, Rolling Stone and The Guardian.
Where to start: "Saint Elizabeth," "Grenades."
Name: Meghan Patrick.
Nominated for: breakthrough artist of the year, country album of the year.
Why we should know her: Patrick was once the lead singer of roots band the Stone Sparrows, but she has since enjoyed solo success with two albums, 2016's Grace and Grit and 2018's Country Music Made Me Do It, which has now earned Patrick her first two Junos nominations. Now living in Nashville — she was born and raised in Bowmanville, Ont. — Patrick has collaborated with Chantal Kreviazuk, Gord Bamford and Buddy Owen, and has shared the stage with Lady Antebellum and Kip Moore. Patrick's a two-time CCMA Award winner, but can she add a Juno to her collection of trophies this year?
Where to start: "The Bad Guy," "Country Music Made me do It."
Wherever you are on March 17, you can watch the Juno Awards live from Budweiser Gardens in London, Ont., at cbcmusic.ca/junos.