The 55th annual Juno Awards broadcast an evening of music and celebration Sunday night from the TD Coliseum in Hamilton, Ont.
Classic Canadian rock band Rush kicked off the evening with their first Juno performance since 1978 and following the death in 2020 of their former drummer, Neil Peart.
Host Mae Martin then introduced the first scheduled performance of the night, Daniel Caesar, who took home three of the awards he was nominated for.
The Beaches took centre stage before earning their third consecutive win for Group of the Year, etching their mark in Juno Awards history.
Shortly after, a series of speeches and musical tributes were held to honour the newest inductee into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, Nelly Furtado. She was inducted by Toronto-born rapper Drake, who shared a heartwarming speech with the crowd that left the honouree visibly emotional.
A selection of Furtado’s greatest hits followed, which were presented by a star-studded party of Canadian singers. Lido Pimienta kicked off the musical tribute and was followed by Tanya Tagaq, Shawn Desman, Jully Black, Kardinal Offishall, and Alessia Cara.
Furtado then gave a speech that paid tribute to various individuals and communities she credited for both her initial and overall success.
Much like the Beaches earlier in the evening, Cameron Whitcomb followed up a captivating performance by taking home his second Juno of the weekend. Attending his debut ceremony, Whitcomb was nominated for five awards.
Prime Minister Mark Carney presented the Lifetime Achievement Award to Joni Mitchell before Sarah McLachlan and Allison Russell began the night’s final performance. Mitchell then joined in for a sing-a-long to one of her hits, “Big Yellow Taxi.”
The 2027 Juno Awards are set to be held in Winnipeg.
