Charlotte Cardin wins big on Junos pre-broadcast as story in other categories

Charlotte Cardin’s hands were full at the Juno Awards pre-broadcast ceremony on Saturday as she collected the top three trophies.

The noted Montreal pop singer-songwriter was named artist of the year, while her chart-topping debut “Phoenix” was awarded pop album of the year, and her track “Meaningless” was selected as single of the year.

“I’m going crazy,” she said backstage after counting her Junos. “I’m very happy.”

It was a trifecta victory that gave the former model and Top 4 finalist on the Quebec version of “The Voice” a major clout as a rising Canadian star. Most of the Junos are given out at the so-called “opening night” ceremony for the music industry before Sunday’s broadcast.

Cardin has been the toast of the Junos since emerging as the top nominee six times, edging out four-time superstars Justin Bieber and The Weeknd, who followed closely behind her on Saturday night with two wins.

Toronto-born Abel Tesfaye, who was absent from the ceremony, won Contemporary R&B Recording for his single “Take My Breath” and Songwriter of the Year for his co-writing efforts on three recent songs, including one with Kanye West and one with Swedish House Mafia DJ supergroup.

History was made in several other categories when Hill Kourkoutis became the first woman to be nominated for recording engineer and extended that historic moment by taking the win. She is now the only winning recording engineer since the category was created in 1976.

Kourkoutis said she hopes her Junos moment will be another step in attracting more women to music production careers.

“I think we’re in a huge transition period right now,” he said.

“In the last five years, the conversation has grown around this topic and I see a lot of young people, and even artists who have been established for a while, entering the production profession.”

At 13 years old, Kairo McLean became the youngest winner in the Reggae Recording of the Year category for his album “Easy Now.”

Dressed in a vibrant red tuxedo his mother bought him, the teenager credited generations of reggae artists, from Bob Marley to Jamaican-Canadian Exco Levi, for inspiring him to make music.

“It’s such an important milestone,” McLean said of the win. “I don’t know how we’re going to get through it.”

And in the producer of the year category, Ebony Oshunrinde took home her second award in as many years after becoming the first black woman to win that award in 2021. Oshunrinde, who goes by WondaGurl, won for her work on “Fair Trade (feat. . Travis Scott)” and “Made a Way (feat. Lil Durk and Future)” by Los Angeles artist Faze Kaysan.

In other notable wins, a reunion of Quebec director Xavier Dolan and vocal powerhouse Adele for “Easy on Me” was awarded music video of the year. The pair previously won a Juno in 2016 for their first collaboration on “Hello” stills.

Toronto rock trio Monowhales were named breakout group, while rockers The Beaches won rock album of the year for “Sisters Not Twins (The Professional Lovers Album)”.

Montreal-born Louis Celestin’s Kaytranada emerged as the winner of Dance Record of the Year for his single “Caution,” while Savannah Ré received Traditional R&B/Soul Record of the Year for “24hrs.”

Allison Russell took home contemporary roots album for “Outside Child,” a reflection of her abusive upbringing in Montreal, while Brett Kissel won country album for “What is Life?”

The Newly Created Underground Dance Single of the Year award went to HNTR, pronounced “chaser,” for their song “Shadows in the Dark,” featuring Elliot Moss.

And Toronto poet Mustafa Ahmed picked up alternative album of the year for “When Smoke Rises,” inspired in part by the life and death of several friends in Toronto’s Regent Park community. He is the first black Muslim to win the category, a point he made before quickly expanding the topic to the other all-time firsts of the night.

“I think being the first of something now should be criticized rather than celebrated,” he said to applause from the audience.

Another first will take place on Sunday’s Juno Awards telecast when Deborah Cox becomes the only black woman to be inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame since its inception in 1978 and the second black musician, after Oscar Peterson in the inaugural year.

The Junos air from Toronto’s Budweiser Stage on Sunday, hosted by “Shang-Chi” star Simu Liu.