Drake, Justin Bieber and Johnny Reid lead the pack in Juno nominations

Drake, Justin Bieber and Johnny Reid lead the pack in Juno nominations

Chilly Gonzales, Juno nominee for best electronic album of the year (Image: Dennis Yang)

Earlier today, the 40th annual Juno nominations were announced with host Drake earning a whopping six nods. The Justin Bieber and Johnny Reid tied for a close second, raking in four nominations each. Held at the Air Canada Centre on March 27, this year’s ceremony features diverse nominees, ensuring there is something for everyone to enjoy: Canadian staples Sarah McLachlan, Great Big Sea and Neil Young were nominated, as were Polaris Prize winners Karkwa, newcomers Hollerado and Said the Whale, along with Owen Pallett and Tokyo Police Club. Set to perform are big names like Broken Social Scene and Arcade Fire as well as Johnny Reid, Hedley and Down With Webster.

The Junos added a new category this year—best electronic album of the year—whose nominees include Caribou, Chilly Gonzales, Crystal Castles, Poirier and the ever-contentious group Holy Fuck. The most entertaining moment of the announcement (sadly, there’s no video on-line yet) came from Broken Social Scene’s Kevin Drew who poked fun at Justin Bieber’s cracking voice and threw Holy Fuck’s nomination in Stephen Harper’s face (Harper’s government named the band as an example of misplaced arts funding for fringe or offensive groups).