Kiesza‘s breakout year continued on Sunday night when the Calgary singer earned the Breakthrough Artist of the Year trophy at the 2015 Juno Awards, Canada’s music awards.
“Thank you to all my fans. You’re the reason that any of us create music,” Kiesza, whose full name is Kiesa Ellestad, told the nationwide audience tuning in on the CTV network. That honor came on top of Kiesza winning for Dance Recording of the Year for Sound of a Woman and Video of the Year for “Hideaway” during a pre-telecast ceremony in Hamilton, Ontario on Saturday night. The televised awards were held at the FirstOntario Center.
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Other multiple winners include The Weeknd, who won for Artist of the Year. He also won the R&B/Soul Recording of the Year trophy for Often.
Elsewhere, Kiesza’s “Hideaway” lost out in the Single of the Year category to the Toronto pop reggae group Magic! and their hit “Rude.” Also passed over in the Best Single category: Drake with “Hold On, We’re Going Home.”
Hometown heroes Arkells won Rock Album of the Year for their record High Noon. “This is an embarrassment of riches,” the frontman Max Kerman said onstage after winning Group of the Year on Saturday night.
The Arkells, backed by an orchestra, performed “Come to Light” onstage on Sunday night, as did Shawn Mendes, who along with Magic! and Kiesza, was a newcomer at the Junos this year.
In an upset, the Montreal troubadour Leonard Cohen won Album of the Year for Popular Problems, besting competition from Bobby Bazini‘s Where I Belong and Serge Fiori‘s self-titled album. Cohen, a no-show in Hamilton, has now earned six Juno trophies in his storied career.
The Juno Fan Choice award, voted on by ordinary Canadians, went to crooner Michael Bublé, another no-show.
An emotional highlight came courtesy of Glen Ballard, who co-wrote and produced Alanis Morissette‘s 1995 blockbuster album Jagged Little Pill, when he inducted the Canadian singer into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame.
“I am deeply appreciative of this country,” Morissette told the audience after receiving a standing ovation.
The 2015 Junos were hosted by the singer-songwriter Jacob Hoggard.