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Bieber wins his first Juno, while Arcade Fire take another two trophies

Toronto Star
By Ben Rayners
March 27, 2011

Shania Twain is presented with her induction into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame by Bryan Adams at the 2011
JUNO Awards in Toronto on Sunday, March 27, 2011.

Arcade Fire led the way through the 40th anniversary Juno Award show, while Justin Bieber finally snagged one of the trophies himself — with help from his faithful fans.

The 17-year-old pop sensation took the Juno fan choice prize during Sunday's ceremony at the Air Canada Centre, but wasn't on hand to accept in person.

“I want to thank the fans so much for being so supportive, buying my albums and voting for me,” he said in a video message. “You guys have been incredible, and 2011 is going to be an amazing year. All right — peace, Junos.”

Bieber went home empty-handed last year despite three Juno nominations.

The Stratford, Ont., singer was also featured in the show's entertaining opening skit, in which he (and CTV anchor Lloyd Robertson) chatted with the show's host, 24-year-old Toronto rapper Drake, over Skype.

Meanwhile, Arcade Fire had three awards midway through the broadcast, with four more trophies still to be contested. The Montreal rockers won for group of the year, alternative album of the year and songwriter of the year, bringing their career Juno tally up to five.

“Thank you, we're so happy,” said Texas-born frontman Win Butler as the band accepted its trophy for group of the year.

“I wanna just give a shoutout to all the bands that we kind of came up with, from Royal City to Hidden Cameras, to the Unicorns, Wolf Parade, and all the amazing Canadian bands.

“Thank you so much. We're so honoured.”

The Junos also got a jolt of star-power with the induction of Shania Twain into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame. The Timmins, Ont., songstress was introduced by Canuck rocker Bryan Adams, who called her a “Canadian treasure.”

“Thank you so much,” said Twain, clad in a sparkling sleeveless gown. “I really am turning into such a sap. But this is just a very beautiful moment for me. I am, I'm really so proud of Canada's talent. I sit here tonight in the audience, and I watch these amazing artists up here on the stage, world-class talent, songwriters, singers, performers — we should be proud of these people. They're just blowing me away.

“I guess, I have more pride in what the country has created musically than I am even of my own success. Honestly, I'm just more proud to be from Canada, and to be part of everything that's happening here musically.

“This is a beautiful country. ... I feel like I should just be wearing the Canadian flag tonight to be honest with you. I would love that.”

She was similarly gracious backstage. “There’s no day like today,” she said, keeping humble in the face of her Hall of Fame honours and brushing off. “Honestly, what can I say? This is a really big moment and it feels very genuine in every way …

“I don’t feel iconic. I don’t feel that way at all. I feel like a small-town girl from Timmins. That’s never going to change. I’m 45 years old … That’s who I am.”

The show had a youthful look not limited to Bieber's kudos, with pop-rap outfit Down With Webster opening the show after the appearance from Drake, and fledgling London, Ont., singer/songwriter Meaghan Smith winning the prize for new artist of the year.

But the Junos didn't forget about their rich history, either. A large cast of performers — including Jim Cuddy, Sarah Harmer and the Barenaked Ladies' Kevin Hearn — paid tribute to 40 years of Juno Awards with a medley of covers of classic Canuck compositions including Gordon Lightfoot's “If You Could Read My Mind,” Neil Young's “Old Man” and the Band's “The Shape I'm In.”

Before arriving at the Air Canada Centre, Twain, along with stars including Adams, Young (accompanied by his daughter, Amber), Robbie Robertson and Randy Bachman navigated the red carpet on a frigid spring day in Toronto.

Some wondered whether the response from Canada's biggest city would be as chilly as Sunday's weather.

Since 2002, the Junos have travelled to different Canadian cities each year — including St. John's, N.L., Vancouver, Halifax, Calgary and Edmonton — with great success. But organizers admitted going into the weekend that sales for the Toronto broadcast bash had been sluggish, and it wasn't immediately clear whether the show would be a sellout.

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