Ice Conduit to the 2013 JUNOs: ALBUM OF THE YEAR Nominees

Normally, the JUNOs honour democracy by giving this award to the best-selling album. Last year, Michael Bublé’s Christmas took the award. It was the second best-selling album in the world, outsold only by Adele’s 21. The best-selling Canadian album in the world last year was Justin Bieber’s Believe, while domestically, it was Céline Dion’s Sans Attendre. It would certainly be fabulous to see either the work of a youth or a Francophone album nab the award. Hedley’s Storms which continued to sell well last year won the Pop Album award last year. New to the international scene, Carly Rae Jepsen is up for the award for her second LP Kiss as is Marianas Trench for Ever After. Below are some tidbits about the artists and the albums.

Carly Rae Jepsen, Kiss

Mission, BC’s pop princess is up for five JUNO awards this year, adding to her two nominations from 2010. Kiss is her second full-length album, the first being Tug of War. In-between the two, she released her EP Curiosity. Kiss was named by Allmusic.com as 2012′s tenth best album in the world and has achieved gold certification in Canada. It contains the best-selling Canadian single of all-time domestically, “Call Me Maybe” (7x platinum), a re-mix of her Top 20 gold hit “Curiosity”, #1 hit “Good Time” with Owl City, Top 40 collaboration with Justin Bieber, “Beautiful”, Top 30 hit “This Kiss”, and her current charting single “Tonight I’m Getting Over You”.

Céline Dion, Sans Attendre

The Charlemagne, Québec native is the best-selling Canadian recording artist of all-time worldwide. Currently, having sold 114 million records, she ranks 11th in the world. The album title, literally meaning “without waiting”, was the only triple platinum Canadian release in 2012. Sans Attendre contains three duets with prominent singers: legendary Canadian Jean-Pierre Ferland, Johnny Hallyday (best-selling French recording artist of all-time), and Caribbean singer Henri Salvador. As the latter is no longer with us, this is a virtual duet. The first single from the album “Parler à mon père” peaked at #53 on the Canadian Hot 100, a respectable feat for a Francophone tune. It was the year’s 77th biggest song in France. “Les Petits Pieds de Lea” made it to #80 on the Canadian Hot 100. Dion has won 20 JUNO awards.

Hedley, Storms

The BC band’s 4th studio album won the JUNO for Pop Album of the Year last year. It has since attained platinum certification. The album spawned hit single “Invincible”, a Top 10 hit, and “One Life”, a Top 20 hit. Both songs made the year-end charts. Hedley released “Kiss You Inside Out” as a separate single later on. It became the band’s best-selling single, peaking at #2 and finishing 2012 as the 2nd biggest Canadian song of the year. Due to its success, Hedley re-released Storms to include the single. The band has so far won two JUNO awards.

Justin Bieber, Believe

Stratford, Ontario’s 19-year-old Justin Bieber has won 3 JUNOs thus far including one for Pop Album of the Year in 2011 (for My World 2.0). Believe was the world’s best-selling album from a Canadian artist in 2012 and a double-platinum release at home. It debuted at #1 in 30 countries and sold 57,000 copies domestically in its first week of release. Bieber has sold a million records in Canada so far. Believe spawned five Top 20 hit singles: “Boyfriend” (#1), “Die in Your Arms” (#14), “All Around the World” (#10), “As Long as You Love Me” (#9), and “Beauty and a Beat” (#4). It title track also made the Canadian Hot 100.

Marianas Trench, Ever After

The Trench have yet to win a JUNO award. Prior to this year, they had received two nominations. This year they are up for three. Ever After is the Vancouver band’s 3rd album and has been certified platinum. The album has spawned four hit singles: “Haven’t Had Enough” (#9), “Fallout” (#26), “Desperate Measures” (#20), and “Stutter” (#28). The first three all made the year-end Top 100, and the fourth is their current hit. Ever After is a concept album the songs of which are like chapters of a continuous fairy tale type story. There are no pauses between the individual tracks.

Comparing the Albums

TITLE	CERTIFICATION	LP CHRONOLOGY	HIT SINGLES*
KISS	Gold	2nd	6
SANS ATTENDRE	3x Platinum	25th	2
STORMS	Platinum	4th	3
BELIEVE	2x Platinum	3rd	6
EVER AFTER	Platinum	3rd	4

* Tracks from the album that have to date made the Canadian Hot 100.

Comparing the Artists

ARTIST	JUNO AWARDS TO DATE	HIGHEST CERTIFICATION ON A RECORD
Carly Rae Jepsen	0	7x Platinum
Céline Dion	20	Diamond
Hedley	2	3x Platinum
Justin Bieber	3	3x Platinum
Marianas Trench	0	2x Platinum

 

Ice Conduit to the 2013 JUNOs: POP ALBUM Nominees

Kiss by Carly Rae Jepsen

Mission, BC’s pop princess is up for five JUNO awards this year, adding to her two nominations from 2010. Kiss is her second full-length album, the first being Tug of War. In-between the two, she released her EP Curiosity. Kiss was named by Allmusic.com as 2012′s tenth best album in the world and has achieved gold certification in Canada. It contains the best-selling Canadian single of all-time domestically, “Call Me Maybe” (7x platinum), a re-mix of her Top 20 gold hit “Curiosity”, Top 40 collaboration with Justin Bieber, “Beautiful”, Top 30 hit “This Kiss”, and her current charting single “Tonight I’m Getting Over You”.

Kiss on iTunes     Carly Rae Jepsen’s Website

Believe by Justin Bieber

Stratford, Ontario’s Justin Bieber has won 3 JUNOs thus far including one for Pop Album of the Year in 2011 (for My World 2.0). Believe was the world’s best-selling album from a Canadian artist in 2012 and a double-platinum release at home. It debuted at #1 in 30 countries and sold 57,000 copies domestically in its first week of release. Bieber has sold a million records in Canada so far. Believe spawned five Top 20 hit singles: “Boyfriend” (#1), “Die in Your Arms” (#14), “All Around the World” (#10), “As Long as You Love Me” (#9), and ”Beauty and a Beat” (#4).

Believe on iTunes     Justin Bieber’s Website

Tell the World by Kristina Maria

Ottawa’s, Kristina Maria so impressed Céline Dion’s producer Vito Luprano, he came out of retirement to help her launch her career. She was featured on CBC’s The National and released her debut album last year co-writing songs with big names around the world. Tell the World contains three gold singles: “Let’s Play”, “Our Song Comes On”, and “Co-Pilot” as well as her current smash, “Karma”. This is Kristina’s first JUNO nomination, and she has also received Canadian Radio Music Award nominations including SOCAN Song of the Year for her hit single “Let’s Play”.

Tell the World on iTunes     Kristina Maria’s Website

The Spirit Indestructible by Nelly Furtado

This was one of the most anticipated releases of the year, as Victoria, BC’s multi-platinum songstress Nelly Furtado has already snatched up 10 JUNO awards. As well, she was the only Canadian artist through the first decade of the new millennium to win a BRIT award. She has also won Grammy awards (U.S.) and has a star on our Walk of Fame. The Spirit Indestructible, her 5th studio album, continues her legacy of creating culturally rich fusion pop and spawned her Top 30 hit “Big Hoops” after her internationally successful collaboration with K’Naan (“Is Anybody Out There”).

The Spirit Indestructible on iTunes     Nelly Furtado’s Website

Shut Up and Dance by Victoria Duffield

The Canadian Music Blog chose this as 2012′s Album of the Year and is the teen star’s first full-length album. She is from Abbotsford, BC. Besides a successful recording artist, Victoria is also a superb dancer and actress. She appeared on YTV’s The Next Star, was signed to Warner Music, teamed up with hit-maker Ryan Stewart, and released platinum single “Shut Up and Dance”. She topped the Billboard Year-End Emerging Canadian Artists Chart for 2012. “Feel” and “Break My Heart” were Top 40 hits, and the album contains her collaboration with Cody Simpson, “They Don’t Know About Us”. This is Victoria’s first JUNO nomination. She is also up for three Canadian Radio Music Awards.

Shut Up and Dance on iTunes     Victoria Duffield’s Website

 

New Certifications for Justin Bieber – BELIEVE Goes Double Platinum

It is Canadian youth who are enjoying most of the fanfare these days, and that’s the way it should be.  Although his style falls more into the R&B category, he’s referred to by many as the world’s biggest pop star.  Not Katy Perry, with all her #1 singles, eh?  Whatever the case, the Biebs is doing very well.  Nine songs either by or featuring Stratford, Ontario’s Justin Bieber have peaked on the Canadian Hot 100 so far this year, and all but one of them have made the Top 40.  “Boyfriend” has done best, becoming the 5th single by a Canadian artist to top the charts since Billboard began them in 2007.  It has been certified triple platinum, being the second most successful Canadian single of the year in terms of sales.

Top 10 single “As Long as You Love Me” (#9) which features United States rapper Big Sean has just been certified a Platinum single.  “Beauty and a Beat” (#16) featuring U.S. rapper Nicki Minaj has just gone gold.  “All Around the World” (#10) with Ludacris went gold a while back.  Other charting singles were “Die in Your Arms” (#14), “Turn to You” (#22), and Believe (#100).  Bieber was featured in “Live My Life” by The Far East Movement (#4) and Carly Rae Jepsen’s “Beautiful” (#37).

Now comes the question about the album, Believe.  It has just been certified double-Platinum tying Star Academie 2012 as the best-selling album of the year.

 

Stratford, Ontario’s Justin Bieber Set to Release BELIEVE

On the eve of Victoria Day, the United States held its annual Billboard Music Awards gala which honours the most popular music in that country.  A number of Canadians were nominated with a lone star winning:  Justin Bieber.  Here at home, the Stratford, Ontario youth recently became the 5th home-grown artist to top the Canadian Billboard Hot 100 since its launch in 2007.  “Boyfriend” was a number one single and was released in lieu of Bieber’s upcoming 3rd studio album, Believe.  His first two LPs–My World 2.0 and Under the Mistletoe–were triple-platinum sellers.

Believe will contain a dozen tracks in addition to “Boyfriend” and will continue his preference of having guest rappers featured in some of them.  Confirmed are Ludacris, Big Sean, Nicki Minaj, and fellow Canadian Drake.  Co-writing with Bieber and producing are Sweden’s Max Martin (who has worked with Avril Lavigne), Mike Posner, Rodney Jerkins (who has written U.S. chart toppers for Brandy & Monica, Jennifer Lopez, and Destiny’s Child), Savan Kotecha (Indian American who wrote chart toppers for Carrie Underwood and One Direction), and Canada’s own The Messengers (Toronto production duo consisting of Nasri Atweh and Adam Messenger).

A deluxe version of the new album will be available (4 bonus tracks plus an expanded booklet) in three special packages.  In addition to the deluxe CD, the “Silver Bundle” ($30) will include a T-shirt and poster; the “Gold Bundle” ($50) will include those three items plus a Believe bracelet and sneaker pin; and the “Limited Edition Platinum Package” ($120) will include the previous five items plus a Believe clinch bag and autographed photo.  A portion of the proceeds for the sneaker pin will go to the Believe Charity Drive.

The album is set for release on June 19th.

More information can be found at Justin Bieber’s Official Website