He Earned It: The Weeknd Reaps an Impressive Five Wins at The 2016 JUNO Awards

– Alessia Cara named Breakthrough Artist of the Year –

– Walk Off The Earth wins Group of the Year –

– Dean Brody's Gypsy Road wins Country Album of the Year –

– Burton Cummings Welcomed into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame –

CALGARY, April 3, 2016 /CNW/ - It was a victorious weekend for The Weeknd, who earned an outstanding total of five JUNO Awards during Canada's 45^th annual music awards in Calgary. The alternative R&B sensation scooped up two statuettes for Single of the Year and Album of the Year* during CTV's live broadcast of THE 2016 JUNO AWARDS, Sunday, April 3 at the Scotiabank Saddledome. Having already won three awards for Artist of the Year, Songwriter of the Year*, and R&B/Soul Recording of the Year during Saturday night's JUNO Gala Dinner & Awards, he took home the most wins of any artist, as well as the most nominations, making him the JUNO juggernaut of 2016.

The Weeknd's five JUNO Awards top off an exceptional year for the artist. The multiplatinum-selling artist also graced the broadcast stage on Sunday to perform a mesmerizing two-song medley of never-seen-before tracks "Aquainted" and "Might Not", with surprise guest Belly.

Also during the broadcast, Alessia Cara was named Breakthrough Artist of the Year* following major international success with her hit songs "Here" and "Wild Things", which she performed to open the live show and mark her JUNO stage debut. Ontario's multitalented five-piece band Walk Off The Earth was awarded Group of the Year.

Saturday night's double-winner (Aboriginal Album of the Year*, Contemporary Roots Album of the Year) Buffy Sainte-Marie took part in the broadcast with a unique spoken word performance, Breakthrough Group of the Year* winners Dear Rouge performed "I Heard I Had", and Whitehorse, winners of the Adult Alternative Album of the Year, delighted fans with their song "Tame as the Wild Ones".

After snagging a big win for Country Album of the Year for his record Gypsy Road, Dean Brody also graced the stage with a special performance of "Bring Down the House".

The JUNO Fan Choice Award went to Justin Bieber with just over six million votes cast.  

One of the most celebrated artists in Canadian history, Burton Cummings was welcomed into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame and honoured with a special closing tribute performance which featured eight-time JUNO Award winner and co-host Jann Arden, performer Shawn Hook, internationally recognized JUNO Award winning vocal group The Tenors, and classic rock tribute band – and long-time Burton Cummings backing band – The Carpet Frogs. Cummings himself also took part in the special performance.

FOR A COMPLETE LIST OF WINNERS AT THE 2016 JUNO AWARDS, INCLUDING BIOGRAPHIES AND IMAGES, GO TO WWW.JUNOAWARDS.CA OR WWW.BELLMEDIAPR.CA/NETWORK/CTV.

Canada's biggest night in music rocked the nation as Calgary played host to CTV's live broadcast of THE 2016 JUNO AWARDS. Co-hosted by Jann Arden and Jon Montgomery, the broadcast boasted 13 unique performances, the most of any JUNO Awards show. The live broadcast featured many first-time JUNO performers, including Scott Helman with "Bungalow"; Coleman Hell with his massive hit "Two Heads"; and Shawn Hook who performed his hit single "Sound of Your Heart" accompanied by a string quartet. LIGHTS returned to the JUNO stage to perform alongside MusiCounts recipient Samantha Spensley in support of the MusiCounts TD Community Music Program; Shawn Mendes took the stage to sing an intimate rendition of "Stitches"; and iconic Canadian rocker Bryan Adams took the stage to sing his new single "Go Down Rockin'".

Award Sponsors for the 2016 JUNO Awards listed above include Album of the Year (sponsored by Music Canada), Songwriter of the Year (Presented by SOCAN), Breakthrough Artist of the Year (sponsored by FACTOR, the Government of Canada, Canada's Private Radio Broadcasters, and Radio Starmaker Fund), Aboriginal Album of the Year (Sponsored by Aboriginal Peoples Television Network), Breakthrough Group of the Year (sponsored by FACTOR, the Government of Canada, Radio Starmaker Fund and Canada's Private Broadcasters), and JUNO Fan Choice (presented by TD).

THE 2016 JUNO AWARDS is produced by Insight Productions in association with CTV and The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS). Executive Producers are John Brunton and Barbara Bowlby for Insight Productions, and Allan Reid and Mark Cohon for CARAS. Lindsay Cox is Supervising Producer. Corrie Coe is Senior Vice-President, Independent Production, Bell Media. Mike Cosentino is Senior Vice-President, CTV Networks and CraveTV, Bell Media. Randy Lennox is President, Entertainment Production and Broadcasting, Bell Media.

The broadcast sponsors of THE 2016 JUNO AWARDS are Google Play Music, Samsung Canada, TD Bank Group, Tim Hortons, and Volkswagen Canada.

Premier Partners of The 2016 JUNO Awards: CARAS acknowledges the financial support of FACTOR, the Government of Canada and of Canada's Private Radio Broadcasters, Radio Starmaker Fund, the Province of Alberta, the City of Calgary, Tourism Calgary, the National Music Centre, Google Play Music, and TD Bank Group.

About CARAS
The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences/L'académie canadienne des arts et des sciences de l'enregistrement (CARAS) is a not-for-profit organization created to preserve and enhance the Canadian music industry and to contribute toward higher artistic and industry standards. The main focus of CARAS is the exploration and development of ongoing opportunities to showcase and promote Canadian artists and music through vehicles such as The JUNO Awards and other year-round initiatives. For more information on the 45^th Annual JUNO Awards or The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS) please visit www.junoawards.ca.

About CTV
CTV is Canada's #1 private broadcaster. Featuring a wide range of quality news, sports, information, and entertainment programming, CTV has been Canada's most-watched television network for the past 14 years in a row. CTV is a division of Bell Media, Canada's premier multimedia company with leading assets in television, radio, digital, and Out-of-Home. Bell Media is owned by BCE Inc. (TSX, NYSE: BCE), Canada's largest communications company. More information about CTV can be found on the network's website at CTV.ca.

Web Links:
Official JUNO Awards website: www.junoawards.ca
CTV's JUNO Awards website: www.junos.ctv.ca
JUNO TV: www.junotv.ca
CTV website: www.ctv.ca

Twitter:
@CTV_PR
@CTV_Television
@TheJUNOAwards

SOURCE Bell Media

For more information about THE 2016 JUNO AWARDS on CTV, contact: Laura Berkenblit, 416.384.3173 or [email protected]; Amanda Rinaldo, 416.384.5325 or [email protected]; For more information about CARAS and THE 2016 JUNO AWARDS, contact: Adrienne Kakoullis, 416.628.5610 or [email protected]