CTV and The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS) announced details today for a special tribute performance in honour of legendary songwriter, musician, and poet Leonard Cohen as part of Sunday’s broadcast of THE 2017 JUNO AWARDS. Multi-JUNO Award and Polaris Music Prize winner Feist is set to take the stage to perform a moving arrangement of one of Cohen’s classic songs honouring the esteemed late musician. Co-hosted by iconic rocker Bryan Adams and megastar comedian Russell Peters, Canada’s most exciting night in music airs live in 4K from the Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa on CTV and CTV GO on Sunday, April 2 at 6:30 p.m. ET (visit CTV.ca to confirm local broadcast times).
This year’s lineup of presenters were also announced today, including: electronic duo Bob Moses; music pioneer and 2017 Allan Waters Humanitarian Award recipient Buffy Sainte-Marie; singer-songwriter and JUNO Award nominee Chantal Kreviazuk; singer, songwriter, and producer Coleman Hell; singer-songwriter Delaney Jane; rapper Jazz Cartier; platinum-selling country artist Jess Moskaluke; Blue Rodeo’s Jim Cuddy; comedian and Much Digital Studios Creator Jus Reign; Marianas Trench frontman Josh Ramsay; ETALK reporter Liz Trinnear; the Minister of Canadian Heritage, the Honourable Mélanie Joly; Nathan Dales and Michelle Mylett from CraveTV’s LETTERKENNY, rocker Sam Roberts; and Toronto rap artist Tasha the Amazon.
With a musical career that spanned nearly five decades, Cohen has been hailed by critics and fellow musicians alike as one of the most iconic artists of the 20th century. A poet in his early career, the native Montréaler released his first of 14 studio albums, Songs of Leonard Cohen, in 1967 at the age of 33. His signature gravelly baritone, married with the succinctness of his sage, bohemian language, quickly identified him as a master lyricist.
Widely admired, his new and old masterpieces include timeless and enigmatic hits such as “Suzanne”, “Bird on the Wire”, “Everybody Knows”, “First We Take Manhattan”, “Closing Time”, and “Hallelujah”.
More than 2,000 recordings of Leonard Cohen’s songs have been made by artists that range from Elton John, U2, Jeff Buckley, to Aretha Franklin. And from Bob Dylan to Justin Timberlake, more than 200 artists have sung or recorded the now iconic “Hallelujah” since Cohen’s original recording in 1984, including breathtaking performances by k.d. lang at THE 2005 JUNO AWARDS in Winnipeg, and the Opening Ceremonies of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics Games.
A Companion of the Order of Canada, Cohen was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame, the U.S. Songwriters Hall of Fame, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and the Folk Music Walk of Fame. In addition to his six JUNO Awards, and numerous other honours across his prolific career, Cohen was also awarded the Glenn Gould Prize, the Principe de Asturias Prize, a PEN New England/Lyrics Award, as well as a Lifetime Achievement Award at The Grammys. His final studio album, You Want It Darker, was released in October, before his death the following month. With more than 27 million albums sold worldwide and 12 published books, Cohen’s stunning body of original work remains an inspirational legacy to generations of artists and fans around the world.
Performers taking the stage at THE 2017 JUNO AWARDS on CTV include Arkells, A Tribe Called Red, Alessia Cara, Billy Talent, Dallas Smith, July Talk, Ruth B, Sarah McLachlan, Shawn Mendes, and The Strumbellas.
