Tate McRae Dominates Juno Nominations for Second Straight Year
Calgary-born pop sensation Tate McRae has once again emerged as the frontrunner for Canada's premier music awards, securing an impressive six nominations for the 2026 Juno Awards. This marks the second consecutive year that McRae has led the nomination count, solidifying her position as one of Canada's most celebrated contemporary artists.
Major Categories and Competition
McRae finds herself tied with fellow Canadian superstar Justin Bieber for the highest number of nominations this year. The 2026 Juno Awards ceremony is scheduled to take place in Hamilton, Ontario on March 29, where McRae will compete in several prestigious categories including:
- Artist of the Year
- Fan Choice Award
- Single of the Year for Sports Car
- Album of the Year for So Close to What
- Pop Album of the Year for So Close to What
- Songwriter of the Year
This impressive haul brings McRae's career total to 23 Juno nominations, following her five nominations in 2025 when she took home multiple awards including Single of the Year for Exes, Album and Pop Album of the Year for Think Later, and Artist of the Year.
Calgary's Musical Talent Shines Bright
The Juno nominations highlight the remarkable depth of musical talent emerging from Calgary and surrounding Alberta communities. Several other Calgary-born artists received recognition across various categories:
Noeline Hofmann, originally from Bow Island, earned nominations for Breakout Artist or Group of the Year and Contemporary Roots Album of the Year for Purple Gas. In the latter category, she faces competition from fellow Calgary-born singer Mariel Buckley's Strange Trip Ahead.
Caity Gyorgy, a Calgary-born jazz singer and composer, received her fifth Juno nomination for Vocal Jazz Album of the Year for Caity Gyorgy with Strings, an album created in collaboration with fellow Calgarian Mark Limacher. Gyorgy has previously won this category in 2022, 2023, and 2025.
Elizabeth Lowell Boland, another Calgary-born songwriter, earned a nomination for Songwriter of the Year (Non-Performer) for co-writing several hit songs including World's Smallest Violin for Ava Max, Girls Like You for Sogia Camara, and Too Pretty For Buffalo for Baby Nova.
Additional Alberta Recognition
The Juno nominations extend beyond Calgary to include other Alberta talents. Yves Jarvis, a Calgary expat, received a nod for Alternative Album of the Year for All Cylinders, which previously won the 2025 Polaris Prize.
Shawn Everett, born and raised in Bragg Creek, earned his eighth Juno nomination for Recording Engineer of the Year for his work on 12 to 12 by Sombr and Miley Cyrus' End of the World. Everett has previously won in this category in 2016, 2019, and 2024, and also claimed Producer of the Year honors in 2024.
McRae's Remarkable 2025 Achievements
McRae's Juno nominations cap off an extraordinary year for the young artist. In February 2025, she released her third album So Close to What, which debuted at number one on both the U.S. and Canadian Billboard charts. Her career milestones from the past year include:
- Making her second appearance as musical guest on Saturday Night Live
- Being featured on the cover of Time Magazine's TIME100 Next list issue
- Appearing on the cover of Rolling Stone earlier this month
- Receiving her first Grammy nomination for Best Dance Pop Recording for Just Keep Watching from the F1 movie soundtrack
The 2026 Juno Awards promise to be a celebration of Canadian musical excellence, with Tate McRae leading a strong contingent of Alberta artists who continue to make significant contributions to the national music scene.
