March
9, 2006
MEDIA
RELEASE
Buck
65, Divine Brown and Massari Are Final Acts Announced for
The 2006 JUNO Awards, April 2 on CTV
--
Two-hour broadcast to feature 11 musical performances --
Toronto, ON (March 8, 2006) – Halifax native
Buck 65 along with R & B diva Divine Brown and indie success
story Massari are the final acts announced for the lineup for
The 2006 JUNO Awards broadcast on CTV,
it was announced today by the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts
and Sciences (CARAS) and CTV. The three Canadian artists bring
the total number of acts scheduled to perform on the broadcast
to 11, including previously announced artists Bedouin Soundclash,
Black Eyed Peas, Broken Social Scene, 2006 Canadian Music Hall
of Fame inductee Bryan Adams, Coldplay, Hedley, Michael Bublé
and Nickelback. Hosted by Pamela Anderson, The 2006
JUNO Awards airs Sunday, April 2
from 7 – 9 p.m. ET on CTV (check local
listings).
"These
three artists represent the diversity of talent and creativity
in the Canadian music scene, a diversity reflected in this year's
broadcast" said Susanne Boyce, CTV's President of Programming
and Chair of the CTV Media Group.
"From
Buck 65's poetic prowess to Divine Brown's remarkable voice to
Massari's soulful groove, these three artists will each bring
their unique form of musical expression to the broadcast,"
said Melanie Berry, President of CARAS and executive producer
of The 2006 JUNO Awards.
"We've
got four of Canada's most acclaimed independent artists, three
of Canada's biggest musical exports, one of Canada's most promising
up-and-coming acts and two of Canada's favourite international
groups," said executive producer John Brunton. "And
with Buck 65 composing and performing the show's theme music,
The 2006 JUNO Awards promises to be an incredible
broadcast."
The
winner of the 2004 JUNO Award for Alternative Album of the Year,
Halifax hometown boy Rich Terfry - aka Buck 65 – has been
named as The 2006 JUNO Awards music
composer. Terfry will create and perform the show's opening theme,
provide live voice-overs and perform intro and extro transitory
music between performances and award presentations.
"There
seems to be an awareness that the international perception of
Canadian music is really changing," Terfry told canoe.ca
last week. "[CTV and CARAS] want the show to reflect that.
I think there's a little more of an eye to being hip and putting
together a great show than maybe ever before."
Born
in Mount Uniacke, Nova Scotia, the artist, DJ, producer and lyricist
has been evolving as a musician since the 1990s. On his triumphant
new album, Secret House Against the World (Warner), Terfry took
his eclectic mix of hip hop, folk, jazz, rock with the addition
of his unique vocal style and created a musical masterpiece. Nominated
for a 2006 JUNO Award for Video of the Year (sponsored by VideoFACT),
Terfry has more than seven albums under his belt. He currently
lives in Paris, France.
Nominated
for two 2006 JUNO Awards including New Artist of the Year (sponsored
by FACTOR) and R&B/Soul Recording of the Year, Divine Brown
is all about a uniquely soulful voice that ranges five octaves
– bend a note here, extend a phrase there, scat somewhere
else to suit the mood of the rhythm track. With a Certified Gold
Record and the Number One hit single "Old Skool Love,"
Brown has also been acknowledged by Sir Elton John as "the
best new soul singer since Mary J. Blige" and been recognized
with two Canadian Urban Music Awards (Best New Artist, Best Single).
Along with the success of her self-titled debut album (Blacksmith
Entertainment/Universal Music Canada) - a diverse mix of pop,
soul, R&B, and smoky jazz - Brown has landed the opening slot
on a slew of Bryan Adam's concert dates where she'll be sure to
knock the audience off their feet with her highly intense performance.
Nominated
for a 2006 JUNO Award for R&B/Soul Recording of the Year,
Massari has become the biggest-selling Canadian R&B artist
of 2005. A national indie phenomenon, Massari took the Canadian
music industry by surprise when his self-titled debut album (Capital
Prophet Records) sold out nationwide in its first couple days
of release and went on to reach Gold Record status in just six
months. Born in Beirut, Lebanon, Massari, whose Arabic name literally
translated means "money," moved with his family to Canada
at the age of ten. The trilingual artist cites Michael Jackson,
Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin and legendary Arabic singer George
Wassouf as musical influences. He was nominated for two 2005 MuchMusic
Video Awards and two 2005 Canadian Urban Music Awards. Massari
has had back-to-back Number One videos on MuchMusic with "Real
Love" and "Be Easy." "Real Love" went
to Number One on MuchMusic, MuchMoreMusic and Musique Plus almost
simultaneously.
The
2006 JUNO Awards, Canada's Music Awards, will be
broadcast in High-Definition and 5.1 Surround Sound on CTV on
Sunday, April 2 from the Halifax Metro Centre in Halifax, NS.
In April 2005, 1.34 million viewers watched The 2005 JUNO Awards
from Winnipeg on CTV. In all, more than 5.7 million Canadians
tuned in to watch some part of the star-studded show– an
increase of almost half a million viewers compared to the 2004
broadcast – making it once again the most-watched Canadian
awards telecast. CTV began broadcasting The JUNO Awards in 2002
when it telecast the Awards from St. John's, Newfoundland and
Labrador, before taking it to Ottawa (2003), Edmonton (2004) and
Winnipeg (2005). The 2007 JUNO Awards will be broadcast from Saskatoon
on CTV.
Sponsors
for the 2006 JUNO Awards include FACTOR, Canada's Private Radio
Broadcasters and the Government of Canada through the Department
of Canadian Heritage's "Canada Music Fund", the Province
of Nova Scotia, the Halifax Regional Municipality, Events Halifax
and Radio Starmaker Fund. Broadcast sponsors for the event are
General Motors, Pantene Pro-V, Doritos, and Nice 'n Easy.
About
CARAS:
The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences/L'academie
canadienne des arts et des sciences de l'enregistrement (CARAS)
is a not-for-profit organization created to preserve and enhance
the Canadian music and recording industries and to contribute
toward higher artistic and industry standards. The main focus
of CARAS is the exploration and development of opportunities to
showcase and promote Canadian artists and music through television
vehicles such as the JUNO Awards. For more information on the
35th annual JUNO Awards, visit the Canadian Academy of Recording
Arts and Sciences' (CARAS) website at www.junoawards.ca. The 2006
JUNO Awards will air live on CTV, on Sunday, April 2nd, 2006.
About
CTV:
CTV, Canada's largest private broadcaster, offers a wide range
of quality news, sports, information, and entertainment programming.
It has the number-one national newscast, CTV National News With
Lloyd Robertson, and is the number-one choice for prime-time viewing.
CTV owns 21 conventional television stations across Canada and
has interests in 14 specialty channels, including the number-one
Canadian specialty channel, TSN. CTV is owned by Bell Globemedia,
Canada's premier multi-media company. More information about CTV
may be found on the company website at www.ctv.ca.
Web
Links:
JUNO Awards: www.junoawards.ca
CTV's JUNO Awards website: www.junos.ctv.ca
Buck 65 Official Site: www.buck65.com
Divine Brown Official Site: www.divinebrown.ca
Massari Official Site: www.massarionline.com
