The 2025 Juno Awards nominations were announced Tuesday morning, and Edmonton has plenty of reason to get excited.
While Calgary’s Tate McRae and Ontario’s Josh Ross lead with five nominations a piece, six Edmonton artists are up for a Juno this year.
Here are your Edmonton Juno Award nominees:
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Audrey Ochoa - Jazz album of the year (solo)
Audrey Ochoa has become one of Edmonton’s most talented trombone players.
She studied classical trombone at the University of Alberta, but turned heads with her jazz and contemporary stylings.
Ochoa’s fourth album, The Head Of A Mouse, is up for a Juno this year.
Her latest album Intersections was released in late October.
Samantha King & The Midnight Outfit - Blues album of the year
Samantha King & The Midnight Outfit’s self-titled album got a nod for Blues album of the year.
Twenty years before joining forces with The Midnight Outfit, Samantha King released her first album called This is Forever at sixteen years old.
King has shared the stage with the likes of Shania Twain, Alan Jackson, Keith Urban, Jann Arden and Colin James, and was the official Edmonton Oilers anthem singer from 2011 to 2013.
Striker - Metal/hard album of the year
Striker has been in the heavy metal scene since 2007, and that hasn’t come without its challenges.
They’ve seen 14 members come and go, with only one member sticking it out since the beginning – Dan Cleary, who serves as the lead vocalist.
This won’t be their first time at the Junos, as they’ve won in 2020 in the same category for their album Play to Win.
Striker’s influence combines classic heavy metal sounds with meddlings of 80s hair metal sprinkled in and a vibe that says “we’re here to party.”
Celeigh Cardinal – Two categories
Folk singer-songwriter Celeigh Cardinal is up for two Junos this year with her album Boundless Possibilities earning nominations for adult contemporary album of the year and contemporary Indigenous artist/group of the year.
If both categories are won, Cardinal will be a three-time Juno winner. She previously won in 2020 for Indigenous music album of the year for her album Stories from a Downtown Apartment.
She’s also the host of the CKUA Radio show, Full Circle, which celebrates Indigenous music from around the world.
Brianna Lizotte - Traditional Indigenous artist or group of the year
Between performing at musical festivals and graduating from MacEwan University’s Bachelor of Music program, Brianna Lizotte has already established a strong reputation.
The local fiddler has twice competed in the Canadian Grand Masters, traveled to Rome to support Métis delegates who met the Pope back in 2022, and is now nominated for traditional Indigenous artist/group of the year for her latest album, Winston and I.
Aside from performing, Lizotte hosts a school-to-school workshop for students to learn Métis history through music and dance.
Skystar - Reggae recording of the year
Originally from St. Andrew, Jamaica, reggae and dancehall artist Skystar made a name for himself booking shows in the Alberta reggae scene for more than a decade.
His album, Sky’s the Limit, is nominated for Canada’s top-musical award in the reggae recording of the year category and his music video for 35 to Life has racked up more than 108,000 views on YouTube.
The reggae artist frequently performs at clubs in the Edmonton and Calgary area.
Other northern Alberta nominees include Brett Kissel from St. Paul, The Northern Cree from Maskwacis and Young Spirit from Frog Lake.
The full list of Juno nominations is available online.
The award ceremony will take place on March 30 at Rogers Arena in Vancouver.
