Beloved Canadian action star Simu Liu hosted a thrilling Juno Awards broadcast in which he showed off his dancing and musical skills while honouring some of the country's greats on May 15.
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The 33-year-old, best known for his roles in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and Kim's Convenience, brought the house down by dancing with Regina-based Tesher early in the show, which bestowed Canadian Music Hall of Fame honours on Deborah Cox and crowned Shawn Mendes the winner of both the TikTok Junos Fan Choice Award and the International Achievement Award.
WATCH: Relive one of Shawn Mendes's earlier career moments at the Oceans 8 premiere in London in 2018
The show kicked off with Simu receiving some advice in the form of a pep talk from Michael Bublé, who told him, "Just don't mess up and become a meme forever." He had several "tips" for Simu in a big red binder, including that there is always a "Ryan on call" for him to dial if he needed help at any point. (Good to know!) After Michael finished his walk-through, Simu launched into a parody of the legendary Molson Canadian "I Am Canadian" ad in his opening monologue.
WATCH: This opening with Michael really brightened the Junos from the start this year!
Deborah, who began her career as a backing vocalist for Celine Dion before going on to a successful solo career full of hits like "Nobody's Supposed to Be Here," was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame by her friend, former Toronto Raptors star Chris Bosh.
MORE: All the best red carpet looks from the 2022 Juno Awards
She sweetly thanked her mother, who was in the crowd, for driving her to her performances as a teenager, "even through blizzards," and also praised her children, who were in the audience cheering her on, too. She later performed a medley of her hits for the packed Budweiser Stage crowd.
WATCH: This moment between Chris and Deborah was truly beautiful
Shawn, who has now won eight Juno Awards, is also the youngest male singer to ever have four of his albums go number one on the Billboard 200 chart. He's become one of Canada's most recognized and celebrated singer/songwriters and has had hits around the world. He's had no shortage of success, and as he picked up his International Achievement Award, he had an important message for everyone watching.
WATCH: Thank you to Shawn for sharing this important message with all of us!
"When I was younger, I used to think – I really, really thought – if I could just write one big hit song, people would like me, and then I would be enough," he told the crowd of adoring fans all around him. "And then it was to be nominated for a Juno, or a GRAMMY – then maybe people would take me seriously, and then I would be enough.
"We're taught to believe that what we achieve is the same thing as what we are worth. Something that I know to be true now is that I was enough before anybody knew my name."
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In an evening that was full of epic performances from Arkells, Arcade Fire and Rap Album of the Year winner Haviah Mighty, Avril Lavigne also returned to the Junos stage to perform a medley of her hits, from "Complicated" and "Sk8er Boi" to "Keep Holding On." She also delighted Shawn by presenting him with the TikTok Juno Fan Choice Award, and Simu later honoured her by performing a hilarious parody of "Complicated."
WATCH: It was so great to have Avril back at the Junos again!
Montreal-based singer/songwriter Charlotte Cardin also picked up another award, winning Album of the Year for her critically-acclaimed Phoenix. She had already won the coveted Artist of the Year, Pop Album of the Year and Single of the Year awards on May 14, besting artists like Justin Bieber and The Weeknd in some of those categories.
Toronto-based rapper and Arkells tour mate Haviah also became the first woman to win the Rap Album/EP of the Year award for her Stock Exchange.
Here are all the awards that were handed out during the broadcast:
Rap Album/EP of the Year
Haviah Mighty – Stock Exchange
Group of the Year
Arkells
Canadian Music Hall of Fame inductee
Deborah Cox
International Achievement Award
Shawn Mendes
Breakthrough Artist of the Year
Jessia
Album of the Year
Charlotte Cardin – Phoenix
TikTok Juno Fan Choice Award
Shawn Mendes
