Magic! leads 2015 Juno Award nominations with 5

Magic!,KieszaandLeonard Cohen are among the artistsin the running for the 44th annual Juno Awards.

The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS) revealed the full list of nominees Tuesdayin Toronto, kicking off the race for the prestigious prizes recognizing excellence in Canadian music.

Magic!, the Rude-singingpop reggae group from Toronto, leads the nominations with five, including pop album of the year, single of the year and breakthrough group of the year.

Twenty-six-year-old CalgarianKiesza follows close behind with four nominations, including single of the year for her international hit Hideaway.

Canadian music icon Leonard Cohen also received four nods including artist of the year and album of the year for Popular Problems.

Nominees in selected categories include:

• Group of the year:Arkells,Chromeo, Mother Mother,Nickelback and You+Me.
• Artist:Bryan Adams,Deadmau5, Leonard Cohen,Sarah McLachlan,The Weeknd.
• International album: PRISM - Katy Perry,Pure Heroine- Lorde, Midnight Memories -One Direction,In the Lonely Hour- Sam Smith, 1989 - Taylor Swift.
• Pop album:Avril Lavigne, Down with Webster, Lights, Magic!, Nikki Yanofsky.
• Fan choice award: Arcade Fire,Bobby Bazini, Drake, Hedley, Leonard Cohen, Magic!, Michael Bubl, Nickelback, Serge Fiori, You+Me.
• Single: Hold On, Were Going Home - Drake ft. Majid Jordan, Crazy for You - Hedley, Hideaway - Kiesza, Rude - Magic!, Were All in This Together - Sam Roberts Band.
• Album: Where I Belong - Bobby Bazini, Wild Life - Hedley, Popular Problems - Leonard Cohen, No Fixed Address - Nickelback, Serge Fiori - Serge Fiori.
• Aboriginal album: The Whole Worlds Got the Blues- Crystal Shawanda, For The Light - Digging Roots, Heart of the People - Leela Gilday, Animism - Tanya Tagaq, The (Post) Mistress - Tomson Highway.
• Rap recording:PA2: The Directors Cut - Marco Polo, The Legends League Presents: Naturally Born Strangers - Naturally Born Strangers, Dear America - P Reign, Amani - Saukrates, Stigmata - Tre Mission.

Classic rock groupRush will also be honoured with the 2015 Allan Waters Humanitarian Award for their contributions to having"enhanced the social fabric of Canada."

Hamilton preparing for a party

The awards will be handed out at a star-studded gala onMarch 15 at Hamilton, Ont.'sFirstOntarioCentre.

It's the first time in 14 years that the citysouthwestof Toronto affectionately nicknamed the Hammer will behostingthe Juno Awards.

"They are no strangers to Juno Award celebrations," said Allan Reid, president and CEO of CARAS, the Juno Awards and MusiCounts, who pointed out that Hamilton hosted the awards ceremony five times before.

The honour is also about celebrating the country and the city'svibrant music scene, Reid said.

"Music is an integral part of Canada's cultural fabric," he said. "It binds us together."

Taking to the stage

A number of big Canadian acts are slated to performat the March 15 gala,including:

• B.C. pop-rock band Hedley.
• Calgary-born pop singer and Hideaway sensationKiesza.
• Magic!, Toronto's Rude reggae pop group.
• Shawn Mendes, Pickering, Ont.'s internet celebrity and Life of the Party singer.

Also Tuesday,CARASalso added to the list of 2015 Juno performers, revealing that theArkellswill also take to the stage during the broadcast.

Thetwo-time Juno-winning rock group from Hamilton gave a surprise performance for the crowd gathered for the nominee announcementatToronto'sDanforth Music Hall.

More Juno performers and hosts are expected to be added to the roster in the coming weeks.

• PHOTOS |Memorable Juno hosts

Tickets for the 2015 awards gala range from $39 to $149 and can be purchased at FirstOntario Centre, by phone at 1-855-872-5000 and online atTicketmaster.ca.

2015Juno Award nominees (continued):

• R&B/Soul recording: Dirty Laundry - Ben Stevenson, Got To Have It - jacksoul, JRDN - JRDN, Four Seasons - Melanie Durrant, Often - The Weeknd.
• Reggae recording: Welcome the King - Exco Levi, Love Inna Wi Heart - Kirk Diamond ft. Bob da Builda, Wake Up - Mikey Dangerous, Hold On Till I - Die Steele, Real Talk - Tasha T.
• Breakthrough artist of the year:Glenn Morrison, JessMoskaluke,Kiesza, MacDeMarco, ShawnMendes.
• Breakthrough group: Adventure Club,Alvvays, Magic!, USS, Zeds Dead.
• Country album: Lifted - Dallas Smith, Light Up The Night - JessMoskaluke, Caffeine & Big Dreams -KiraIsabella,MacKenziePorter - Mackenzie Porter, Wheels - The Road Hammers.
• Adult contemporary: Bahamas IsAfie- Bahamas,Compostela-JennGrant, The Lemon Squeeze - Jeremy Fisher, Popular Problems - Leonard Cohen, Sleeping Operator - The Barr Brothers.

A full list of the179 nominees including 86 first-timers can be found at the officialJuno Awards website.