Raymond Brooks
Jann Arden, the Calgary-born award-winning singer-songwriter, is the first 2020 inductee into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame.
Her music career has spanned three decades in Canada and abroad. She has released 14 albums and achieved 19 top 10 singles, eight JUNO awards, one Much Music Video Award (MMVA) and 10 awards from the Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN).
Arden hosted CBC Radio’s Being Jann, was a celebrity judge for Canada Sings, a guest host on CTV’s The Social and several appearances on the Rick Mercer Report.
He tweeted out his congratulations this morning.
The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS) made the announcement, Tuesday morning.
According to the official website, to be eligible for the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, an artist or group must have had a career spanning at least twenty years after their first recording. Nominations are open to the public, but final decisions are at the discretion of CARAS.
CARAS is also the organizing body of the JUNO awards and they rely on regional representatives to find and support emerging and independent Canadian music artists. MusicOntario, a non-profit division of the Canadian Independent Music Association (CIMA), is one of those representatives.
“We support the JUNOs and CARAS as regional representatives, helping to disseminate information about submissions and opportunities for our local music communities, just as our counterparts in other provinces/territories do,” Emy Stantcheva, executive director of MusicOntario, said in an email to Humber News. “We’re so thrilled to see Jann Arden’s iconic career and immeasurable contributions to Canadian music acknowledged and celebrated,” she said.
Arden will be the 57th inductee joining the ranks of fellow Canadian music legends including Rush, Bryan Adams, Leonard Cohen and Joni Mitchell. She began her career in 1993 with the release of her debut album Time for Mercy.
Jann Arden is also an accomplished author. She has released 4 books, including Feeding My Mother: Comfort and Laughter in the Kitchen As My Mom Lives with Memory Loss, which achieved 21 consecutive weeks on The Globe & Mail’s Bestsellers List.
Arden is also a star on Canada’s Walk of Fame, was awarded the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee medal and in 2018, was appointed to the Order of Canada.
As part of her induction, Arden will also perform at the 2020 Juno Awards later this year. The 49th Annual Juno Awards will take place on Sunday, March 15, at the SaskTel Centre in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.