That’s what I would be scrawling all over a notebook while day dreaming today if I still scrawled in notebooks while daydreaming. For me, the highlights of last night’s generally pleasant and refreshingly inclusive Juno awards were indisputably Jessie Reyez and Daniel Caesar, separately and together.
Separately, they both took home awards – Daniel for R&B/Soul Recording of the Year and Jessie for Breakthrough Artist of the Year. Daniel’s win was significant because I’m just intoxicated by him and his album Freudian in general but also, this category has been dominated by The Weeknd for the past 3 years. The Weeknd won this Juno in 2013 and went on to win a Grammy the next year. Daniel Caesar already has two Grammy nominations under his belt and now he’s a Juno Award winner. Like The Weeknd five years ago, we’re watching Daniel Caesar rise in real time, on a very short track to super stardom. His acceptance speech was a bit awkward but he’ll get better at those with all the practice he’ll get in the coming years.
Then, there’s Jessie Reyez. Jessie Holy Sh-t Reyez. She’s more talent in her left pinky finger than some of her peers do in their whole bodies. We knew this. Since last year, when she’s been slaying award shows as effortlessly as she belts out 2017’s breakout breakup anthem Figures. I was texting my friend Liz throughout the show last night and she was reminiscing about the time, three years ago, when she gave Jessie Reyez her email address after a small coffee house performance. In three years, Jessie Reyez has gone from networking at small performances to doing THAT on the biggest night in Canadian music.
If Daniel Caesar’s rise is similar to The Weeknd’s, Jessie Reyez’s current reign feels a lot like Alessia Cara’s meteoric climb. Alessia Cara won Breakthrough Artist of the Year at the 2016 Juno Awards and we all know how the last couple years have gone for her. So, this is just the beginning. Isn’t this the best part?
Together, Daniel Caesar and Jessie Reyez combined their individual magical moments for a performance that made me love Figures even more. I really didn’t think I could. F-ck, I love Figures so much. It’s the perfect song. Well, how do you make a perfect song even better? Throw some Daniel Caesar on it. Figures, A Reprise featuring Daniel Caesar was released right after the Junos broadcast and I’ve listened to it approximately seven times just this morning. Don’t ask me how many times I’ve re-watched the performance.
The ad libs at the end nearly took me out – so did the longing looks Daniel throws Jessie’s way. I’m not trying to start rumours here but this is the R&B power couple 2018 needs.
