Jann Arden to be inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame

Jann Arden, the Alberta singer-songwriter whose music career has spanned three decades with success in Canada as well as abroad, will be the newest member of the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS) announced on Tuesday.

As part of her induction, Arden will also perform at the 2020 Juno Awards later this year.

Established in 1978, the Canadian Music Hall of Fame was created to recognize artists who have made significant contributions to worldwide recognition of Canadian music. It requires that the performer's career has spanned over 20 years from the date of their first recording, and that their music has been commercially successful in Canada and abroad, while exhibiting a degree of "musical excellence," according to their website.

To select an inductee, a long list of acts are gathered by a Hall of Fame committee, with the final musician then selected by the CARAS board, according to Allan Reid, president and CEO of both CARAS and the Juno Awards.

Arden was chosen partially because of the popularity of her music, Reid told CBC News, but also because of the longevity of her career. When Arden's name came up, Reid said it represented "this perfect opportunity to recognize somebody who has had an incredible career for almost 30 years, but also is probably almost at the top of her game now more than ever."

Born in Calgary, Arden grew up in nearby Springbank, Alta., and released her first album Time For Mercy in 1993. The following year, she garnered international attention with two songs, Insensitive and Could I Be Your Girl, from her next album Living Under June. 

She has since released 13 other albums, with her most recent — These Are The Days — in 2018.

Hall of Fame 'trying to ... honour more people'

Arden will be the 57th inductee into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, alongside Canadian musical stars such as Rush, Bryan Adams, k.d. lang, Alanis Morissette, the Barenaked Ladies, Leonard Cohen and Joni Mitchell. 

There may be other inductees this year. CARAS has a plan to honour more people, including musicians who were performing before the honour was established and those from historically overlooked genres.

In the past — and aside from a few exceptions — only one musician or musical act has been inducted into the Hall of Fame per year, Reid said. That changed in 2019, when five musical groups — Corey Hart, Andy Kim, Bobby Curtola, Chilliwack and Cowboy Junkies — were inducted.

"We're trying to find a way to honour more people," Reid explained. "The Hall of Fame moment in the [Junos] broadcast is one of the highest rated moments of the show almost every year, and ... and when you only do one a year, there's always this hard decision of 'who's going to get that moment this year.'"

Reid said it is the goal to make multiple inductees "an ongoing commitment," with other acts being announced sometime later this year. 

The 49th Annual Juno Awards will take place on Sunday, March 15, at the SaskTel Centre in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.