On March 29, 2009, rock band Nickelback absolutely dominated the Juno Awards. Specifically, the “Photograph” hitmakers took home awards for Album of the Year, the Group of the Year, and the Fan Choice award.
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And it didn’t stop there. Nickelback absolutely dominated 2009 in terms of commercial recognition. Let’s take a look at how they did it.
How Nickelback Absolutely Dominated Awards Season in 2009
Nickelback first started making waves with the release of All The Right Reasons in 2005. You might remember that album for its chart-topping singles “Photograph”, “Rockstar”, and “Far Away”. From there, Nickelback seemed to be on the up-and-up. In 2008, their sixth album Dark Horse yielded even more successful singles, including the Top 10 hit “Gotta Be Somebody”.
Naturally, the post-grunge band made waves throughout the award season that following year. On this day in 2009, they took home several Juno awards. They were nominated for Producer of the Year and Single of the Year (for “Gotta Be Somebody”) as well. But the accolades didn’t stop there.
The band won a BDS Spin award for “If Today Was Your Last Day”, as well as three different MuchMusic Video awards, which included Video of the Year for “Gotta Be Somebody”. Nickback was nominated that year for an American Music award for Favorite Pop/Rock Band/Duo/Group, too. They didn’t win, but they did win for two years in a row before 2009.
Nickelback was also ranked by Billboard in 2009 as the most successful rock group of the decade, as well as the seventh most successful artist of the decade. It’s hard to disagree with that. They really took over the airwaves in the latter half of the 2000s.
So, how did the band do it? It might be surprising for some to hear how successful Nickelback was at the tail-end of the early aughts, considering that they have been reduced to a punchline in popular music. In reality, they’re one of the most successful Canadian rock outfits of all time. They simply had their time in the spotlight before the 2010s kicked off. And a few choices, both from the band and surrounding culture, tossed them into punching bag territory.
I doubt the members of Nickelback care that much, if their commercial success is any indicator.
Photo by Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images
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