The nominations for the 2023 Juno Awards were announced on Tuesday, Jan. 31, but one nomination has been stirring up controversy.
Arcade Fire’s nod for Group of the Year is being hit by backlash due to allegations that have been levelled against frontman Win Butler, with five different women accusing him of sexual misconduct.
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The fallout has affected the band’s current tour, with Feist dropping out as a supporting act after news of the allegations surfaced.
However, the Canadian Academy Of Recording Arts And Sciences (CARAS) — the group behind the annual Junos — is defending Arcade Fire’s nomination.
“We look at Arcade Fire’s nomination for group of the year as one for the entire band,” reads a statement issued by CARAS to CBC.
READ MORE: Fifth Woman Accuses Arcade Fire’s Win Butler Of Sexual Misconduct
“While we take the allegations very seriously, in this situation, we are also honouring the rest of the band for their success,” the statement continues. “We hope the allegations against Butler will not detract from the achievements of the other group members.”
In an earlier statement, Butler admitted to being unfaithful to wife and Arcade Fire bandmate Régine Chassagne, but insisted he had “never touched a woman against her will, and any implication that I have is simply false.”
Butler also claimed that those “relationships were all consensual,” and added, “I vehemently deny any suggestion that I forced myself on a woman or demanded sexual favours. That simply, and unequivocally, never happened.”
The 2023 edition of the Juno Awards will take place on Monday, March 13.
