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Avril Lavigne performing at the Heineken Music Hall, in Amsterdam, Netherlands by Luuk Denekamp –

15 Most Famous Canadian Singers

*Originally published by Ruth on July 2022 and Updated by Vanessa R on May 2023

The music industry of Canada is the sixth-largest industry in the world. It has a great contribution to the music world. Canadian Singers have become prominent. For a relatively small country with a population of roughly 36 million, Canada continues to punch above its weight when it comes to musical contributions. Canada boasts some serious homegrown talent that they’re nice enough to share with the rest of the world. 

Canadian music has witnessed numerous changes with time. Influenced by the aborigines, French and English alike the music moved towards a more popular culture after World War II. The time between 154-67 witnessed a revival of vocal pop and folk music which later paved way for the Rock ‘n’ Roll and Pop-Rock. Notable names among these early rockers were Paul Anka and Ronnie Hawkins. With significant development in the Canadian recording industry and broadcast regulation during the 1970s, the country saw the rise of many internationally successful singers. 

Here is a list of 15 of the most famous Canadian Singers.

1. Drake

Aubrey Drake Graham born October 24, 1986, is a Canadian rapper, singer, and actor. An influential figure in modern popular music, Drake has been credited for popularizing singing and R&B sensibilities in hip hop. Gaining recognition by starring as Jimmy Brooks in the CTV teen drama series Degrassi: The Next Generation (2001–08), Drake pursued a career in music releasing his debut mixtape Room for Improvement in 2006; he released the mixtapes Comeback Season (2007) and So Far Gone (2009) before signing with Young Money Entertainment.

Among the world’s best-selling music artists, with over 170 million records sold, Drake is ranked as the highest-certified digital singles artist in the United States by the RIAA. He has won four Grammy Awards, six American Music Awards, a record 34 Billboard Music Awards, two Brit Awards, and three Juno Awards. Drake has achieved 10 number-one hits on the Billboard Hot 100 and holds further Hot 100 records; he has the most top 10 singles (54), the most charted songs (258), the most simultaneously charted songs in one week (27), the most Hot 100 debuts in one week (22), and the most continuous time on the Hot 100 (431 weeks). 

2. Celine Dion

Celine Dion performing “Taking Chances” at Celine Dion ‘Taking Chances Tour’ Concert @ Bell Centre, Montreal, Canada in August, 2008 by Anirudh Koul –

Celine Dion is a Canadian singer. Noted for her powerful and technically skilled vocals, Dion is the best-selling Canadian recording artist and the best-selling French-language artist of all time. Her music has incorporated genres such as pop, rock, R&B, gospel, and classical music. She has also sung in Spanish, Italian, German, Latin, Japanese, and Mandarin Chinese.

Dion is also one of the best-selling music artists of all time, with record sales of more than 200 million worldwide. Although her releases have often received mixed critical reception, Dion is regarded as one of pop music’s most successful vocalists. She has won five Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year and Record of the Year. Throughout her long-standing career, she received two honorary doctorates in music degree from Berklee College of Music and Université Laval. 

3. Avril Lavigne

Avril Ramona Lavigne is a Canadian singer, songwriter, and actress. She has released seven studio albums and has received several accolades and nominations, including eight Grammy Award nominations. At age 16, Lavigne signed a two-album recording contract with Arista Records. 

Avril is considered a key musician in the development of pop-punk music since she paved the way for female-driven, punk-influenced pop music in the early 2000s. Her second studio album, Under My Skin in 2004, became Lavigne’s first album to reach the top of the Billboard 200 chart in the United States, going on to sell 10 million copies worldwide.

4. The Weeknd

The Weeknd performing live in July 2018 by Nicolas Padovani –

Abel Makkonen Tesfaye, known professionally as the Weeknd, is a Canadian singer-songwriter and record producer. Known for his sonic versatility and dark lyricism, his music explores escapism, romance, and melancholia, and is often inspired by personal experiences.

Among the world’s best-selling music artists with over 75 million records sold, Tesfaye holds several streaming and Billboard chart records. He is the first artist to simultaneously debut in the top three on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, while “Blinding Lights” is the longest-charting song in Billboard history. Often considered a prominent figure in contemporary popular music, Tesfaye was listed by Time magazine as one of the world’s most influential people in 2020. An advocate for racial equality and food security, he was appointed a World Food Programme Goodwill Ambassador in 2021.

5. Joni Mitchell

Joni Mitchell is a Canadian-American singer-songwriter. Drawing from folk, pop, rock, classical, and jazz, Mitchell’s songs often reflect on social and philosophical ideals as well as her feelings about romance, womanhood, disillusionment, and joy. 

She has received many accolades, including ten Grammy Awards and induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997. Rolling Stone called her “one of the greatest songwriters ever”, and AllMusic has stated, “When the dust settles, Joni Mitchell may stand as the most important and influential female recording artist of the late 20th century.

6. Justin Bieber

Justin Bieber by Joe Bielawa from MInneapolis, USA –

Justin Drew Bieber is a Canadian singer. Bieber is widely recognized for his genre-melding musicianship and has played an influential role in modern-day popular music. He was discovered by American record executive Scooter Braun and signed with RBMG Records in 2008, gaining recognition with the release of his debut seven-track EP My World (2009) and soon establishing himself as a teen idol.

Bieber is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, with estimated sales of over 150 million records worldwide. He is credited with three Diamond certifications from the RIAA for “Baby”, “Sorry” and “Despacito”. He has received numerous accolades, including two Grammy Awards, one Latin Grammy Award, eight Juno Awards, two Brit Awards, one Bambi Award, 26 Billboard Music Awards, 18 American Music Awards, 21 MTV Europe Music Awards (the most wins for any artist), 23 Teen Choice Awards (the most wins for a male individual), and 33 Guinness World Records. Time named Bieber one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2011, and he was included on Forbes’ list of the top ten most powerful celebrities in 2011, 2012, and 2013.

7. Bryan Adams

Bryan Adams is a Canadian guitarist, singer, songwriter, composer, and photographer. Sources state Adams has sold either more than 75 million or more than 100 million records and singles worldwide, making him one of the best-selling music artists of all time. Adams was the most played artist on Canadian radio in the 2010s and has had 25 top-15 singles in Canada and a dozen or more in each of the US, UK, and Australia.

In 2008, Adams was ranked 38th on the list of all-time top artists on the Billboard Hot 100. Adams has won 20 Juno Awards and a Grammy Award for Best Song Written for a Motion Picture or Television amongst 15 Grammy nominations and has been nominated for five Golden Globe Awards and three Academy Awards for his songwriting for films. Adams has been inducted into the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Canada’s Walk of Fame, the Canadian Broadcast Hall of Fame, the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, and the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame. On May 1, 2010, Adams received the Governor General’s Performing Arts Award for his 30 years of contributions to the arts.

8. Shawn Mendes

Shawn Mendes by Vogue Taiwan –

Shawn Mendes is a Canadian singer. He gained a following in 2013, posting song covers on the video-sharing application Vine. The following year, he caught the attention of artist manager Andrew Gertler and Island Records A&R Ziggy Chareton, which led to him signing a deal with the record label. Mendes’s self-titled debut EP was released in 2014, followed by his debut studio album Handwritten in 2015. Handwritten debuted atop the US Billboard 200, making Mendes one of five artists ever to debut at number one before the age of 18. The single “Stitches” reached number one in the UK and the top 10 in the US and Canada.

Among his accolades, Mendes has won 13 SOCAN awards, 10 MTV Europe Music Awards, eight Juno Awards, eight iHeartRadio MMVAs, two American Music Awards, and received three nominations for a Grammy Award and one nomination for a Brit Award. In 2018, Time named Mendes as one of the 100 most influential people in the world on their annual list.

9. Michael Bublé 

Michael Steven Bublé born September 9, 1975, is a Canadian singer. His first album reached the top ten in Canada and the United Kingdom. He found a worldwide audience with his 2005 album It’s Time and his 2007 album Call Me Irresponsible which reached number one on the Canadian Albums Chart, the UK Albums Chart, the US Billboard 200, and the Australian ARIA Albums Chart, and several European charts.

Bublé’s 2009 album Crazy Love debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 after three days of sales and remained there for two weeks. Bublé has sold over 75 million records worldwide and won numerous awards, including four Grammy Awards and multiple Juno Awards. Bublé is a dual citizen of Canada and Italy.

10. Shania Twain

, , via Wikimedia Commons

Shania Twain is a Canadian singer and songwriter. She has sold over 100 million records, making her the best-selling female artist in country music history and one of the best-selling music artists of all time. Her success garnered her several honorific titles including the “Queen of Country Pop”.Billboard named her the leader of the ’90s country-pop crossover stars.

Twain has received five Grammy Awards, a World Music Award, 27 BMI Songwriter Awards, stars on Canada’s Walk of Fame and the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and an induction into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame. According to the RIAA, she is the only female artist in history to have three consecutive albums certified Diamond by the RIAA and is the sixth best-selling female artist in the United States. 

11. Joni Mitchell

Roberta, a. Joan Macleod, best known by her stage name Joni Mitchell, spans musical eras and subcultures. Her music has been said described as intergenerational and has been able to connect people throughout all age groups because of how relatable her music is.

Folk-rock is the foundation of Mitchell’s music, and it is based on social, philosophical, cultural, and life reflections that connect with listeners and reflect her modest upbringing in Fort Macleod, Alberta. Her song Big Yellow Taxi, with its environmental topic still valid after 50 years, is possibly one of Joni Mitchell’s greatest contributions.

12. Bryan Adams

, , via Wikimedia Commons

Bryan Adams is a rock legend who represents rock, soft rock, pop rock, and arena, and has a sizable following across all genres. He is one of the best-selling musicians of all time, this multi-talented guitarist, singer, and composer later became a record producer and photographer. He has sold between 75 and 100 million singles and LPs globally.

Adams spent his early years travelling extensively with his parents, and at the age of 12, he began playing the guitar with a “fake” Les Paul. He achieved fame thanks to songs like “Cuts Like a Knife,” “Summer of 69,” and “Run to You.”

One of the all-time best-selling songs, “Everything I Do” launched him on a path to stardom and peaked at number one in 19 different nations.

13. Oscar Peterson

The name O.P. Oscar Emmanuel Peterson is timeless. He was born in Montreal to a West Indian immigrant family. Peterson is a pianist with both classical and jazz training, who showed an early interest and skill at the ripe age of 5.

Although Peterson loved the trumpet, his lung capacity was restricted by illness, so he turned to learn the piano instead. Each day, he put in 4-6 hours of practice. At the moment, 200 recordings of his music are available. He has received seven prizes from the Grammys and is regarded as one of the best jazz pianists of the 20th century.

14. Justin Bieber

After releasing his teen pop album, “My World,” Justin Bieber became well-known as London, Ontario’s and Canada’s representation in the Teen Idol category.

Baby is one of the highest-recognized singles of all time in the US, and the album fully established him as the Billboard 200’s youngest solo male. Bieber has sold more than 150 million records worldwide in the music industry despite being only in his late 20s.

He has received many achievements including Grammies, Latin Grammys, Brit Awards, Billboard Awards, American Music Awards, MTV Awards and Teen Choice Awards (among others).

15. Shania Twain

Twain was born not born into luxury and only became famous after her second album, “The Woman in Me,” sold 20 million copies. Twain is the best-selling female artist in the history of country music thanks to her broad appeal to both pop and country fans. She has sold more than 100 million CDs.

Come on Over, Twain’s third album has sold 40 million copies and is the best-selling studio album by a female artist of any genre and country music. Twain is presently among the best-selling musicians of all time with more than 100 million recordings sold globally. He has won 5 Grammy Awards and 2 World Music Awards. The ‘Queen of Country Pop’s’ career slowed down her personal and health issues.