Hometown star garners four Grammy nominations for album 'Thank Me Later'

TORONTO, Dec. 1 -- A decade after he got his start on the network, superstar recording artist Drake is coming home to CTV as host of THE 2011 JUNO AWARDS, ETALK revealed tonight. The announcement from CTV and The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS) was made just hours before Drake was nominated for four 2011 Grammy Awards®. The Toronto native returns to his hometown to host the 40th Anniversary of Canada's Music Awards, and CTV's 10thAnniversary broadcast, airing live from the Air Canada Centre on Sunday, March 27, 2011. Tickets for THE 2011 JUNO AWARDS broadcast go on sale Saturday, February 5, 2011 through all Ticketmaster outlets.

At 24, Drake becomes one of the youngest-ever hosts of THE JUNO AWARDS. Since getting his start on CTV in 2001, Drake, a.k.a Aubrey Graham, has gone on to take the music world by storm over the past few years, becoming one of the fastest rising newcomers ever in hip-hop. At last year's JUNO Awards in St. John's, NL, Drake brought down the house when he joined fellow Canadian pop phenom Justin Bieber on stage, and later took home two awards for Rap Recording Artist of the Year and New Artist of the Year. Nominations for the 2011 JUNO Awards will be announced on Tuesday, February 1, 2011.

"I am beyond honoured to be hosting this monumental JUNO Awards in the greatest city on Earth," said Drake.  "I want to bring a youthful energy to the show and encourage people to be excited about what Canadian music has to offer. See you all at the show."

"Drake is the single most formidable force in music right now," said Susanne Boyce, President, Creative, Content and Channels, CTV Inc. "He's risen to the top of the charts, garnered worldwide acclaim, worked with the best in the business, and continues to deliver hit after hit. But at the end of the day, he's a gentleman who makes his mother, and all of us, proud. We can't wait to celebrate his success as host of this year's show."

"Drake has made monumental strides on the national and international music scene in the past year and exemplifies the next generation of Canadian artists. We're thrilled to have him host the 2011 JUNO Awards in his hometown of Toronto," saidMelanie Berry, President and CEO of CARAS and The JUNO Awards. "People are still buzzing over his performance last year on THE JUNO AWARDS and we can't wait to see what's in store this time around!"

SOURCE Juno Awards