Walk Off the Earth wins Juno Award for Group of the Year

Walk Off the Earth walked off the stage at the 45 annual Juno Awards as Canada’s Group of the Year.

The country’s topmost music award, previously won by big-time bands like Arcade Fire, Barenaked Ladies, Blue Rodeo, Metric and Nickelback, has been handed out every year since 1970 when the Juno Awards began recognizing exceptional achievements in the Canadian market.

Group of the Year reflects accomplishments like outstanding album sales, but to Walk Off the Earth vocalist Sarah Blackwood, the honor mirrors much more than that.

Sold-out tours, chart positions and figures aside, the title is also about team effort and hard work. Things each band member knows a lot about.

“We’ve gone through many hurdles and climbed many mountains,” Sarah says of their rise.

And through that bumpy, turbulent ride to stardom, WOTE has managed to remain solid and together.

“The glue is patience and realism,” Sarah answers when I ask what has held the group in one piece since they banded in 2006.

“We are really down to earth people who are very aware of each other’s unique personalities and conscious of how to be around each other.”

Sarah, who officially joined WOTE in 2012, adds that when it comes to longevity, a shared understanding in all situations (both good and bad) goes a long way.

“There are laughs and cries, fights and great times and that’s all part of the journey,” she says.

“You have to understand that journey and embrace it together. When you’re a part of something that wouldn’t work unless you were a team, you know how to make it work. This is our livelihood and we want to keep doing it for the rest of our lives.”

The Juno winners are currently on tour. See selected dates below.

Posted by Marc Andrew on Apr 4 2016. Filed under Interviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.