Juno Awards 2012: JRDN talks to Yahoo! Canada Music about his journey

JRDN attended his first Juno Awards as a guest in 2006 in his hometown of Halifax, Nova Scotia. This year, he is no longer someone's guest. The R&B crooner is a performer and a two-time nominee in the categories of R&B/Soul Recording of the Year for his album, "IAMJRDN," and the coveted, New Artist of the Year.

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"Attending was really cool, but this year I get to be a part of it," JRDN told Yahoo! Canada Music by telephone. "It's a little nerve-racking, but exciting at the same time to be getting the recognition. Of course, everyone [wants] to win and I'm a competitor, but it's an honour to be mentioned in the same category as the other artists."

JRDN moved to Toronto when he was 11 years old and lived in the same apartment building as King Lou from the Canadian hip-hop duo, Dream Warriors. This experience would turn out to be the one that sent him on his musical path and, ultimately, his dual nomination this year.

See more: A look at the Juno Awards 2012 New Artist of the Year nominees

"King Lou was definitely a huge influence on me [growing up,]" JRDN said. "He used to teach me how to break dance and all the guys use to hang out in the lobby. That's how I was introduced to the whole hip-hop culture and I fell in love with it right away. Just watching him progress as an artist and be successful with the project that they had was an inspiration in itself."

Aside from performing with the live "mixed tape" of artists appearing during this year's awards show, the soulful singer is excited to see fellow Halifax-native, Sarah McLachlan, take the stage with Blue Rodeo.

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"She went to my high school," JRDN recalled. "I remember being at Queen Elizabeth High School and everyone knowing who Sarah McLachlan was. She had already been a star for so long and her picture is still on the wall with all the other graduates."

In addition to his performing duties, JRDN will also be participating in the Juno Hoops event today in Ottawa and his team might have a slight advantage over their competitors since the gold-selling artist use to play professionally in France.

"Let's just hope I got the dust off and the rust is gone," JRDN laughed. "I've only played three or four times since I found out about the Juno Hoops event. I don't get to play that much anymore, but I got a few runs in and a few shots up so, hopefully, I'll be ready."

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Check out Juno Hoops today at 7pm in Montpetit Hall at the University of Ottawa and stay with Yahoo! Canada Music for all your Juno news!

JRDN's "U Can Have It All"

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