Our neighbor to the north is celebrating one of its biggest holidays today. So if you know any Canadians, be sure to wish them a Happy Canada Day!
Canada Day celebrates the anniversary of the July 1, 1867, enactment of the British North America Act – today referred to mostly as the 1867 Constitution Act – that united three colonies into a single country called Canada. Often referred to as "Canada's birthday," it is Canada's equivalent to our Fourth of July, as Canada became a country in its own right on that date – though the British Parliament maintained limited political control over Canada that was shed in stages over the years with the last surrendered in 1982.
Very importantly, like Independence Day in the U.S., Canada Day is celebrated with fireworks, parades, picnics and carnivals. Those are some of our favorite things. See, Canada is just like us where it counts!
Canada has given us much to be thankful for. It's where we all threaten to go when something doesn't go our way politically. Montreal is as close to Paris as you're going to get without flying across an ocean (sorry, no Eiffel Tower though). About half of all movies seem to film in and around Vancouver. And it's given us some seriously great tunes.
Over the years, Canada has churned out some of the biggest stars to hit the U.S. charts. It gave the mid-90s an injection of earthy rock when Alanis Morissette dropped her iconic Jagged Little Pill and provided the early-00s with some fun punk-pop from Avril Lavigne. These days, two of the biggest stars on the planet (Drake and Justin Bieber) come to us from our chilly northern neighbor.
Check out our favorite Canadian music superstars out below!
Justin Bieber
There's just no denying Justin Bieber. His latest album, Believe, currently sits atop the U.S. album charts with the biggest first week sales of any album so far this year. "Boyfriend" is a jam. He is the king of Twitter. There's nothing this young man can't do!
Drake
Sure, he's been in the headlines recently for some less-than-charming behavior, but for the most part Drizzy is best known as one of the most consistent hitmakers in the game. His most recent album, Take Care debuted at #1 with a massive 631,000 opening week and is well on its way to going double-platinum in the U.S. But since we are talking Canada here, we have to mention that Drake first came to the attention of U.S. audiences playing Jimmy Brooks on one of Canada's most important contributions to pop culture, "Degrassi: The Next Generation."
Michael Buble
Buble might not be the hippest guy on the block, but he's an undeniably talented singer with, importantly, a fantastic sense of humor about himself. And in an age when record sales continue to dwindle, Buble's brand of adult contemporary still moves units (his 2011 Christmas album outsold Lady Gaga's Born This Way and was the second biggest album of 2011 in the U.S. behind only Adele's 21).
Last year, he appeared in one of our favorite "Saturday Night Live" sketches in a very long time. Check out Buble's duets with Taylor Swift and Justin Bieber below:
Celine Dion
We have a soft spot for Celine Dion and we're not sure why. She's kind of like a less contemporary female Michael Buble – her talents as a singer are incredible and she could not be less conventionally "cool." But in an age when singing talent isn't always necessary for success in the music industry, Dion has bucked the trend: she has moved an incredible number of albums in her decades-long career, voiced one of the most ubiquitous songs of all time ("My Heart Will Go On" from "Titanic") and continues to pack in the crowds nightly at her residency at Las Vegas' Caesar's Palace.
Oh, and girlfriend can do one heck of a cover of British songbird Adele's "Rolling in the Deep."
Who is your favorite Canadian singer? Let us know in the comments below!
