Singer Nelly Furtado to host 2024 Juno Awards in Halifax

Nelly Furtado’s pop tunes comeback is earning its way to the Juno Awards.

Organizers named the “I’m Like a Chicken” hitmaker as host of next year’s celebration of Canadian songs all through a push conference Tuesday in Halifax, wherever the function will air live on CBC from the city’s Scotiabank Centre on March 24.

“It is going to be spicy. It really is going to be sexy,” Furtado promised in a recent mobile phone interview ahead of the large expose.

“I’m heading to convey my A-activity of maintaining the festivities rolling along and bringing the pleasurable, trend and vitality.”

It will be the second time Furtado oversees the televised bash, following her stint at the 2007 Junos in Saskatoon wherever she received five awards including album of the year and artist of the calendar year.

That yr, she enthusiastically embraced her wackier facet in an evening of comedic hijinks that commenced with her floating from the rafters in a bird-like, black feathered costume.

The goofiness continued as she appeared in a sequence of taped skits as her elder “aunt” Tia Maria who flirted with singer Michael Buble and appeared in a mock new music video for her music “Promiscuous.”

“Oh yeah, I definitely went there,” Furtado laughed in reflection.

“It was actually more, but it was good.”

The Victoria indigenous is in the midst of a return to the spotlight immediately after various a long time expended laying lower — and with that comes a really calculated system.

Over the summer months, the 44-year-old appeared as a vocalist on DJ/producer Dom Dolla’s pounding club monitor “Take in Your Guy,” which noticed her spitting subtle lyrical references to her past hits “Say It Appropriate” and “Maneater.”

She adopted it up with the sunshiny pop one “Preserve Likely Up” which reteamed her with Justin Timberlake and Timbaland, the powerhouse producer of her 2006 smash album “Loose.” The trio beforehand recorded the hit “Give It to Me” alongside one another.

Furtado is also placing the ending touches on a new album which she’s sure to tease on the Junos wherever she’s also slated to carry out.

The display lineup contains Toronto rock quartet the Seashores, who not too long ago located recognition on social media with their ex-boyfriend anthem “Blame Brett” and Montreal singer Charlotte Cardin, a breakout Junos star two yrs in the past when she picked up four wins.

The “spontaneity” of a reside broadcast is previously fuelling Furtado, who stated she enjoys the improvisation that will come from unpredicted moments.

“Virtually, if a person from the audience wished to host, I might most likely allow them have at least 10 seconds of spotlight,” she explained.

“I love a good jam … I am a hippie at coronary heart. I am from Vancouver Island. So come 1, appear all.”

Furtado failed to backtrack when reminded that the 2023 Junos broadcast was crashed by a topless environmental activist who interrupted presenter Avril Lavigne, who fired off some expletives as security escorted the female away.

“I considered Avril was fantastic,” Furtado reported.

“She did her thing. She retained it underneath management. But for me, I’d in all probability be like, `What do you want to say?’ Give them the microphone. Result in I’m just a very little little bit wild like that.”

Aside from the unpredictable, Junos organizers are arranging at least just one historic instant.

Hip-hop pioneer Maestro Refreshing Wes will be inducted into the Canadian Tunes Corridor of Fame, turning into the first rapper to obtain the honour.

The Toronto-raised performer, born Wes Williams, landed on the scene with his 1989 single “Permit Your Spine Slide” and went on to get the 1st rap recording of the yr Juno in 1991 for his debut album “Symphony in Outcome.”

He scored more Canadian chart hits in the late 1990s, including the Guess Who-sampled track “Stick To Your Vision.”

“The base line is this is massive for Canada, this is huge for Canadian hip-hop, this is massive for Black new music in Canada,” Williams reported at the Halifax occasion exactly where he was also verified Tuesday as a person of the show’s performers.

“I experienced a slogan: Do not make information, make heritage. And we are making record, surely.”

Calgary sisters Tegan and Sara will be provided the humanitarian award from actor Elliot Page for their perform as advocates for the LGBTQ+ group. The twin sisters developed the Tegan and Sara Basis, which supports grassroots companies and social triggers.

Juno organizers have other really serious concerns to consider ahead of future year’s broadcast.

A modern CBC Information report that lifted doubts about Buffy Sainte-Marie’s Indigenous ancestry has pressured the firm to address whether the 5-time winner skilled for her trophies, mostly gained in types reserved for Indigenous musicians.

“We actually want to acquire the time to procedure the facts we are acquiring,” Juno president Allan Reid said at the Halifax push meeting.

“It can be a sophisticated point to have an understanding of about her Indigneiety and her Canadian citizenship.”

He said the Junos is consulting with its Indigenous New music Advisory Committee, other stakeholders in the Indigenous local community and the Junos board.

“We will have some far more information and facts on that in the times to arrive,” stated Reid.

Tickets for the Juno Awards go on sale to the public Friday.

This report by The Canadian Press was initially published Nov. 7, 2023.

With information from Lyndsay Armstrong in Halifax