Canadian national treasure Simu Liu is going to host the 2022 Juno Awards.
The Mississauga-raised star of Marvel’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings will return to the GTA on May 15 for the ceremony, which is essentially Canada’s version of the Grammys. It will be the Junos’ first in-person ceremony since the pandemic forced the event to be cancelled in 2020, and shifted to a virtual format last year.
“It’s an absolute honour to be hosting The 51st Annual JUNO Awards,” said Liu in a statement. “Canadian entertainment and culture hold a very important place in my heart and getting the chance to experience the festivities in my hometown makes the experience even more special to me.”
This year’s Junos will be held at Toronto’s Budweiser Stage, making it the first time the event will be held outdoors.
Liu’s coming off one hell of a year, debuting as the Marvel cinematic universe’s first Asian superhero lead. Shang-Chi decimated COVID-era box office records, raking in over $400 million U.S. globally. The movie’s success earned him a People’s Choice Award for action movie star of the year and all manner of high-profile gigs, from a Saturday Night Live hosting spot to a Google partnership.
The actor also happens to be working on some music of his own. Liu revealed to Complex Canada last month that he’s been cooking up some tracks with Asian arts collective 88rising. “I kind of love the idea of doing music, just because with film, it can be such a great lead time, right? You shoot something for like six months and then a year and a half later, it shows up in theatres, which is crazy,” he told us. “There’s something really great about music and its immediacy. You know, you can throw something together and get it out into the world a lot quicker. It has been a passion of mine. So yeah, it’s great. It’s going great. And I love that it just makes it uniquely mine. I’m excited and quite terrified to share with the world.”
One can only surmise that his new blonde hairdo is part of an album rollout.
