After several hosting stints in the past, Michael Buble is promising that when he emcees the 2025 Juno Awards in Vancouver the ceremony will be something entirely different.
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“I want it to be a block party,” the 49-year-old B.C. crooner tells Postmedia. “I love my country. I love my city and I love the Junos … I thought, ‘How can we make this a party that feels inclusive for us? And not fake and woke.’”
Buble, who is also a coach on this season of NBC’s The Voice, is still working on some ideas, but he says next year’s Junos will celebrate all things Canadian.
“As cool as it would be to show up and do a medley of my hits, I don’t need that. We’ve seen that,” he says. “I’d much rather share the stage and share the moment with awesome artists who deserve to be (seen) … let’s give them the time.”
The 15-time Juno winner will be hosting next year for his third time (he also fronted the broadcast in 2013 and 2018). He called it a “massive honour” to be asked back by organizers.
“I never take it for granted that they could have anybody they wanted and that they felt that I was a good option,” he says.
But he says he wants to spotlight other Canadian artists this time around. After Karan Aujla became the first Punjabi artist to win an award at the Junos, Buble thinks the ceremony can be even more inclusive.
“I play ball hockey with a bunch of East Indian dudes and they were so proud last year of (Punjabi music) being represented, and by the way (Aujla) is a huge act selling out arenas and stadiums. Then there’s the K-Pop stuff. There’s so many genres and nationalities that make up this unbelievable country,” Buble says. “I love my country. I’m genuinely proud of it and I want us to show it.”
But even if the flow of the show changes next year, Buble says the Junos will likely end the same way they always have when he has attended in the past. “Bombed with a bunch of other bombed artists,” he grins.
During an interview last week in Toronto, Buble talked more about his love affair with the Junos, joining The Voice and spoke about hooking up with country star Carly Pearce for “the greatest Christmas song ever.”
You’ve won 15 Junos. Is there one Juno that means more than the rest?
The best new artist was the one (in 2004). I remember holding my hands … it wasn’t on TV. It was a pre-dinner thing. I just remember my hands were so sweaty and cold. I clearly remember, weirdly, that when they were listing off the names, I could hear my heartbeat in my head … then when my name was called, I think I ran up there so quickly in case they said the wrong name (laughs). I genuinely remember wanting to share it with the other nominees. I couldn’t get over the fact that forever and ever, no matter what happened, how quickly this career would come and go, I would have this. It wasn’t a Grammy, but I grew up a proud Canadian watching David Foster doing Tears Are Not Enough. The Junos were the thing. It wasn’t the Grammys. So even though I’ve won (five) Grammys and those felt great, it never held the same (importance). The Juno was my Stanley Cup.
You hosted for the first time back in 2013, what do you remember about that experience?
It was a blast … I remember starting off with, ‘Regina, the city that rhymes with fun,’ and thinking it was a great start. I think that year, I asked a bunch of friends to film something for me. I went to Dr. Phil, Gerard Butler, my buddy Russell Peters and Kelly Ripa to record bits from my opening. I know there are a lot of hosts who are fine to just let other people write it for them, but I was involved. I went to Liam (Payne) and Harry (Styles) from One Direction and I had known them since they were kids and they shot a video with me. I put so much of myself into it. I was really proud. I remember being bombed at the end. I remember going to Google and reading the reviews and by the way they’re never as good as you think. I’ve had so much fun at those damn shows.
You’re also a coach this season on The Voice. What has that experience been like?
Really nice. I was quite cynical about it … Snoop (Dogg) and I don’t think had watched it before. We had no idea. So we clung together. At the beginning of the season there were five of us sitting there and Audrey (Morrissey), the showrunner, sat us down and said, ‘You five will produce this show. You will determine whether it works or not.’ … the minute she said that, we had an instant connection and understanding that we held NBC’s crown jewel in our hands. All of us knew that we were going to do something on this show that has never been done on this show … Snoop and I and Gwen (Stefani) and Reba (McEntire) are bringing light, we’re bringing empathy. The world is dark and there’s enough darkness in the backstories of these artists. So, from the very start, it was awesome. Snoop and I talk about this a lot. If we had known how cool this was, we would have been in there sooner.
So, will you be returning next season?
I don’t know. I have so much stuff on the go. I’ve got a movie I’m doing, a big TV show thing I’m doing. I’ve got my Fraser & Thompson whiskey … There’s lots. My manager would call The Voice my reset, so it’s been a blast.
You’re already the King of Christmas thanks to your 2011 Christmas album and now you’ve added a new classic, Maybe This Christmas, with Carly Pearce to your catalogue. You’ve called it “the greatest Christmas song ever.” How did this track come about?
(Co-writer) Jann Arden and I knew it was special. We knew it came from a deep and earnest place. Jann and I said, ‘As nice as it is to write about Sleigh Bells and Santa and presents,’ this is a really tough time. The world is in a tough place. We’re all sitting on a very thin wire and we wanted to do something special. Listen, you hope to write something that will live forever and go into the pantheon, but at the end of the day as an artist you want to write a song that makes people feel something. Jann and I called each other … and said, ‘Wow, we have done something really cool here.’ We hope that it brings hope.
The 54th Annual Juno Awards will be broadcast live on CBC on March 30, 2025.