By: Daniel Gerichter (@ZenDonut) –
Lorde at 2014 MMVAs. (Photo: Adam Pulicicchio/Aesthetic Magazine Toronto)
Every year around in June, Queen Street W. shuts down to traffic, transit and even pedestrians. It’s a necessary evil to accommodate the perpetually expanding spectacle of the MuchMusic Video Awards.
From a fan’s point of view, the awards are a rare opportunity to expose all five senses to their heroes. Access to the event (with or without a wristband) gives fans the chance to glimpse at their favourite artists as they arrive along the street-sized red carpet; to hear them speak with their own ears and, for many, to touch them as their heroes high-five, hug, and selfie their way into the building. The Grammy-winner and MMVA performer Ed Sheeran made his arrival in a local chip truck, so smell and taste were part of the festivities too.
Beyond Sheeran’s patent cutesy, man-of-the-people arrival, there were also more bombastic ones: Hunger Games star and presenter Jena Malone arrived in a baller Ferrari, MMVA mainstays and performers Hedley arrived on a flatbed covered in pillows and feathers (which exploded into the breeze) and in atypical fashion, headlining performers Imagine Dragons puttered down in a bird poop-encrusted, one-step-away-from-the-junkyard Honda Civic. The crowd, which was comprised of mostly tweens and teens, ate it up.
Kicking off the show, reality dynamos Kendall and Kylie Jenner riffed on Kendall’s now-infamous troubles with reading lines off a teleprompter, adding to the night’s (already) wacky tone. In the media/press room, three discussions recurred as nearly every performer and award-winner stopped by to chat and answer questions over the course of the night: new, emerging artists and MUCHFact award-winners Thugli, Virginia to Vegas, established stars of Canadiana like Marianas Trench, Sam Roberts Band, Fefe Dobson, and Nikki Yanofsky, and finally globalmegastar artists like Lorde, Imagine Dragons, and Jena Malone.
With heavy airplay on both MUCH and Youtube, the MUCHFact award went to rappers Fugli for their video “Run This”. Immediately after their win, they brought video director Amos LeBlanc backstage and addressed their recent success and its perceived pressures, “We totally weren’t expecting this. It was very grassroots – we made a song we wanted to make and then we made the video we wanted to make. There was no ‘oh we need to push a single’ or ‘we need the video to go viral’ it was just something that we wanted to do, and we did it. To have it get to this point is insane.”
Presenter and Juno-winning singer Nikki Yanofsky, who is now working on her upcoming record with iconic producer Quincy Jones, discussed some of the more opulent aspects of stardom, “We filmed the newest video outside of this gorgeous chateau in Paris. I didn’t ask to film it there, but I wasn’t about to say ‘no’ either”. She laughs. “I can’t tell you much more than that, but what I can say is that we have a very special guest in the video who inspired the dress.” When asked to elaborate on who that might be, Yanofsky muttered slyly “it’s not… really a person.”
For other artists, MuchMusic has become a fundamental part of not just their careers, but also their own upbringing. When presenters asked Down with Webster if they remembered the first video they saw on MuchMusic, vocalist Cameron “Camm” Hunter remarked “That one from the first Batman movie… what was it called again? (Batdance) Yeah. That was like, the soundtrack to my summer that year.”
Jena Malone at 2014 MMVAs. (Photo: Adam Pulicicchio/Aesthetic Magazine Toronto)
Now CanCon veterans, Sam Roberts Band not only performed, but also won the award for Best Rock/Alternative for their tune “Shapeshifters”. While Roberts has always had a public profile, his has conclusively been more focused on music and making records. When asked what the creative and artistic differences are between making a record and music video, Roberts remarked “Control. It’s absolutely about that. The studio lets us do whatever we’re going to do when we’re making an album, but a music video is a product of more heads put together than just the band. And it’s not to say that making a video is unpleasant, but it’s a totally different experience and purpose”
Presenter Jena Malone (doing double duty in Toronto after playing with her band The Shoe) was asked about older projects she might want to expose her younger Hunger Games fans to. “You know, I love making movies for young people, so I don’t want to concern them with whatever I did in the past. Kids are the ones who are going to go forward and be revolutionaries, so if what they love about me is the Hunger Games, so be it.”
Deep inside the building, the relentless screams and squeals of the enormous crowd could be heard throughout the night, as the kids were treated to heartfelt homecoming performances by Sam Roberts Band and Hedley, over-the-top mega productions by Arianna Grande (Iggy Azalea’s vocals for “Problems” were piped in, sadly) and a comparatively stripped-down but equally tremendous performance of “Sing” by Ed Sheeran. Most memorably, Kiwi-superstar Lorde doubled down, stealing the show with outstanding renditions of hits “Tennis Court” and “Team”. While her face-time backstage was brief, it was incredible to see someone so young handle a packed room of international media with the grace of someone twice her age.
Beyond having last year’s biggest from-out-of-nowhere blockbuster hit with “Royals”, Lorde also had the distinct honour of standing in for Kurt Cobain for the reformed Nirvana’s performance of “All Apologies” at this year’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony. When asked about what was going through her mind when she got the call, the 17 year-old remarked “I literally couldn’t believe it. I felt this enormous amount of pressure, but Dave (Grohl) and Krist (Novoselic) are just the sweetest guys you could meet, so I just went out there and did it.”
Finally, after huge performances of “Radioactive” and “Demons”, Imagine Dragons stopped backstage briefly to assure us that their second album is well underway, and that it can be expected some time next year. “You’re going to see some different stuff. We’re trying out new sounds and working with some great people so we’re very excited about it.”
Showtime for the MMVA’s were nothing shy of nerve-wracking, having only experienced the MMVA’s from a parking lot in 1997, MuchMusic are respectful, gracious and transparent. The whole process, from production to digital media, was on display and that’s because MUCH are undoubtedly proud of the institution that they’ve built, from their outset as a glorified office party to their current worldwide reputation for being more unique, off-the-cuff and fan-oriented than the Billboard Awards, Grammys or MTV VMAs. Now, this is where household names can cement their status, and hungry upcoming artists can get launched into the stratosphere. After a night of carrying around a media laminate and seeing the business-side of things, I’m thrilled to say that all these years later, I’m still a fan – probably more so.
Aesthetic Magazine | Album Reviews, Concert Photography, Interviews, Contests 
Discussion
No comments yet.