Alessia Cara real winner at MMVAs
TORONTO — Canadian pop singer Alessia Cara offered a dash of charm to an otherwise predictable night of celebrity sightings at the iHeartRadio Much Music Video Awards.
The Brampton, Ont.-raised singer joined co-host Joe Jonas to set the Toronto event in motion, but everything that followed seemed especially scripted.
Even though the MMVAs built their reputation on crazy antics over flashy accolades, this year lacked any sort of iconic moments that would rival Lady Gaga’s flaming bustier or Avril Lavigne half-mooning the audience.
The closest viewers got to any tantalizing content was a pot reference from Jonas as he shared his knowledge of Canadian cannabis culture shortly after the show started.
“This time next year it will be completely legal to be blem for real,” Jonas said, tipping his hat to Drake lyrics that popularized the slang for getting high.
Jonas is familiar with working the boisterous crowd at the MMVAs. He hosted eight years ago with his brothers.
Cara, however, is a newcomer to the gig, though her charisma begged for more screen time.
The singer, who scored a hit with Scars to Your Beautiful appeared to have a fan in 13 Reasons Why actor Brandon Flynn.
He turned to Cara early in the show as he addressed the power of a new generation.
“Our voices, they’re young, they’re influential,” he said.
“If we stop using them we let an older generation who doesn’t give anything ... to use their voices.”
Themes of unity and acceptance ran throughout the show with artists like Toronto’s Serena Ryder taking a moment to promote equality.
Indigenous group A Tribe Called Red also lent encouragement to visible minorities when they won video of the year for R.E.D.
“To all the black, brown, indigenous, immigrant, international kids out there: Believe in your dreams, make it happen,” said Yassin Alsalman, who raps a verse on R.E.D. as Narcy.
While the voices on stage boasted acceptance, those in the audience saved most of their energy for screaming.
Former One Direction member Niall Horan received the loudest squeals. He took home the fan fave international artist or group award before taking the stage to perform two songs.
His fans shouted back the lyrics to Slow Hands while holding their phones in the air to capture the performance.
Other winners included Lorde for international artist of the year, who made a point of sharing her affection for the country.
“Canada was one of the first places to go, ‘Hey, we like this little weirdo,’ “she said upon receiving the award.