It’s almost time for Canada’s biggest street party. The 2015 MuchMusic Video Awards are set to take place this Sunday night (9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT on Much) and The TV Watercooler has an exclusive chat with Liz Trinnear and Tyrone Edwards who are co-hosting the ceremony along with Ed Sheeran. Liz and Tyrone talk to us about what it will be like to experience co-hosting together, who their excited to see and why the awards show is still relevant as music video viewing habits have changed.
You both have co-hosted the MMVAs Red Carpet special before but now you’ve graduated to the main show. That must be exciting.
Liz Trinnear: We’re so excited to host our first MMVAs with Ed Sheeran. Tyrone and I have grown together on TV. We’ve hosted the red carpet special in the past couple of years and now it’s so exciting that it’s our first time co-hosting the MMVAs together. It’s just a different beast. The red carpet show is a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants show. You never know what you’re going to get because the second the show stars, the run down goes out of the window. Whereas with the main show is rehearsed and has a bit more structure to it.
Tyrone Edwards: I don’t know what I like better because they are two different types of parties. The carpet is so much fun but the awards show it just so big and loud – there’s fireworks! I’m excited to be part of this whole production and go on that stage.
Liz: It’s pretty surreal as a VJ. There’s no denying that our be all and end all is the MMVAs. Every year we look forward to them. It’s our prom.
Tyrone: And we’re going together!
Liz: Will you get me a corsage?
Tyrone: I will totally get you a corsage!
Have you sorted out your outfits yet?
Liz: Yes! We both have our outfits and they’re epic! My dress was previously worn by Shakira.
Wow. That’s hot.
Tyrone: That’s what I said too!
Liz: Think of the MMVAs, but on a dress. That’s what I’m wearing.
Are you nervous?
Liz: I always say this about TV, if you don’t have those nervous butterflies, then why are you doing it? It’s that rush of adrenaline.
Any pre-show rituals?
Tyrone: I have three Ps: I pray, prep and then I do pushups.
Liz: He’s more structured. I’ll be doing last-minute changes to my outfit and making sure I’m looking on point. I’ll also have a solo dance party. Probably to Robyn or The Weeknd.
The Weeknd is performing this year. Who else are you guys excited to see?
Tyrone: I’m excited to see Scott Helman.
Liz: Scott Helman is amazing and so is Ed Sheeran. Fall Out Boy are explosive performers and I’m also obsessed with Nick Jonas.
What will set this this year’s MMVAs apart from previous years?
Liz: I think that this year’s MMVAs will be very eclectic. You’ve got acoustic solo performances by Ed Sheeran and Shawn Mendes, but you’ve also got the powerhouse that is Tori Kelly. Fall Out Boy are explosive rockers. Carly Rae Jepson’s the girl next door. Our presenters this year are also incredible. They’re all the who’s who and the next wave of stars. We’ve got Gigi Hadid, one of the biggest supermodels in the world. We’ve very excited about Gigi – we love her. Ashley Benson from Pretty Little Liars is huge. Marianas Trench are a staple. Lights has had one of her biggest years and we’ve got her on our stage. Nate Ruess from fun! is launching his solo career and we’re excited to help him do that. We’ve also got Sarah Hyland from Modern Family. The list goes on. I’m so excited to be up on that stage with each and every one of them.
You’re co-hosting with Ed Sheeran but he’s off touring and doing his own thing. When do you guys exchange hosting notes?
Liz: Tyrone and I have a friendship with Ed and we stay in touch over messaging. He’s prepping in his green room wherever he is in the world. He flies in for the show and he’ll definitely be here for rehearsals. It’ll all come together and it’ll be awesome.
Like a lot of us, you both grew up watching this awards show. What were some of your favourite memories?
Tyrone: I always paid close attention to what the VJs were doing. What they were wearing, how they managed the crowd and did their interviews. My favourite memory is definitely Kanye West performing (in 2004). Another thing that stood out for me was one year there was so much rain. I thought to myself “Oh my gosh, how could I still do that and be enthusiastic?” I do not want rain!
Liz: Watching the MMVAs each year is special but it’s so much more magical when you get to be part of it. This will be my sixth MMVAs and I remember watching rehearsals during my first year. I wasn’t really part of the [main] show then, I was doing the online component… I was watching Sarah Taylor rehearse and went “Wow! That’s who I aspire to be… Just like Sarah!” She was my mentor and she really made me want to work hard to get to this point. It’s an honour for Tyrone and I to be co-hosting the first time together. We’re best friends, so exciting to share that moment with your best friend. He’s pretty cool.
Tyrone: And I love her.
There aren’t really any VJs around anymore. You’ve got these Much Creators. How will they be involved this year?
Liz: Jus Reign will be on the red carpet where he’ll be helping out [former Much VJ and current eTalk correspondent] Devon Soltendieck and Chloe Wilde [from E! Canada]. A couple of them will be presenting, including Tyler Shaw and Dan Talevski. The Much Creators will definitely play a role and we’re excited for the Much Digital Studios. They’ve got their own niche, whether it’s beauty, comedy or fashion… They all have their little channel. It’s really cool. These digital creators are in addition to the existing VJs. We’ve still got video jockeys who throw to music videos. We’re still interviewing your favourite artists, giving you exclusive one on one’s and performances.
In recent years, Hedley has become MMVA mainstays. Where are they this year?
Liz: Hedley are a Canadian staple and they’ve been on the grind for a really long time. They’ve been on the road and a couple of them have kids now. I think they’ve been enjoying their time off. We’re still holding down for our Marianas Trench though!
Tyrone: I don’t know if you’ve been keeping up with the red carpet arrivals each year, but they’ve been bringing it! They understand that red carpet tradition. In the past, I’ve given them the Red Carpet Rex award. That’s my award for my favourite red carpet arrival. We’re excited to have those guys back and keep up that tradition. A lot of things change with the times, but there are certain things that will remain the same and that’s one of them.
Any other big arrivals you can tease?
Liz: I found out how Ed Sheeran is rolling up and everyone is going to geek out when they see what he’s doing! The red carpet show has a special treat this year but I can’t talk about it! Because we’re evolving with the times, we’ve got to keep surprising the audience with different things. There’s definitely going to be some good times had on the red carpet in addition to the main show.
It’s 2015 and most of us get our music videos online. How do you keep the MMVAs relevant?
Liz: The thing about the MMVAs is that it is always going to be relevant no matter what. These kids camp out overnight in a hailstorm to get wristbands. If that doesn’t speak relevance, then I don’t know what does. We’re giving them this party that’s so exclusive and no other awards show is like this. No other awards show gets you that close to your favourite musician – with a stage that’s lower than ever.
Tyrone: In terms of relevance, until there’s a day where the art of the music video is no longer valued, there will be the MMVAs. We’re celebrating these directors and musicians for what they do. It doesn’t matter where it’s played or how many views it gets or what platform it’s on. At the end of the day, we’re celebrating the artists who have worked so hard. We’re acknowledging that hard work with the coolest concert ever. I think that the MMVAs will have no problem staying relevant for a long time.
Liz: Let’s take Ed Sheeran for a perfect example. He’s been to our awards show for four years in a row. The man makes time in his schedule so that he can be a part of it. He’s an internationally acclaimed singer-songwriter. He’s one of the biggest names in the game right now. He’s carving out time in his worldwide tour to come and host the MMVAs. So it’s not only for the fans, it’s also for the artists and directors who come. It’s a celebration of them. It’s us saying thank you for doing a good job. We have a lot of artists who come up to us and say “There’s nothing like the MMVAs. We love it. We love to get up close and personal with our fans and give them this unique experience.”
The 2015 MuchMusic Video Awards will air in a super simulcast event this Sunday, June 21. The Red Carpet special will air at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on Much. The MMVAs will then air live at 9 p.m. on Much, MTV, MTV2 and M3. It will also be broadcast at live at 9 p.m. ET on Much.com and the CTV Go app as well as at 9 p.m. ET/10 p.m. AT on CTV Two (Ontario east) and at 9 p.m. CT/MT/PT on CTV (Manitoba west).
