Simu Liu flirts with possible album after singing at Junos

EDMONTON – Actor Simu Liu has a song in his heart and a debut album in his head.

After starting out hosting hits by Avril Lavigne and Nickelback as the Juno Awards host, the Kim’s Convenience star said he hopes to release some of his own songs in the future.

Liu said he signed a deal with Los Angeles-based record label 88Rising, which specializes in the careers of Asian-American artists.

He explained at the Junos red carpet in Edmonton that it led to a “collaboration on music” with the label.

“I’m really looking forward to sharing it with people in the coming weeks,” he added.

Liu, who grew up in Mississauga, Ontario. and starring in the Hollywood film Barbie this summer, said it could mean his own album “could be out sooner rather than later.”

The 33-year-old isn’t brand new to the 88Rising collaboration, as the label collaborated with him on the track ‘Hot Soup’ for the 2021 soundtrack of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.

Before becoming a professional actor, Liu flirted with boy band fame when he joined the short-lived high school group LX4.

At last year’s Junos, Liu surprised viewers when he pulled out a guitar and serenaded the crowd with a parody of Lavigne’s “Complicated,” prompting questions if he planned to sing more.

He did so at Junos Monday, prompting a reporter in the media room to ask Liu what he would be singing on a hypothetical cover album. He chose John Legend’s ballad “All of Me”, the rousing “Go the Distance” from the soundtrack of Disney’s “Hercules” and rapper Eminem’s “Lose Yourself”.

“This album (wouldn’t) make sense, but it (would) be great because I’m going to have a lot of fun with it,” he joked.

Liu also shared his enthusiasm for Everything Everywhere All At Once, which won five of the top six awards at last Sunday’s Oscars the night before the Junos.

He said he was watching the Oscars from his Edmonton hotel room with friends “who were just screaming at the TV” when the offbeat Asian-American film won categories including best picture and three acting awards.

“It’s a crazy weird story about multiverses and sausage hands, but at its core it’s a story about an immigrant family,” said the actor, who immigrated to Canada from China as a child.

“It was just such an incredibly emotional night,” he added.

“I loved all of our stories and our culture.”

This report from The Canadian Press was first published on March 19, 2023.