The holiday season kicks off Nov. 25 in a big way with the inaugural iHeartRadio Jingle Ball in Toronto.
While it’s a first for Canada, Jingle Ball has been an annual favourite of music fans south of the border since 2000. Introduced by Los Angeles radio station KIIS FM, it later expanded to U.S. cities like Miami, New York City and Boston.
This year in the U.S., Jingle Ball will take place in a dozen cities. The line-up of performers is scheduled to be unveiled on Oct. 11.
Canadians who have performed at Jingle Ball in the U.S. include Avril Lavigne (2002 and 2004), Simple Plan (2003), Nelly Furtado (2006), Justin Bieber (2012), Kiesza (2014), Shawn Mendes (2014 and 2015), and The Weeknd (2015).
Canada’s first iHeartRadio Jingle Ball takes place Nov. 25 at Toronto’s Air Canada Centre — and it promises to be a night of great music.
Here’s a look at who is scheduled to heat up the stage:
The Weeknd
Jingle Ball is thrilled to welcome The Weeknd, one of Canada’s biggest musical talents, at home in Toronto on the same day his third studio album, Starboy, comes out.
The 26-year-old, who was born Abél Tesfaye, is an accomplished singer-songwriter who has become a global superstar in only a few years.
Beauty Behind the Madness was one of the biggest-selling albums of 2015 and earned The Weeknd a truckload of awards, including an American Music Award, Billboard Music Award, Grammys, an iHeartRadio Music Award, Juno Awards and iHeart Radio Much Music Video Awards.
His single “Earned It” from Fifty Shades of Grey got The Weeknd an Oscar nomination.
Alessia Cara
Hailing from the Toronto area, Alessia Cara (whose real surname is Caracciolo), is a self-taught musician who started doing cover songs on YouTube when she was a young teen. After getting signed to a record deal, she scored the hit “Here” from her debut album Know-It-All.
Cara, 20, has performed on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon and opened for Coldplay. She won a Juno, a Streamy Award and an iHeartRadio Much Music Video Award.
At Jingle Ball she’ll certainly perform “Wild Things” and other songs from Know-It-All.
The Chainsmokers
This New York City-based DJ duo (Andrew Taggart and Alex Pall) debuted with the EP Bouquet in 2015 and the hit “Closer” featuring Halsey — but their first release was three years earlier and featured Indian star Priyanka Chopra (now starring in Quantico).
The pair has also remixed dozens of tracks by acts like Ellie Goulding, Bastille and Tove Lo.
The Chainsmokers have already been nominated for Billboard Music Awards, an iHeartRadio Much Music Video Award and an MTV Video Music Award.
Hedley
This B.C.-based band formed in 2003 but split up shortly after singer Jacob Hoggard finished in the top 3 of Canadian Idol in 2004.
Hoggard put Hedley back together with three new musicians — Chris Crippin, Tommy Mac and Dave Rosin — and quickly found success with hits like “On My Own,” “Never Too Late” and “Kiss You Inside and Out.”
The band is famous for its high-energy live performances and is sure to kick things up at Jingle Ball.
Serena Ryder
Serena Ryder had Canadians “Weak in the Knees” in 2007 and feeling that “Together We Are One” during the Pan Am Games in Toronto last year. In between, she had us “Stompa” our feet.
Ryder, 33, hails from Peterborough, Ont. and has toured across Canada extensively during her career. She co-hosted the Juno Awards in 2014 — and has won a few of her own, including Artist of the Year and Songwriter of the Year.
Ryder will show off her vocal chops at Jingle Ball and have everyone rocking.
Belly
Belly was born Ahmad Balshe in Palestine — his stage name comes from “rebellious” — but based his musical career in Ottawa.
The 32-year-old rapper’s debut album The Revolution was named Best Rap Recording at the 2008 Juno Awards. His third studio album, Another Day in Paradise, was released last May.
Belly’s biggest success, though, has been co-writing songs for The Weeknd as well as artists like Ariana Grande (“Love Me Harder”) and Wiz Khalifa (“Remember You”). He earned a Best Song nomination at this year’s Academy Awards for co-writing The Weeknd’s “Earned It” from Fifty Shades of Grey.
Belly is also one of 12 writers credited on “6 Inch” from Beyonce’s Lemonade.
Kardinal Offishall
Kardinal Offishall is Canadian rap royalty.
The 40-year-old, who was born Jason Harrow in Toronto, has released five albums and several mixtapes during this two-decade career — and has an impressive collection of Juno and MuchMusic Video Awards.
Offishall is also a respected music producer and has dabbled in film and television.
Kent Jones
Kent Jones is a 23-year-old rapper from Florida who exploded on the scene with the hit single “Don’t Mind” off his 2015 mixtape Tours.
At Jingle Ball, expect to hear tracks from that as well as his new album, Too Much Too Soon, which came out in September.
Follow @JRK_Media