Singer-Songwriter Corey Hart will be inducted into The Canadian Music Hall of Fame during the 2019 JUNO Awards on Sunday, March 17. Hart, who has sold more than 16 million albums worldwide, will take the stage at Budweiser Gardens in London, ON, to perform on live television for the first time in over 20 years. The performance will be part of the 2019 JUNO Awards broadcast live on CBC, CBC Radio, the free CBC Gem streaming service in Canada, and globally at cbcmusic.ca/junos.
Hart will join Canadian music icons in the Hall of Fame, including Anne Murray, Joni Mitchell, kd lang, Sarah McLachlan, Leonard Cohen, Neil Young, The Guess Who, and The Tragically Hip.
“I’m deeply humbled by this invitation into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame,” said Hart in a statement. “It’s an incredible honour to be acknowledged alongside so many other talented and venerable Canadian artists. My career goal since the beginning has always been to remain 100 percent authentic to my artistic vision, while embodying the highest respect and dedication towards the craft I love so much.”
In 1983, Hart, hailing from Montréal, released his debut album, First Offense, which took off in Canada, the U.S., and globally. The video for “Sunglasses at Night” quickly became a staple on MTV, and won the first-ever JUNO for Best Video, in 1984. Hart’s second album, Boy in the Box, achieved Diamond status in Canada (1 million plus sales) faster than any other Canadian artist in history. The album had four hit singles, including “Never Surrender,” which was No. 1 in Canada for nine weeks, and won Single of the Year at the 1985 JUNO Awards. Hart has had nine consecutive singles on the U.S. Billboard Top 40, and 11 Top 10s in Canada. He’s been nominated for a Grammy, and earned three SOCAN Awards.
In 1999, Hart took a hiatus from touring and recording to focus on his family, but still wrote and produced several songs for Céline Dion. In 2003, he started Siena Records, where he continues to act as President. In 2014, after 12 years off from live performing, Hart made a comeback in his hometown at the Bell Centre with a show called “One Night – Three Decades of Music.” He simultaneously launched his autobiography, Chasing the Sun.
Today, Hart releases “Dreaming Time Again,” the first official single from his forthcoming EP of the same name, produced by Bob Ezrin, slated for release May 3, 2019. It’s his first new music in 20 years, and comes ahead of his cross-Canada Never Surrender Tour.