George Stroumboulopoulos to Kick Off Canadian 'Takeover' of Beats 1 Tomorrow

Canadian music and TV personality George Stroumboulopoulos will kick off a Canadian "takeover" of Beats 1 with an hourlong segment on July 2 at 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time, Apple has confirmed to the Financial Post.

Part entertainment, part education, these hour-long sessions are a chance for local talent to shine a light on a particular country’s artists for people around the world, or even someone unaware down the street. Now it is Canada’s turn to take the stage for the first time.

Stroumboulopoulos most recently served as the main host of Canada's popular Hockey Night in Canada show, but he will be replaced by his predecessor Ron MacLean as of the 2016-17 NHL season. The 43-year-old is also known as being a former VJ for Canadian music channel MuchMusic and for hosting the CBC talk show George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight, formerly The Hour, from 2005 to 2014.

"People have spent decades trying to discuss who Canadians are, so it’s impossible to accomplish such a big task in one hour,” said Stroumboulopoulos, a popular voice in the country’s music scene thanks to his work at CBC Radio and MuchMusic. “What I worry about is if I can create a show that gives you an idea globally about what’s cool and what’s happening here … reflecting the coast-to-coast-to-coast of this country."

After Stroumboulopoulos, Beats 1's Canadian "takeover" series will continue for four successive Saturdays at 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time:

- July 9: Josie Dye and Dine Alone Records
- July 16: Coeur de Pirate and Dare To Care Records
- July 23: Broken Social Scene's Kevin Drew representing Arts & Crafts Productions
- July 30: Metric's Emily Haines and Last Gang Records

Beats 1 has hosted similar country "takeovers" for Australia and Japan over the past year.

Beats 1 turned one year old on Thursday. Canada celebrated its 149th birthday on Friday.