Toronto singer Jessie Reyez gets praise from Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler at MTV VMAs

By The Canadian Press

TORONTO – Steven Tyler is discovering the talents of budding Toronto singer Jessie Reyez.

The Aerosmith frontman showered praise on the newcomer as he closed out the MTV Video Music Awards broadcast.

Reyez, who earlier in the show sang her new track “Apple Juice,” posted a brief clip on social media Tuesday showing Tyler as he exited the stage, but paused to hug her and kiss her hand.

The rock star told Reyez he thought her “performance was great,” she says, before he continued into the crowd. She expressed her disbelief with the moment on Instagram and Twitter.

It capped off an evening that gave Reyez some of her widest exposure to U.S. audiences yet.

She was nominated for two MTV awards — artist of the year as well as video with a message for “Gatekeeper,” which tells of her experience as a young artist being pressured into sex by a powerful music industry player who promises her fame.

The outspoken singer used her live performance to make a few subtle statements.

Sewn into the front of her overalls were two notes — one which implied that sexual assault incidents highlighted by the #MeToo movement have been going on for years.

The other said “no one can be illegal on stolen land.”

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