Arts·Group Chat

Why do people hate Nickelback? And are we ready to rethink the band's legacy?

Our end-of-week Group Chat discusses the value of negative reviews, Nickelback’s entry into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame and Michelle Yeoh’s controversial Instagram post about the Oscars.

Our culture commentators unpack what makes the band so divisive, plus the value of negative reviews and more

Nickelback's Chad Kroeger plays guitar onstage.
Chad Kroeger performs with Nickelback at the MuchMusic Video Awards in Toronto on June 21, 2009. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press)

Nickelback is one of the most successful Canadian bands in history, as well as one of the bestselling music acts of all time — so why do so many people love to hate them?

Ahead of the band's induction into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame at the Junos on Monday, we unpack Nickelback's divisive legacy with help from Toronto Star music critic Ben Rayner, freelance writer Niko Stratis and comedian Andrea Jin. Our end-of-week Group Chat also discusses the value of negative reviews and Michelle Yeoh's controversial Instagram post about the Oscars.

You can listen to the full discussion from today's show on CBC Listen or on our podcast, Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud, available wherever you get your podcasts.