5 Facts About The Jamaican Who Changed Canada’s National Anthem

Jully Black is a Canadian singer and songwriter who has Jamaican heritage. On February 19, 2023, she stood on the court of the Salt Lake City stadium, Canada, to do what many thought would be a typical task – perform the country’s national anthem at an NBA all-star game.

But Jully’s performance was everything but typical. With a sultry voice that will remind you of hot chocolate on a Sunday morning, Black replaced one word in the country’s national anthem: singing “our home on native land” instead of “our home and native land”.

The one-word change gave a nod to Canada’s Indigenous and First Nations people who inhabited that country before Europeans arrived in 1604.

For her advocacy, Black went viral, receiving international media attention as well as praise and criticism from many around the world.

Here are 5 interesting facts about this soulful advocate:

1.She is Jamaican

Though she wasn’t born in Jamaica, Black was born to Jamaicans who migrated to Canada to live and raise their family.

2. She grew up in North York, Toronto

Julie’s hometown in Canada is an area where many Jamaicans and Caribbean nationals settle, build businesses and raise their families.

3. She is rated as one of Canada’s best

Black is regarded as one of Canada’s top R&B singers. She was chosen by CBC Music as “one of the 25 greatest Canadian singers ever” and is dubbed Canada’s R&B Queen. She has collaborated with and written for artistes such as Naz, Destiny’s Child and Sean Paul. She has won multiple international awards

4. She performed in Jamaica in 2012

Black opened for Celine Dion at the 2012 Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival honouring Jamaica’s 50th Anniversary of Independence in 2012.

5. She stands by her national anthem performance

After her viral national anthem rendition on February 19, Black told the BBC that she changed the words because the original ones were incorrect.

“That was the most purposeful performance, meaningful and present I’ve been in my life. I fundamentally believe that every artist is an activist…I can’t sing the anthem the other way anymore. It’s permanently embedded in me and if I’m asked to flip it back then I’ll have to say no because it’s not the truth,” Black told the BBC.

Since Black’s performance, some Canadians have called for a permanent change to the national anthem.

Send us an email at listsja@gmail.com if you know Jamaicans who are excelling around the world, we want to highlight their stories

Walk good!