*Canadian R&B singer Jully Black is speaking out about her decision to change the lyrics to the country’s national anthem during Sunday night’s NBA All-Star game.
Black performed “O Canada” before the game in Salt Lake City, Utah, and she changed one line to honor Indigenous people. Black swapped out the opening line “O Canada, our home and native land,” with “O Canada, our home on native land,” to recognize the natives who lived on the land before European settlers.
“We have been singing this anthem since Kindergarten and now in the last three years, especially with Indigenous rights, what’s going on in our country, and the history, the learning–I, too, am learning,” Black told Kayla Grey, a sports anchor, after the performance.
“I really dissected the lyrics, to really sing it with intention,” said Black, who has reportedly collaborated with artists such as Nas and Destiny’s child.
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“Our home ON native land” –@JullyBlack
pic.twitter.com/SMoxKHkMPE
— Andrew Baback Boozary MD (@drandrewb) February 20, 2023
Black said she reached out to “some Indigenous friends” and asked them how they felt about singing the anthem. One close friend had an emotional reaction to her lyrics, with Black saying, “I didn’t know how much this would mean to him. But now I do.”
“And to every person who has lived generationally through being Indigenous, and just want the world to know that their lived experience matters,” she added.
Canada first adopted “O Canada” as the country’s national anthem in 1980. Since then, there have been several attempts to revise it. In 2018, a bill was passed that made the anthem gender-neutral. The refrain “True patriot love, in all thy sons command,” was replaced with “all of us command.”
Black’s performance received plenty of praise on social media but she’s also catching some heat over her revision. One user said she was “just creating controversy.”
Watch Black’s performance below:
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