Singer alters Canadian National Anthem at NBA All-Star Game
Prior to the NBA All-Star Game tipoff in Salt Lake City, Utah over the weekend, Canadian R&B singer Jully Black stirred up some controversy with her rendition of Canada’s national anthem.
In an apparent gesture for Indigenous rights, the Toronto-born R&B singer sang the phrase, “Our home on native land,” as opposed to the actual words of “Our home and native land”.
Jully Black just changed the words to the Canadian national anthem by singing 'Oh Canada, our home ON native land' and I thought it was beautiful 🇨🇦#NBAAllStarpic.twitter.com/ndZrJn3FqZ
— Alice (@ArmoAlice) February 20, 2023
The performance drew mixed reactions on social media, with some users supporting the statement for Indigenous rights and others condemning the act as disgraceful, disrespectful, and “woke”.
Some people will do anything for a headline, what a disrespectful thing to do with “OUR” National Anthem! ❤️🇨🇦 https://t.co/omB2o4B3lb
— 🇨🇦Geoff Buxcey (Ret. RCMP) (@geoff_buxcey) February 20, 2023
As reported by the National Post, “The last official change to Canada’s national anthem was in 2018, when its lyrics were updated to make them gender-neutral, changing 'all thy sons command' to 'all of us command.' 'O Canada now includes all of us,' said a Senate statement at the time. There is no proposed legislation to make further changes to the anthem."
The singer replied to a commenter on Twitter, writing in part, "This is less about me and more about being a part of the change in any way I can!"
According to her website, "Jully Black is a true Canadian Icon. Named as one of ‘The 25 Greatest Canadian Singers Ever’, (CBC Music) she has been dubbed ‘Canada’s Queen of R&B Soul’ by fans and industry leaders alike."
