Canadian R&B singer Jully Black made a subtle but subversive change to her rendition of “O Canada” at the NBA All-Star Game Sunday night. The Toronto native tweaked the opening line of the national anthem, which usually goes, “O Canada! Our home and native land!” Jully sang, “O Canada! Our home on native land,” nodding to the country’s colonial legacy and the Indigenous people who lived there before European settlers took over. Black explained her decision in an interview with TSN, saying, “I reached out to some Indigenous friends to say, how do you feel about me doing this anthem? And I got some feedback, and so I really dissected the lyrics to really sing it with intention. Now I’m singing it in a whole other meaningful way.” Though Jully’s performance will surely be seen as controversial by some, legendary Public Enemy MC Chuck D gave it his stamp of approval, tweeting, “My girl @JullyBlack just kicked the most soulful O Canada i ever heard.”
