Jully Black Played a Show-Stopping 'Redemption Song' at Billboard Canada Women in Music: Video
The platinum-selling Queen of Canadian R&B led the crowd in a moment of silence before breaking into a hard-hitting rendition of Bob Marley's classic song, updating the lyrics to address violence against women.
Jully Black at Billboard Canada Women in Music in Toronto on Sept. 7, 2024
Jully Black, Canada's Queen of R&B, gave a powerhouse performance at Billboard Canada Women in Music.
Black was receiving the inaugural Impact Award, honouring her legacy as a shining star and change-maker in Canadian music. Fittingly, she took the Billboard Canada SiriusXM stage for a deeply impactful cover of Bob Marley's classic "Redemption Song," keeping the audience rapt for her 11-minute rendition.
In an elegant white and yellow gown, she commanded the stage, accompanied by a pianist and guitarist. She began with a moment of silence — no small feat, in a packed room full of industry honourees — reminding the crowd at Toronto venue DPRTMNT that though this was a celebration, many women around the world don't get the opportunity to celebrate themselves.
"I stand here as my ancestors' wildest dreams," Black told the crowd, before leading a sing-along of "This Little Light of Mine," bringing the crowd together as a community.
"There's a lot of white people, I asked you to clap so you might not keep the beat," she joked. "Look to your one Black friend and say 'help.'"
The singer shared that she knew at an event like this, the crowd might be expecting one of her hits, like the Canadian top ten single "Seven Day Fool." “But where I’m at in my life, it’s about redemption," she explained, leading into a soulful version of Marley's "Redemption Song," powered by her raw vocal.
Jully Black is a renaissance woman, with impressive careers in acting, radio, fitness and more, alongside her platinum-selling music. Throughout her career, she's shaped national conversations about race, gender and social barriers, always seeking to have an impact.
In 2023, she went viral when she performed the Canadian national anthem at the NBA All-Stars game, changing the lyrics from "our home and native land" to "our home on native land" and sparking a discussion about colonialism in Canada.
She brought the same instinct for speaking out and addressing social issues to the Billboard Canada Women in Music stage, adding a new lyric into Marley's song about bondage and freedom. Marley's version asks, "how long shall they kill our prophets?" but Black went on to ask one further question: "how long shall they kill our women?"
She descended into the audience to connect with fans and peers on the floor before returning back to the stage, and reflecting on her own beginning in the industry.
"29 years ago I sang a hook called 'What It Takes,' by Choclair," she remembered. "There was no infrastructure, there was no radio, for people, women, that looked like me," she continued. "Women are paid less, if you don't have a seat at the table build your own."
She finished with heartfelt, hard-hitting vocalizations on Bob Marley's refrain, closing out a performance that emphasized how far Canadian women in music have come, and how much there is left to do.
Check out more of the best moments from the first-ever Billboard Canada Women in Music here.
Billboard Canada Women in Music is proudly supported by Tixr, SiriusXM, FACTOR Canada, PinkCherry, Scotiabank Arena, Spotify Canada, Live Nation Canada, Empire AV and INK Entertainment.
