#53 Jully Black: Just the Beginning
Let me start here: Jully Black was nominated to come on this podcast by Cynthia Loyst BEFORE NBA All Star Weekend when she performed HER version of the Canadian National Anthem. What beautiful timing, eh?
This interview also happened a few days after she shared an unfortunate e-mail she stumbled upon:
This is what I’m getting as a BORN and raised Canadian #HateRunsDeep pic.twitter.com/PFxmwQIynH
— Jully Black (@JullyBlack) February 27, 2023
Simply said, there was a lot to discuss during my time with Jully, and I especially loved hearing about how she found community as a young woman in the music business, and how she’s paying it forward to create community for others now. I hope you enjoy this conversation, she was a GREAT hang.
A true Canadian Icon and ‘Canada’s Queen of R&B Soul’, Jully Black has yielded multiple Top 10 singles on pop, R&B, and dance music charts, and has received numerous accolades to date. Named one of “the 25 Greatest Canadian Singers Ever” (CBC Music), the JUNO and Gemini Award winner was the recipient of the 2018 BBPA Harry Jerome Entertainment Award and in 2020 received the coveted Toronto Theatre Critics Award for Best Lead Performance In A Musical and the highly-esteemed TAPA Dora Mavor Moore Award.
A 2021 Canada’s Walk Of Fame Honouree, Jully has performed for the late Queen of England; her impactful lyrics coupled with her actions as a philanthropist reaching and impacting many beyond Canadian borders. Impressing many with her extensive catalogue, Jully has collaborated and performed alongside artists such as Celine Dion, Elton John, Alicia Keyes, Etta James and more with her music also featured in film and television.
In 2018 Jully launched 100 Strong and Sexy, Canada’s largest female-founded, Black-founded, curated and led fitness challenge to date and in 2022 pushed herself to new limits as a contestant on The Amazing Race Canada. With purpose-driven ideas and boundless spiritual fortitude, she continues to refine and reinvent her artistry, releasing her first full-length album in over a decade, the highly-anticipated Three Rocks and a Slingshot, a collection of eight powerful and dynamic tracks including previously released singles, ‘No Relation’, ‘Half Empty’ and ‘Time For Jesus’.
Jully continues to perform on prominent stages around the world, including a recent stop at Drake’s ‘Road to OVO – All Canadian North Stars’ show in Toronto. Most recently, Jully established the Jully Black Family Foundation, alongside Jennifer Seif, an organization that is committed to supporting and advancing the education of women between the ages of 17-35 in Ontario by offering financial support via scholarships, bursaries, and mentorship opportunities.
For quick reference, during this episode, you’ll hear Jully reference this heated moment with Jeanne Beker and Canada Reads: