Jully Black brings soul to Canada Day

By Twylan Best

The City of Markham hosted its Canada Day Celebrations at Downtown Markham in Markham Centre, bringing together residents and visitors for an evening of fireworks, live DJs, family-friendly activities, food vendors, and performances. Featured artist Alyssa Reid entertained the crowd, while Canada’s R&B Queen, Jully Black, also known as Dr. Jully Black Valentine, closed out the evening as the headlining act.

The Caribbean Camera had the opportunity to sit down with Dr. Black Valentine before her performance.

When asked about performing at the FIFA Fan Festival, she shared that she felt honoured to have been selected, noting that the festival could have chosen anyone. She reflected on how meaningful it was to reunite with her band after spending time away from the stage together.

She also spoke about the power of music to c

onnect people from all backgrounds.

“Music is love. Music is the language everyone can relate to, even if they don’t understand English.”

With visitors travelling to Toronto from around the world, she described the experience as a reminder that music transcends language, culture, and race.

Dr. Black Valentine is humble, charismatic, and full of wisdom, qualities that were evident throughout her performance. As stated on her website, “Jully Black turns pain into purpose, vulnerability into her superpower, and resilience into transformation — building a movement that creates lasting change.” Those words came to life on stage as she took the audience through different stages of her career, blending classic favourites with newer releases.

One of the evening’s highlights was the connection she shared with her band and backup singers. She brought her backup singers to the front of the stage and introduced each member of her band by name, ensuring they received recognition for their contributions. The crowd responded with enthusiasm as she stepped off the stage and into the audience, singing and celebrating alongside supporters of all ages.

She also took time to acknowledge several dedicated fans. One supporter, Philippe, shared that after attending her Montreal show last year, he went on to purchase tickets for every stop on her Songs and Stories tour before attending the Canada Day celebration. Another fan, Benson, caught her attention by singing one of her songs when the crowd was quiet leading to a memorable interaction.

Before concluding the interview, The Caribbean Camera asked what advice she would offer to anyone pursuing their dreams.

Her response was simple yet powerful:

“Time is what we all get, timing is what we learn to trust.”

It is a reminder that success cannot always be rushed and that some of life’s greatest opportunities arrive exactly when they are meant to. Sometimes, the best things in life take the longest to appear.

For interviews, media inquiries, or event coverage with The Caribbean Camera, contact Twylan Best at twylan@thecaribbeancamera.com.

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