The singer who performed the Canadian national anthem prior to the 4 Nations Face-Off championship game Thursday night changed a lyric to “O Canada,” confirming it was done to protest U.S. President Donald Trump talking about the possibility of making her homeland the 51st U.S. state.
Fans in Boston could be heard booing the song, which comes after Canadian fans booed the Star-Spangled Banner at a previous tournament match-up in Montreal last week.
Chantal Kreviazuk changed the lyric from “in all of us command” to “that only us command,” telling the Associated Press in an email statement that she did it “because I believe in democracy, and a sovereign nation should not have to be defending itself against tyranny and fascism.”
“I’m somebody who grew up on music that spoke to the heart and the moment, and it shaped me as a songwriter and really as a human being,” she said, via her publicist Adam Gonshor. “I don’t think it would be authentic to me to be given a world stage and not express myself and be true to myself.”
Kreviazuk followed up by writing the phrase “that only us command” with mascara on her hand.
“I just put it on there so if I ever had a moment and I kind of froze, I would be able to look at my hand and see it,” the singer said. “I’d love to see people sort of get inspired and catch the fire and say their heart more in their art. … Sometimes you just got to speak the truth in your art and it’s awesome. That’s what it should be about.”
She posted a picture of her hand to Instagram with a lengthy explanation, which many followers took issue with, saying the singer had no right to change the words at will.
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She wrote in part, “…i want you to know that i didn’t plan this or plot at all… i was [honored] to get the gig! During soundcheck I sang the wrong words “in all thy sons command” out of habit and when i analyzed the new line i thought wow- this could mean something so pertinent to our country in this moment with a change in just two words, three syllables. i didn’t dream that such an effect would be had by deciding to go out there and do it. But it really felt like the right thing to do.”
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Many commenters made their opinions known in the comments.
“The national anthem is our song, not one written by you, nor do you have free rein to make changes in the name of your art. You should be ashamed. There was no patriotism only your ego,” one popular comment says.
“Changing the lyrics of the Canadian national anthem for a personal political statement is a blatant disregard for those who fought and sacrificed their lives for our country,” another person echoed. “This is not just your song—it belongs to all of us. It is not yours to change. Doing so on such a massive platform was an embarrassment to our nation.”
“Somehow your version of the anthem was more offensive to canada than the Americans booing it,” a third person chimed in.
Another person wrote, “You were commissioned to sing my song, the song of ALL Canadians. You had zero right to make this experience your personal expression. Very, very disappointed.”
President Trump was not able to attend the game due to a scheduling conflict, but he did call Team USA ahead of time to wish them luck. Canada ultimately defeated the USA in overtime to win the 4 Nations Face-Off hockey tournament.
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