More than just a show

By Lethbridge Herald on October 28, 2025.

HERALD PHOTO BY JOE MANIO "Canada's Queen of R&B Soul" Jully Black engages with the audience, asking them to turn on their cellphone flashlights before performing her first song Saturday evening at the Visitlethbridge.com Arena. This was the award-winning and platinum-selling singer-songwriter, actress and icon's first visit to Lethbridge.

By Joe Manio
Lethbridge Herald
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Juno Award-winning singer-songwriter Jully Black played her first – but not her last – Lethbridge performance at the Visitlethbridge.com Arena on Saturday. 

Often called “Canada’s Queen of R&B Soul,” Black is an acclaimed musician, actor and social activist who has been inducted into Canada’s Walk of Fame. Aside from her own hits such as Sweat Of Your Brow, she has written songs for artists Sean Paul, Destiny’s Child and Kardinal Offishal. 

A diverse lineup of local musicians opened for her, making the event a true community concert. Black’s evening performance was preceded by an afternoon songwriter’s workshop headlined by Black herself and was attended by some of the same performers who opened for her. 

Beyond her musical career, Black (her first name is pronounced “JOO-lie”) is also known for her philanthropic work and advocacy for various causes including Indigenous rights, racial justice, women’s health (specifically breast cancer awareness), and LGBTQ+ community empowerment

Black has performed in venues of all sizes, from large arenas to smaller and cozier venues like the upstairs lounge at the Visitlethbridge.com arena, which allow for more engagement and connection with audiences. 

“Small city, big heart, big passion…big culture,” Black says of Lethbridge. “I’m coming (back) to the Alberta region next year and we’re going to bring this tour and keep building it. I’m looking forward to building more community. I have a tattoo on my arm…it’s a bridge. Music is a bridge.”

The songwriter workshop headlined by Black was titled “From Idea to Anthem” and was attended by local singer-songwriters of all ages and from diverse backgrounds. 

“I was so impressed by their willingness to be open and vulnerable and to share,” she says. “Some people are so afraid to share, but I tend to use my own lived experience (in songwriting).”

For University of Lethbridge music student and saxophone player Rayden Wong, it was his first songwriting workshop.

“(Black) has played every major stage in the country,” says Wong. “This is an awesome opportunity to learn from the best. I want to be able to incorporate more storytelling in my songwriting.”

In addition to the workshop, Wong had the thrill of playing his saxophone in the opening act of Black’s evening concert. 

“The only time I really feel like I’m myself is when I’m on stage performing,” he says. “And sharing the stage with Jully Black is…awesome.”

Songwriting is a very personal artistic endeavor because it often draws from an artist’s unique emotions, life experiences, and perspectives, making it a deeply intimate and vulnerable process. 

“Write from obsession,” Black says. “What is that thing that excites you the most? What is the thing that even breaks your heart the most? What is that thing that, if you had the most power on earth, that you could wave your wand that’s the thing you’d want to change? What’s the thing you want to stand in the gap for?”

Black says that one of the prerequisites to becoming an effective, impactful songwriter is understanding that there is no right or wrong.

“Actually there’s only right…the more you’re able to speak from and write from obsession. I often ask myself when I’m going to start a project: What breaks my heart the most? Whether it’s the opioid crisis, juvenile diabetes, injustice…some of those things.”

The songwriting workshop and performance were part of a larger festival called “Leth’s Vibe & Chill,” which included an after-party with Black at D&N Kitchen in the German Canadian Club following her performance.

It was organized by BIPOC Lethbridge, the local headquarters for the BIPOC Foundation, a non-profit organization with a mandate to support and empower Black, Indigenous, and people of colour entrepreneurs in Western Canada.

The foundation provides resources, mentorship, and training to help diverse entrepreneurs start, grow, and scale their businesses. Its goal is to advance racial and gender equality and bridge systemic gaps in the economic ecosystem.