Jully Black

Jully Black is a multifaceted singer and songwriter whose enduring career has been characterized by acclaim and resilience. A noteworthy figure in the evolution of Canadian R&B, she is firmly rooted in the genre’s traditions but hasn’t pandered to purists, as evidenced by the multitude of contemporary sounds, including references to her Jamaican heritage, throughout her body of work. Black broke through as a solo artist with the Top 20 Canadian single “Rally’n” (1998). She soon earned a gold certification and Juno award for Revival (2007), and closed the 2000s with the Top 40 single “Running” (2009). Among Black’s recordings since then — she’s juggled singing with acting, television work, advocacy, and other pursuits — are the Juno-nominated track “Set It Off” (2011), the mixtape Dropping W(8) (2012), and singles into the 2020s.
Born and raised in Toronto, Jully Black (Jullyann Inderia Gordon) gained attention across Canada in 1997 with her featured appearance on the title song of Choclair’s Juno-winning What It Takes EP. The next year, she released “Rally’n,” a single on the Ill Vibe label that reached number 12 on the Canadian pop chart and was also Juno-nominated. A handful of singles and a contribution to the soundtrack for Brown Sugar were released through 2002. The material set up the 2004 release of Black’s first album, but the project was shelved. Meanwhile, Black was featured on Nas’ “Heaven” and co-wrote “I Know” for Destiny's Child.
Black settled in with Universal Music Canada, and from 2005 to 2009 she released a new album every other year. She debuted with This Is Me, a set that reached number 34 on the Canadian chart, aided by “Sweat of My Brow,” a number 16 hit, and the double A-side “5x Love”/“Material Things,” which reached number 30 (with Nas returning the favor on the latter half). Revival, the 2007 follow-up, fared significantly better with a gold certification due in part to a number nine hit cover of “Seven Day Fool,” originally recorded by Etta James, and “Until I Stay,” another Top 40 entry. That year, she also provided the theme song for the Canadian sitcom adaptation of the play Da Kink in My Hair. The Black Book finished off the major-label trilogy in 2009 with Black’s sixth Top 40 single as a headliner, “Running.”
Independent again, Black continued to release singles during the next couple years. The Kardinal Offishall collaboration “Set It Off” earned her yet another Juno nomination and highlighted her 2012 mixtape Dropping W(8). Black scattered numerous singles such as “Here 2 Love U,” “Fever” and “Mi No Fraid” through the rest of the decade and into 2020, and in 2022 returned with “No Relation.” ~ Andy Kellman