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Opening up her little Black Book

Jully Black wants to show the world what it means to be Canadian
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Who: Jully Black

When: Saturday, Feb. 20, 4:15 p.m.

Where: Village Square Stage

Cost: Free!

Jully Black is no stranger to the Whistler stage - she's performed here many times before, the last time to mark the one-year countdown to the Olympic Games, in fact.

But this time, performing to a crowd of thousands who are here for the Olympics, the experience will be very special.

"It means that I'm part of the DNA and the blueprint of this country and for me, with this month being black history month, it has a little bit more meaning for me, as a black woman born in Canada... to be part of the Olympics in our country, that's big, all the way around," Black said.

Being asked to perform at the Olympics is a dream come true for this second-generation Canadian citizen, born to a Jamaican immigrant.

"Moms are so honest, especially when they're first generation," Black said, laughing and feigning a Jamaican accent. "She's like, 'I wanted to see you sing that national anthem! But I'm so proud.'

"For her, can you imagine the sacrifice of leaving her birth country and coming here to raise all her kids... and her sacrifice wasn't in vain."

The Toronto-based Black was also invited to perform before the opening ceremonies in Vancouver and attend the big event afterwards, a performance she describes as "pretty insane."

She points out that it's been more than 20 years since the Olympics were last held on Canadian soil.

"Which means that I was 11 or something, or 10 - like wow - as a 32-year-old I can now say to my grandkids and kids one day it was something that I was able to be a part of."

At the opening ceremonies, the talented musician had a chance to meet aboriginal people from all across the country who were part of the Games, including the designer of the medals.

"To me, it's the one place I would say that the world's hearts are beating as one," Black reflected. "Even though it's competitive, when you see a country come out and you even know somebody from Brazil, you think of that friend. Or if you know somebody that's from Greece, you think of that friend. So even though we're Canadian, I think because we're so multicultural, the Olympics mean something maybe a little more special to those of us here who can appreciate how diverse our country is."

Black recently made the difficult decision to postpone her Canadian tour for The Black Book, opting to take a bit of downtime to make music and "rejuvenate."

"I just really have to get my mind into where I'm going and not get stuck in where I'm come from," she explained. "I think that often times we put the cart before the horse and it's by design and by routine that, of course, you're ready for a tour! But for me, right now, it's premature."

She believes her true fans will stand by her despite their disappointment over the tour cancellation.

"I blogged about it and I'm happy that I've been an honest artist, so if you ask me, I'm going to tell you. Sometimes, if you don't ask me, I'll still tell you," she laughed. "So there's no shame, I'm not hiding, I'm not in rehab. No funny business."

But she kept the Olympic gigs on her calendar and plans to bring a rockin' hour of her soulful fusion of R&B and hip hop to the Village Square stage, accompanied by a live band, of course.

Her vintage-inspired album, Revival, which was released in 2007, earned her a JUNO award for Best R&B Solo Recording. And she's been busy since then, hard at work on the road and in the studio with her team, cooking up another full-length album. The Black Book dropped in November.

The Olympic crowd can expect to hear a fair share of this new material at Black's Saturday show, because her most recent album was designed to be played live.

"That's what it was really intended for, to be able to translate, to be able to read easily with a band," she explained.

Working with her writing team of YoungPete Alexander and Kellis Parker Jr., Mayfield Parker's nephew and James Brown's saxophone player, this new album spans generations and genres.

"It's a risk - it's very different," she said.

They pulled from the musical influences Black grew up surrounded by - Whitney Houston, Run DMC, The Police, Michael Jackson and Tina Turner, just to name a few.

"We just decided to really go and pay homage to the music we listen to, past and present."

She's also fully embracing her role as a storyteller, giving a voice to her fans through a blend of dance and urban rock.

"I've had people write to me and say, 'you know, I was going to commit suicide and I heard your song, I travelled, and I decided not to.' That's profound."

But under it all, Black's musical soul has stayed constant, offering uplifting messages and soulful inspiration.

"I just really wanted to do simple songs that everyone could sing along with."

Now, she's working on a sequel to this album, The Black Book II.

At her show in Whistler, Black is hoping to give the international crowd a taste of Canadian talent.

"I really hope that we all can show the world that whether you know us or not, we are contenders, we have a broad musical palette that can appeal to anybody from any part of the world and that we don't even have to speak English, we just have to speak music."