Award winning Ojibwe singer songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, humanitarian, and educator Shy-Anne Hovorka has released her new single and music video, “Raise My Fist.”
Inspired by former Long Lake #58 First Nation Chief Judy Desmoulin, the song stands as a celebration of Indigenous strength, unity, and the ongoing journey of reconciliation, brought to life by a community of more than 30 Indigenous and ally artists from First Nations, Métis communities, and organizations across Canada.
It began three years ago, after Shy-Anne attended a cultural sensitivity gathering at Long Lake #58 First Nation, where former Chief Judy Desmoulin shared stories from her childhood growing up under the Indian Agent system, including a memory of finding the courage, as a young girl, to stand up to the Indian Agent himself.
“Her story stayed with me long after the gathering ended,” Shy-Anne said.
During the two-hour drive home to the Nipigon area, the song’s chorus and melody arrived almost fully formed.
“I grabbed my iPhone and recorded the song into the Voice Memos app while I drove so I wouldn’t lose it,” she said. “By the time I pulled into my driveway, “Raise My Fist” already existed in its simplest form.”
Rather than recording it right away, Shy-Anne let the song sit for three years, believing it was waiting to become something bigger than a solo recording.
“What surprised me most was that it stopped feeling like my song,” she said. As people heard it, they began asking to be part of it, and Shy-Anne welcomed every one of them without audition or expectation. “What began as one person’s song became a community project,” she explained.
“Indigenous singers, youth, dancers, hand drummers, traditional drummers, Métis artists, First Nations community members, settler allies, families, and friends all added their voices, talents, and hearts.”
For Shy-Anne, the song’s title carries a meaning often misunderstood.
“For me, it isn’t a symbol of anger,” she said. “It represents the courage to stand together, to speak the truth, and to refuse to let history or injustice define who we are.”
The eagle, central to the song’s imagery, carries additional significance in Anishinaabe teachings.
“In Anishinaabe teachings, the eagle carries our prayers to the Creator and reminds us to live with wisdom, love, respect, bravery, honesty, humility, and truth,” Shy-Anne said.
The recording reflects that same collaborative philosophy, blending traditional drumming with contemporary instrumentation and pairing children’s voices with experienced vocalists. The accompanying music video features dancers, families, and community members sharing their own cultures and identities rather than actors portraying them, with footage gathered from both professional videographers and community members who wanted to help tell the story.
“Raise My Fist” was co produced by Jean-Paul De Roover and Shy-Anne at Blueprints Studio, with Jean-Paul also handling the mix and Jim Zolis mastering the final track.
“I hope Raise My Fist encourages people to look honestly at the ongoing barriers and inequities Indigenous Peoples continue to face, while also recognizing the strength, beauty, and resilience that have always existed within our communities,” Shy-Anne said.
“I hope it encourages people to learn the true history of Turtle Island, the lands now known as Canada and North America, and reminds listeners that reconciliation isn’t only about acknowledging the past. It’s about the choices we make together today.”
“I may have written the first words into my phone on a drive home from Long Lake #58, but this was never meant to be my song,” she continued.
“Every person who stepped into this project brought a piece of themselves, their family, their community, and their Nation with them. ‘Raise My Fist’ became a community carrying one message with many voices.”
A member of Lake Helen First Nation, also referred to as Red Rock Indian Band, with roots in Matachewan First Nation, Shy-Anne has spent more than two decades building one of the most quietly remarkable careers in Canadian music, one built on authenticity, community, and a refusal to separate art from purpose. Her first three albums, Black Thunderbird, Pseudo, and Interwoven Roots, have sold more than 15,000 copies worldwide and earned airplay across Canadian commercial radio, while her song “Can’t Change the World” secured a licensing deal for the television series Blackstone and earned a spot in the opening ceremonies of the 2010 World Interfaith G8 Summit, where she also served as headline act for the 2010 Indigenous Festival with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra.
Those three early albums together drew 25 award nominations and multiple wins, including six 2012 Aboriginal Peoples Choice Music Awards for Interwoven Roots.
Shy-Anne’s 2014 album Bones proved to be a defining moment in her catalogue, capturing three Aboriginal Peoples Choice Music Awards for Best Country Album, Single of the Year for “Be Your Girl,” and Best Album Design, while Shy-Anne herself took home the 2014 APCMA Entertainer of the Year award, one of three times she has earned that honour throughout her career. The album remains a testament to her ability to guide listeners through multiple genres, moods, and emotional registers within a single body of work.
In 2022, Shy-Anne released her fifth album, And Then, quietly and without fanfare. Written in response to the discovery of children’s remains at former residential school sites, the album was released as a limited edition, sold by donation only, with all proceeds directed to the Residential School Survival Society. CBC partnered with Shy-Anne on a gradual rollout, showcasing five songs from the album to the public, and in 2023 she extended the album’s reach further by releasing “I Miss You” to radio.
Shy-Anne holds an Honours Bachelor of Music, a Bachelor of Education, and a Master of Education, and when she is not touring as a solo artist, with her band, or alongside a symphony, she works in education as Manager of Indigenous Education for a Northern Ontario School Board, guiding youth in community through music, Ojibwe language instruction, reconciliation in education and time spent reconnecting with the land.
It is that same dedication to community and teaching that shapes “Raise My Fist,” a song that began as one woman’s memory of a two-hour drive home and grew into a collective voice for an entire community determined to be heard.
