Award-winning Ojibwe singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, educator and humanitarian Shy-Anne Hovorka has released “Raise My Fist,” a collaborative single and music video bringing together more than 30 Indigenous and ally artists from communities and organizations across Canada.
Inspired by former Long Lake #58 First Nation Chief Judy Desmoulin, the project combines contemporary instrumentation, traditional drumming and voices spanning generations. Hovorka, a member of Lake Helen First Nation, also known as Red Rock Indian Band, with roots in Matachewan First Nation, developed the song as a reflection on Indigenous strength, community and reconciliation.
‘Raise My Fist’ Grew From a Story Shared at Long Lake #58 First Nation
The origins of the song date back three years to a cultural sensitivity gathering at Long Lake #58 First Nation. During the gathering, Desmoulin spoke about growing up under the Indian Agent system and recalled finding the courage as a young girl to stand up to an Indian Agent.
“Her story stayed with me long after the gathering ended,” Hovorka says.
On the two-hour drive home to the Nipigon area, Hovorka said the song quickly began taking shape.
“I grabbed my iPhone and recorded the song into the Voice Memos app while I drove so I wouldn’t lose it,” she recalls. “By the time I pulled into my driveway, Raise My Fist already existed in its simplest form.”
Rather than immediately taking the composition into the studio, Hovorka allowed it to remain unfinished for three years. As others encountered the song, the project expanded beyond its origins.
“What surprised me most was that it stopped feeling like my song,” she says.
“What began as one person’s song became a community project,” she explains. “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.”
More Than 30 Artists Contribute to Community-Focused Recording
The finished recording includes more than 30 Indigenous and ally participants, with traditional and contemporary musical elements incorporated into the production. The music video similarly features dancers, families and community members presenting their own cultures and identities.
“Raise My Fist” was co-produced by Hovorka and Jean-Paul De Roover at Blueprints Studio. De Roover also mixed the recording, while Jim Zolis handled mastering.
Hovorka Explains Meaning Behind the Raised Fist and Eagle
Hovorka said the central imagery is intended to communicate collective courage rather than anger.
“The image of the raised fist is often misunderstood,” she says. “For me, it isn’t a symbol of anger. 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 featured in the song’s imagery also draws on 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.”
Hovorka said she hopes the project encourages audiences to consider both the continuing challenges facing Indigenous Peoples and the resilience of Indigenous communities.
“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,” Hovorka says. “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.”
Two Decades of Music, Education and Indigenous Advocacy
Hovorka’s career spans more than two decades. Her first three albums — Black Thunderbird, Pseudo and Interwoven Roots — sold more than 15,000 copies worldwide and collectively received 25 award nominations. Interwoven Roots earned six Aboriginal Peoples Choice Music Awards in 2012.
Her 2014 album Bones won three Aboriginal Peoples Choice Music Awards, including Best Country Album and Single of the Year for “Be Your Girl.” Hovorka also received the 2014 APCMA Entertainer of the Year honour, an award she has earned three times during her career.
In 2022, she released And Then, an album written in response to the discovery of children’s remains at former residential school sites. The limited-edition project was sold by donation, with proceeds directed to the Residential School Survival Society.
Her more recent orchestral project, Granddaughter’s Song, co-written with composer Micah Pawluk and developed with the Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra and Indigenous Elders, received a 2026 Northern Ontario Music and Film Award nomination for Outstanding Album of the Year.
Beyond performing, Hovorka holds an Honours Bachelor of Music, Bachelor of Education and Master of Education and works as Manager of Indigenous Education for a Northern Ontario school board.
“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,” Hovorka reflects. “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.”