Shy-Anne Hovorka Unites More Than 30 Indigenous and Ally Artists on “Raise My Fist”

Award-winning Ojibwe singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, educator, and humanitarian Shy-Anne Hovorka has released her new single and video, “Raise My Fist.” This is a collaborative project that features more than 30 Indigenous and ally artists from First Nations, Métis communities, and organizations throughout Canada.

Inspired by former Long Lake #58 First Nation Chief Judy Desmoulin, the song focuses on Indigenous strength, unity, and reconciliation. Hovorka, a member of Lake Helen First Nation, also known as the Red Rock Indian Band, has roots in Matachewan First Nation.

The idea began three years ago after Hovorka attended a cultural sensitivity gathering at Long Lake #58 First Nation. There, Desmoulin spoke about her childhood under the Indian Agent system and recalled how, as a young girl, she found the courage to confront the 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 conceived much of the chorus and melody. She recorded the idea with the Voice Memos app on her phone before she reached home.

“By the time I pulled into my driveway, ‘Raise My Fist’ already existed in its simplest form,” she says.

However, Hovorka did not record the song immediately. She kept it for three years because she believed it could develop beyond a solo release. As more people heard the material, they asked to participate. Hovorka then opened the project to Indigenous singers, youth, dancers, hand drummers, traditional drummers, Métis artists, First Nations community members, settler allies, families, and friends.

“What began as one person’s song became a community project,” she says.

According to Hovorka, the title reflects solidarity rather than anger. “For me, it isn’t a symbol of anger,” she says of the raised fist. “It represents the courage to stand together, to speak the truth, and to refuse to let history or injustice define who we are.”

The song also uses the eagle as a central image. Hovorka connects that symbol to Anishinaabe teachings, in which the eagle carries prayers to the Creator and represents values that include wisdom, love, respect, bravery, honesty, humility, and truth.

Musically, “Raise My Fist” combines traditional drums with contemporary instrumentation and adds children’s voices alongside experienced vocalists. The video features dancers, families, and community members who represent their cultures and identities. Professional videographers and community contributors supplied footage for the project.

Jean-Paul De Roover and Hovorka co-produced the song at Blueprints Studio. De Roover mixed the track, while Jim Zolis handled mastering.

Hovorka says she hopes the song encourages listeners to consider the barriers and inequities Indigenous Peoples still face while also recognizing the strength and resilience of Indigenous communities. She also emphasizes the importance of learning the history of Turtle Island (North America) and treating reconciliation as a present-day responsibility.

“Reconciliation isn’t only about acknowledging the past,” she says. “It’s about the choices we make together today.”

“Raise My Fist” follows a career that has combined music, education, and community work for more than two decades. Hovorka’s first three albums, Black Thunderbird, Pseudo and Interwoven Roots, sold more than 15,000 copies worldwide and received Canadian commercial radio airplay. Her song “Can’t Change the World” secured a licensing placement in the television series Blackstone and appeared during the opening ceremonies of the 2010 World Interfaith G8 Summit. She also served as a headline performer at the 2010 Indigenous Festival with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra.

Those first three records received 25 award nominations in total. In addition, Interwoven Roots earned six Aboriginal Peoples’ Choice Music Awards in 2012.

Her 2014 album Bones received three Aboriginal Peoples Choice Music Awards, including Best Country Album, Single of the Year for “Be Your Girl,” and Best Album Design. Hovorka also received the 2014 APCMA Entertainer of the Year honor, one of three such wins in her career.

In 2022, she rolled out her fifth album, And Then, in response to reports about children’s remains at former residential school sites. The limited-edition release was available by donation, with proceeds directed to the Residential School Survival Society. CBC later presented five songs from the album, and Hovorka sent “I Miss You” to radio in 2023.

More recently, Hovorka collaborated with composer Micah Pawluk and the Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra on Granddaughter’s Song, an orchestral project related to the Seven Grandfather Teachings and developed with Indigenous Elders. The project received a 2026 Northern Ontario Music and Film Award nomination for Outstanding Album of the Year and secured a licensing agreement with ON-Core Music for use in film, television, and educational programming.

Hovorka has also appeared as a featured soloist with the Thunder Bay Symphony and has performed under conductors Paul Haas, Simon Rivard, Maria Fuller, David Bowser, Arthur Post, and Dan Bartholomew-Poyser. Her festival appearances have included bills with Don Amero and Digging Roots.

Outside of music, Hovorka holds an Honors Bachelor of Music, a Bachelor of Education, and a Master of Education. She also works as Manager of Indigenous Education for a Northern Ontario school board, where her work includes music, Ojibwe language instruction, education about reconciliation and land-based learning.

“Every person who stepped into this project brought a piece of themselves, their family, their community, and their Nation with them,” Hovorka says. “‘Raise My Fist’ became a community carrying one message with many voices.”