Even prior to the Los Angeles Dodgers seizing an early lead over the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday, Canadian baseball enthusiasts found themselves expressing dissatisfaction — particularly regarding the rendition of the national anthem that commenced Game 3 of the World Series.
A Facebook user in a public Blue Jays fan group queried, “Who is this individual singing O Canada? They mentioned he was Grammy-nominated.” Following Canadian singer JP Saxe’s solo performance of O Canada a capella before the vast crowd at Dodger Stadium, his rendition sparked a wave of negative feedback on social media.
Critics on various platforms voiced their disappointment, with one individual remarking, “JP Saxe was… not it.” Another commentator wrote, “Who is JP Saxe and surely Canada can offer better than that. That was simply dreadful.” Primarily, the critiques centered on the quality of his vocal delivery, while some Blue Jays supporters took offense at Saxe’s alteration of the anthem’s lyrics. Instead of singing “our home and native land,” he opted for “our home on native land.”
It is worth noting that the 32-year-old singer is not the first artist to make this adjustment. Canadian R&B artist Jully Black also made a similar change when she performed the national anthem before the NBA All-Star game in Salt Lake City in 2023. Her intention was to draw attention to the impact of colonialism in Canada and the historical mistreatment of Indigenous communities across the nation.
Despite facing online criticism, Black’s rendition received significant support. She emphasized the importance of acknowledging the historical injustices faced by Indigenous peoples and fostering conversations for positive change.
While negative comments regarding Saxe proliferated online, some individuals came to the defense of the singer-songwriter. “Come on people … he is someone’s son and was proud to sing our anthem … why are we so judgmental?” remarked a Facebook user in support of Saxe.
CBC News attempted to contact Saxe for a statement but did not receive a response at the time of publication. Earlier this year, Saxe made headlines when he publicly shared his struggles to sell tickets for his tour. Despite the attention garnered by his plea, he ultimately had to cancel the tour.
Subsequently, fellow 2025 World Series performers, the Jonas Brothers, invited Saxe to join them on stage to perform his hit song If the World Was Ending during their Greetings From Your Hometown Tour stop at the Rogers Centre in August.
Coincidentally, the Jonas Brothers’ performance during Game 2, where they sang I Can’t Lose in support of the charity Stand Up To Cancer, was met with criticism from fans who felt it disrupted the game’s flow during a crucial moment.
Deborah Cox is set to perform the Canadian national anthem during Game 4 of the World Series, while Rufus Wainwright, a Canadian-American Juno winner and Grammy nominee, will take the stage to sing O Canada at Game 5. Cox, known for hits like Beautiful U R, has received Grammy nominations and has been honored with induction into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame.