Country star Brett Kissel defends his Canadian pride
Singer rejects separatism claims after singing national anthem in English at soccer match drew online criticism.
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Brett Kissel stood in driving rain at Commonwealth Stadium on Monday to sing "O Canada" before Canada's men's soccer team took on Uzbekistan in front of more than 46,000 people. The performance sparked backlash in the press box and online: why was the anthem sung entirely in English? Why would an artist associated with the Alberta separatist movement be asked to sing it at all?
Kissel, a CCMA Award-winning country music star, decided the assumptions had gone far enough.
"I am fed up with the bulls–t online that is coming after me, my character, and my national pride," he posted to social media, adding: "F— off. I'm a Canadian and Albertan. I can be both."
He roots his claim in family history: a cattle ranch in Flat Lake, Alberta that has been in his family for 116 years and is now in his hands. His kids will be the sixth generation on that land, and his great-grandparents are buried there.
Kissel expressed frustration that his political leanings — he identifies as conservative and has appeared at Conservative Party events — automatically landed him in the separatist category. He noted that most of his artist friends are liberal and remain on good terms with him despite their differences.
He drew a line between his personal beliefs and his music. "I'm just a country singer," he said. "I don't want my music associated with politics."
That stance carries some tension with his past work. His song "Line in the Sand" — which he said listeners could interpret freely — was widely read as a pro-convoy anthem, featuring lyrics about standing up for freedom and refusing to "toe the line." The distinction between being a conservative artist and being a political symbol proved harder to maintain in practice than in principle.