What happens when you put two queer icons of the Canadian music scene together in one room? You get “Birdsong Pt. II,” an absolute work of art for the ears and hearts of listeners big and small, young and old, and most importantly, the young queer folk who need role models now more than ever.
For those of you who, tragically, aren’t in the know, T. Thomason is a young pop-rock star in the Canadian music industry, hailing from Antigonish, Nova Scotia. Ivan Coyote, meanwhile, is an award-winning poet, performer, and writer from Whitehorse, Yukon. Both artists have contributed greatly to queer and trans representation in the arts and music industry, and “Birdsong Pt. II” may be one of the greatest queer-themed tracks to date.
The instrumental takes after Thomason’s “Birdsong,” originally about the beauty that comes with letting people become who they want to be; an incredibly important message for young trans folk especially. Though Coyote does most of the lyrical work here, the use of Thomason’s instrumental cannot be overstated. The striking percussion, resonate vocoder, and deep bass make for images of a phoenix rising from discriminatory ashes; speaking from experience, nowhere is there a better metaphor for the adversity-ridden lives of trans people.
And that’s all before Coyote comes in with their heart-stopping spoken word poem about the emotional nuance that comes with being misgendered. Recounting an experience in Singapore when Coyote was asked by a youth how they cope with constantly facing incorrect pronouns, Coyote takes us through three passionate and insightful images of the subject matter. Starting the categorization of those who wield others’ identities so poorly (from “a stranger” to “intentional foes” to the “oblivious cis” and even “a friend”), Coyote quickly laments seeing young queer folk in so much pain from misgendering, and how they wish a right answer existed for such a question before launching into some empowering insight about building callouses around one’s heart and standing up in an armour of self-love, deflecting any and all demeaning language that’s shot towards them. Coyote’s signature mastery of the English language cannot be given enough praise, which comes as no surprise to those who are familiar with their previous work.
Following a callback to Thomason’s original track with lyrics such as “Let me change,” and “new body, new name,” Coyote ends the tune with a stanza about how they utilized their armour against a hostile transphobe, capturing their sheer grit and mettle better than any listener ever could.
Of all the words that get applied to art these days, one that seems to get a lot of oversight is “important.” Thomason’s and Coyote’s “Birdsong Pt. II” is a primary bearer of said descriptor. This is a collaboration that could save lives, and I’ve certainly become a stronger person after listening to it.