How AI-Generated Music Anthems Are Supporting Alberta Separatism
Lead image by PhonlamaiPhoto / iStock
By James Deaville and Jamie Meyers-Riczu
The future of the citizen petition the decision.
In late March, the announced had passed of required signatures to trigger a referendum for Alberta independence.
Alberta separatism has a long history that But according to one Alberta pollster, while the movement has been around a long time, “
We’re interested in how “Free Alberta” audiovisual media is being mobilized and how that may serve to persuade listeners. Thinking about this matters particularly as is , as noted by researchers affiliated with DisinfoWatch, a platform that monitors and debunks foreign disinformation.
Jamie Meyers-Riczu, the first author of this story, researches how Alberta’s oil industry, and the surrounding it, is represented in sound and music. She’s a born and bred Albertan. James Deaville, the second author, has researched anthems, music and media and is from Ontario.
Pro-independent Alberta music
to break free of federal political, economic and cultural control, Alberta separatism supporters have been dreaming about a new sovereign nation.
Such a mission would imply a , something that — compared to the noise of political polemics and rally speeches within the independence movement — may seem inconsequential.
Yet music is the ultimate . It influences people in ways that circumvent reason, often worming into our emotions. rallies the collective through a simple “singable” tune that reflect a nation’s history, values and culture.
It’s perhaps unsurprising to find anthemic music produced among Alberta separatist YouTube accounts to match their aspirations, such as the posted , leader of the that promotes provincial independence.
The first anthem in the playlist — “Alberta music: Do you agree?” — is crafted to promote the referendum question. The song asks: “Do you agree that the province of Alberta should cease to be part of Canada to become an independent state?” with voices responding: “Yeah!”
Another example is content creator John Bolton’s November 2025 where he explains how he used AI to generate an Alberta national anthem. The video features an upbeat tempo, driving guitar, swelling strings and a chorus of unison voices. The music is accompanied, Bolton says, with photographs he took.
Alberta separation and AI ‘slopaganda’
In addition to pro-independent Alberta anthems being generated and promoted by Alberta separatists, researchers at McGill University’s have published research that explains how a network of inauthentic YouTube videos is selling secession to Alberta.
The report found that a network of at least 20 AI YouTube accounts focused on Alberta audiences were “exploiting genuinely held grievances and repurposing them to advance narratives that normalize the prospect of secession and U.S. annexation.”
The 20 inauthentic channels analyzed have had nearly 40 million views. Videos use AI-generated deepfakes, often of Premier Danielle Smith and Prime Minister Mark Carney, and include “frequent and obvious lies.” Channels include “AI avatars and paid American voice actors.”
A CBC/Radio Canada investigation reports that .
When asked about these AI videos, particularly claims of foreign influence, the issue was “overblown.”
‘Sovereign Steel: An Anthem for Alberta’
One widely circulated AI-generated Alberta anthem is “.”
Press Progress reports the video, shown at a 2025 separatist promotional event, was generated (). The video’s YouTube video descriptor notes it was made in collaboration with Jim Ferguson and Freedom Train International. Ferguson is .
The channel , which the Centre for Media Technology and Democracy report notes is an authentic Alberta channel, also shared and promoted the video. It’s on groups.
In introducing “Sovereign Steel,” , said the anthem “speaks to what Alberta is, and it’s catchy as hell,” while also saying he doesn’t believe in “full-blown Alberta separatism.”
Imaging rugged white men
The music of “Sovereign Steel” incorporates a buffet of associations, tropes and symbols. The music takes as its basis the rock anthem, with its brash electric guitar, persistent bass and four-on-the-floor drums.
No doubt the verse-chorus structure and simple melodic line contributes to its catchiness. However, a good rock anthem also has a that rallies communities with shared experiences.
The video begins with the text: “Alberta has drawn the line. Legislation is moving forward to leave Canada. Across the world, patriots stand with them.”
The lyrics discuss Alberta resilience and freedom. We might read these lyrics as indicative of a long-standing cornerstone in the , yet in and of themselves their expressions of grievance mean little:
“We ride sovereign steel/Through fire through frost/We ain’t the last/We’re the line they lost.”
The lyrics speak more about what Albertans are allegedly fighting against (Prime Minister Carney is depicted as a king in a crown) than any potentially positive outcomes of separation. The imagery capitalizes on the symbolic associations to and .
More than 95 per cent of the AI-generated people in “Sovereign Steel” are white men (ranchers, farmers and oilfield workers), some of whom have lightning bolts shooting from their eyes.
These are featured against topographies: snow-capped mountains, golden wheat fields and fire-encrusted oil derricks. The remaining five per cent of people in the video include white women, including Danielle Smith, and one man in Indigenous regalia. The dominant imagery suggests a white nationalist vision.
Foreign involvement amplifying grievance
That non-Canadians are encouraging Alberta separatism should alarm Canadian listeners and viewers.
The DisinfoWatch report notes: “Canadians have the right to debate Confederation, federalism, regional grievances, and Alberta’s future freely and openly. The danger is … that foreign governments, state-aligned media, ideological networks, and profit-driven .”
In mid-April, lawyers from Elections Alberta served against the Alberta Prosperity Project over its lack of financial transparency.
Recent articles reveal that the Alberta separatist movement embraces a deeply . While attending the in late January, reported that during a live poll, attendees listed “immigration and deportation” as their top priority for separation.
This echoes about immigration that promote a xenophobic narrative.
Anthems aim for emotional response
AI-generated content, shared through social media, .
Anthems — musically, lyrically and visually — generate emotional responses, tying communities together.
Such is the power of music, for better or worse. All Albertans and Canadians need to pay close attention to the music being shared, what is known about its origins and its possible effects.
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James Deaville is a professor in music and is a post-doctoral fellow in music at ÐÓ°ÉÔ´´ University.
This article is  from The Conversation under a Creative Commons licence. All photos provided by  from various from various sources.
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