It’s no secret that Quebec is a unique Canadian province, partly because a portion of the population does not consider it a province at all. For decades, a widely contested debate in Quebec has been the question of its independence, and whether it should be its own country separate from Canada. The Separatist movement in Quebec has mostly been powered by francophones who want political separation in order to preserve Quebec’s cultural distinctiveness and the French language.
The movement first emerged with the Quiet Revolution in the 1960s, with the introduction of modernized provincial reforms in place of previous traditional policies, a change which ignited a strong sense of Québécois nationalism among the population. This sparked the rise of the Parti Québécois, a party committed to fighting for Quebec’s independence, which held two referendums in 1980 and 1995. Both rejected Quebec’s sovereignty, but the second one was extremely close, with 49.42% of voters in favour of separation.
In the following years, the popularity of the Separatist movement declined, especially since the younger generations felt disconnected from the political battles that previously inspired earlier nationalist ideas.
The Quebec Separatist movement has recently resurged and is quickly growing in popularity among Quebec youth. What once spread through political speeches and community activism is now appearing through culture, media, and youth spaces.
Across music, podcasts, and even platforms like TikTok, a new generation of Quebecers is rediscovering this decades-old political dream of sovereignty. Artists like kinji00 and JULIU$ are known for an emerging rap sub-genre called “le rap souverainiste” that is rooted in promoting that movement.
Kinji00 and his brother lb66 are young québécois rappers that first began making music as a lighthearted way of expressing their beliefs and singing about their daily lives. What started as something fun and unserious quickly turned into a cultural spark – launching countless trends with millions of views on TikTok using excerpts of their own songs and making this movement accessible to a wider audience that has influenced more Quebec teens to engage with the concept of sovereignty in a way that feels more modern. And it’s not just teens anymore. In fact, kinji00 made an appearance on the TV show “Tout Le Monde En Parle”, which is actually aimed at older, more traditional audiences. This isn’t just some online fun, it’s a legitimate cultural shift that is slowly making its way back into mainstream Quebec media.
For artist JULIU$, this isn’t just a trend to hop on, it’s part of his identity:
It has always been part of my identity as a Quebecer, it’s natural for me to talk about it in my music.
He grew up hearing his mother’s stories about the Quiet Revolution and discovering Pierre Falardeau’s interviews through his father, shaping the political lens he carries today. In terms of the movement’s recent growth, he believes that artists nowadays feel more comfortable expressing sovereigntist ideas openly, especially on platforms where authenticity matters more than political correctness. They’re not afraid to make waves. In fact, they want to make them. For this generation, talking about independence isn’t taboo anymore; instead, JULIU$ sees a shift toward pride, confidence, and cultural ownership.
Many young Quebecers see sovereignty as a way to reclaim cultural space in an increasingly globalized world, a way to hold on to a part of themselves that feels overlooked. This isn’t history repeating itself, it’s the same roots adapting to newer times. Instead of speeches in community halls, today’s movement spreads through 30-second TikToks and two-minute raps. Where older generations rallied around the PQ and the Bloc, young people now rally around TikTok edits, memes, music and community-created content. As the next generation of Quebecers enters the voting pool, will this youth-driven cultural revival stay online or will it build political pressure that Quebec hasn’t seen in decades?
