MONTREAL - A Canadian singer who can't even vote in the U.S. election has taken a star turn in a musical tribute to Barack Obama that is a runaway Internet video hit.
Esthero, an Ontario born-and-raised singer who lives in Los Angeles, strikes a haunting note in the refrain of "Yes, We Can'' alongside a host of celebrities including jazz great Herbie Hancock, retired basketball player Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and actress Scarlett Johansson.
"Oh my God, I was so nervous,'' Esthero, who was born Jen-Bea Englishman, said in an interview.
"I asked to go last. I wanted to wait until the end. The fewer people staring at me, the better. It was this positive nervous energy, because I knew I was part of something really important. It happened so fast, you've got lights on you, and `Go.'''
The song, produced by Black Eyed Peas frontman will.i.am, sets an Obama speech to the music of a gentle acoustic guitar and the voices of more than a dozen singers and celebrities.
The video has turned into a viral Internet phenomenon, collecting millions of hits on several sites since it was posted about 10 days ago.
Esthero, who was raised in a long list of small Ontario towns starting with her birthplace of Stratford, appears about a minute from the start to sing the refrain. She reappears later, flashing the Jolly Roger pirate tattoo on her right bicep and a brass-knuckle-style ring with "LOVE'' written on it.
The 29-year-old former Juno nominee describes bicycling on Super Tuesday past the corner of Laurel Canyon and Ventura boulevards in Los Angeles, where political activists have held rallies since the primary season began.
"There were all these Obama supporters there, and they were singing it over karaoke,'' she said. "I could hear my part, and I started screaming and rang my little bell, `That's me! That's me!.'
"I had to call my mom. I got all teary. I felt like I was a small part of this thing, a small part of history.''
With music that has ranged across many pop genres, Esthero was once described by a music critic as "Bjork-meets-Billie-Holiday.'' She released her first album to critical acclaim in 1998 but did not release a second until 2005 and has never struck a commercially successful niche.
Esthero, who still calls Toronto her real home despite moving to Los Angeles two years ago, makes a living touring on her own and singing with stars like the Black Eyed Peas and Nelly Furtado.
"My new motto is that if I'm going to live hand-to-mouth, I might as well do it in the sun,'' she said of her move to California, where she'd spent about half her time over the previous 10 years.
On his blog, will.i.am describes how he was inspired by Obama's speech after the Democratic hopeful finished second to Hillary Clinton in the New Hampshire primary.
He called several friends "and they called their friends (and) in a matter of two days we made the song and video.
"It was a matter of pure inspiration,'' he wrote.
Esthero, who has worked with will.i.am many times, got a call from a club owner and event promoter named Pantera Sarah to join in the singalong.
"They know I'm Canadian,'' said Esthero, who describes herself as a true Canadian socialist, a liberal and a humanist.
"I don't know if I was the token Canadian, but I don't care.''
Other singers on the video include John Legend, Tatyana Ali and rapper Nick Cannon.
The Los Angeles-based will.i.am described how the process of making such a video would usually take months and involve hammering out strategies and release dates.
The producer says he was not contacted by the Obama campaign, which has picked up the video and song for campaign stops. He says he is actually torn between the candidates.
But Obama is a fan of the video and recommended it to reporters on his campaign plane after he saw it a week ago. His wife, Michelle Obama, has also spread the word to supporters.
Esthero confessed to falling in love with "the shallow side'' of the Obama phenomenon, as he battles Clinton for the Democratic nomination.
"He looks like a president, he sounds like a president, he's a wonderful orator, he makes me feel safe, he feels authentic,'' she said.
"There's just something really romantic about him politically. I'll add, in jest, that it wouldn't hurt if the president was fine!''
But she says she would also be happy with Clinton as the next Democratic presidential nominee.
"What I'm supporting is change in this country, a change that is desperately needed, that either Hillary or Obama could bring about,'' she said.
"The two of them together would be fabulous.''
