Paul McCartney has put his stamp of approval on a cover of the Beatles’ classic “Blackbird” by Nova Scotia teen Emma Stevens.
During a concert Saturday night in Lexington, Kentucky, McCartney told fans inside Rupp Arena about the Mi’kmaq interpretation of the song that went viral after it was posted online in April.
“There’s an incredible version [by] a Canadian girl,” the 76-year-old singer said, adding that it’s available on YouTube. “It’s in the native language. She’s done it in the language of her Native American tribe. It’s really cool. Check it out.”
Written by McCartney and John Lennon in 1968, “Blackbird” was translated into the Mi’kmaq language by Katani Julian and Albert “Golydada"Julian and recorded by Stevens and students at Allison Bernard Memorial High School under the direction of music teacher Carter Chiasson.
According to the 2016 Census, Mi’kmaq is the mother tongue of about 7,140 people in Canada.