LISTEN: Blackbird by The Beatles sung in Mi’kmaq by student

Monday, April 29th, 2019 3:22pm
Emma Stevens of Allison Bernard Memorial High School
To bring awareness to endangered Indigenous languages around the world, students at Allison Bernard Memorial High School in Eskasoni, Cape Breton recorded Paul McCartney's Blackbird in their native Mi'kmaq language.

Update: July 8, 2019

Emma Stevens, the teen singer from Cape Breton who covered the Beatles song “Blackbird”, doing her version in the Mi’kmaq language, has met the former Beatle Paul McCartney. McCartney first recorded Blackbird in 1968 for the Beatles' White Album.

The meeting took place before his concert in Vancouver on Saturday. The music legend told the audience he was a little nervous about singing Blackbird to the crowd after meeting Stevens because her rendition was “so beautiful”.

Original Post:

Allison Bernard Memorial High School published on its YouTube channel on April 25 student Emma Stevens singing Blackbird by The Beatles, but sung in Mi'kmaq.

The school wrote:

The International Year of Indigenous Languages is a United Nations observance in 2019 that aims to raise awareness of the consequences of the endangerment of Indigenous languages across the world, with an aim to establish a link between language, development, peace, and reconciliation.

To bring awareness to this important cause, students at Allison Bernard Memorial High School in Eskasoni, Cape Breton recorded Paul McCartney's Blackbird in their native Mi'kmaq language.

Songwriter: Paul McCartney Translation: Katani Julian and Albert "Golydada" Julian Music Production: Carter Chiasson Audio Production: Jamie Foulds (Soundpark Studios) Video Production: Matthew Ingraham and Multimedia 12 students from ABMHS Producer/Project Manager: Carter Chiasson