McCartney Times

When Emma Stevens covered the Beatles’ “Blackbird” it was already a special moment — but after the man who wrote the song took notice of her version, it seems some of those lyrics became reality, with her ‘only waiting for this moment to arise.’

Beatles’ frontman Paul McCartney appeared to speak in front of an audience at a concert saying, “There’s an incredible version (done by) a Canadian girl… see it on YouTube, it’s in her Native language… it’s really cool, check it out.”

Stevens, from the Eskasoni First Nation in Nova Scotia sings the Beatles’ classic in Mi’kmaq, one of the most common Eastern Algonquian languages spoken by Indigenous people in the area.

McCartney has said “Blackbird” was written because of the civil rights movement and met two of the women who helped inspire the song.

“We would see what was going on and sympathize with people going through those troubles and it made me want to write a song that, if it ever got back to the people going through those troubles, it might just help them a little bit,” he said to an audience at a concert in 2016.

Steven’s gentle cover was made with her high school at the end of April as a part of a United Nations campaign to raise awareness towards the endangerment of Indigenous languages globally.

On May 27, Stevens also took to the stage in front of the UN-Habitat Assembly in Nairobi, Kenya to raise awareness about one of Canada’s largest issues — the inquiry into the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, which has been labelled a genocide.

“It saddens me to say that 4,000 Indigenous women in my country have gone missing or were murdered since the 1970’s and most of the crimes have gone unsolved,” she told the audience, dawning a traditional, red Mi’kmaq dress with fiery ribbons that symbolize her cultural pride and the inquiry into the Indigenous genocide.

“Even in a modern democratic country like Canada, Indigenous people are still fighting for equality, justice and reconciliation.”

She honoured the women and girls by singing the Mi’kmaq Honour Song.

Source: Paul McCartney praises Mi’kmaq cover of the Beatles’ Blackbird | Montreal Gazette