MONTREAL — A Nova Scotia teen who has drawn global attention for her Mi’kmaq rendition of The Beatles’ classic song “Blackbird” can now add Paul McCartney to her growing list of fans.

In concert footage published on Twitter by the United Nations’ human settlements and youth branch, the former Beatle praises Emma Stevens’ recording as “incredible” and “really cool” and encourages his fans to look it up on YouTube.

McCartney is the writer and original performer of “Blackbird,” which first appeared on The Beatles’ self-titled 1968 album, known as the White Album.

Stevens and her classmates at Allison Bernard Memorial High School in Eskasoni, Cape Breton, recorded the song to highlight the United Nations’ International Year of Indigenous Languages, which seeks to raise awareness of threats to Indigenous languages across the world.

The video has been viewed more than 400,000 times since it was uploaded to YouTube on April 25.

Stevens also spoke and performed last week at a UN-Habitat Assembly in Nairobi, Kenya, where she highlighted the challenges facing Indigenous girls and women in Canada.

The Canadian Press