- By MARTIN SIELE
- Blind students from the Bethesda School for the Blind in Lagos, Nigeria went viral with their cover of Midnight Train by popular Kenyan band Sauti Sol on Saturday, July 12.The song is part of the 13-track album by the same name released by the afro-pop group in June.The students’ live rendition of Midnight Train saw them don black suits as they sang and performed a dance routine, with a talented band backing them up.The video quickly gained traction and left many impressed and overwhelmed, among them Sauti Sol.
- “We want to come to hang with you guys. Super inspired by this video,” Sauti Sol tweeted.The students had appealed for help sharing the video to make sure the four-man group saw it, and couldn’t hide their delight following the response.
- In a conversation with Kenyans.co.ke, a representative for the students revealed that they chose Midnight Train as they wanted to spread joy during the Covid-19 period.”We chose Midnight Train because it is an amazing song and we’re big fans of Sauti Sol.
- During this period, we wanted to share happiness and love to everyone through this song,” they noted.Sauti Sol, who signed with Universal Music Group (UMG) division UMG Africa, have managed to build up an audience across the continent with West Africa, and Nigeria in particular, no exception.
- Their previous album, Afrikan Sauce, included collaborations with several popular Nigerian artists, a move credited with helping the group gain a foothold in the Nigerian market.Among Nigerian artistes the group has worked with in the past are Burna Boy, Tiwa Savage, Yemi Alade and KCee.
- They have also performed in Nigeria on several occasions.Bethesda School for the Blind is part of the Bethesda Schools and Homes, an NGO which seeks to provide a haven for children and people living with disabilities.”Our NGO caters for visually impaired individuals in society. The home/school is free of charge. We train our students from primary to university until they are self-sufficient.”We have currently 126 at our school. We train our students in music, craft, and Braille,” they informed Kenyans.co.ke.Its program encompasses three main aspects; education, sports and skills acquisition.Qualified special teachers provide both formal and informal education, while sports activities including blind football, guide running and handball are used to enhance fitness and promote physical well-being.They are also provided with various musical instruments and taught to use them, among them a saxophone, keyboard, drums and more.
- Watch their cover below:
