There are certain moments that change the course of history and become part of larger cultural movements.
For just one example, consider Sam Cooke’s classic song “A Change is Gonna Come,” the title of which is now on the wall of the Contemplative Court, a space for reflection in the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture.
Even so, here’s a video of a talented teen pouring his heart out while reimagining Sam Cooke’s classic song.
Born in Mississippi, 17-year-old Xavian Lewis is a talented young man who stunned the world with this viral performance.
If we didn’t know it was a young man singing this song, we would have thought it was someone much older who was singing. It is known that certain tough experiences shape the way we express ourselves, and Lewis has an expression of a mature soul. His unique, powerful voice makes us think of everything that shaped history before us.
Xavian was recorded singing Sam Cooke’s “A Change Is Gonna Come” in his 11th-grade classroom at Natchez Early College.
His classmates are completely mesmerized by his soulful voice, and you can see them surrounding the young man. His eyes are shut and he sings from the bottom of his soul while his friends listen to him in awe.
We could hear a female voice in the background, and right before she started filming Lewis, she encouraged him with the words “Go, baby.”
We concluded that all of his classmates are already familiar with Xavian’s talent and are very proud of him.
The song of hope was selected for preservation in the Library of Congress with the National Recording Registry.
That is because Cooke’s 1964 track is deemed as “culturally, historically, and aesthetically important.”
More specifically, Cooke’s song became tied to the demands of the Civil Rights Movement to put an end to racial discrimination and segregation. Cooke’s song spoke so strongly in his era, but it still speaks just as strongly today!
Xavier filmed his performance of this song Black History Month as a tribute to Cooke and the song’s legacy.
When asked about this song, Lewis said that he “tries to teleport to the era when the song was created” and that “the change firstly needs to come on a personal level.”
Sam Cooke took an active part in the fight for people’s rights and did everything to bring art closer to that battle.
When art becomes part of any conflict, people tend to feel things differently—just as we felt incredible after hearing Lewis sing. Since the song was posted online, it has earned more than three million views.
While the video has clearly become popular online, it’s also clear that Xavier has many more of these kinds of performances in his future!
Aside from seeing raw talent, it’s also beautiful to see someone young give such a powerful tribute to important issues and to the history it comes from.
Good luck young man—we’re looking forward to seeing more and more musical performances in the future!
As this video shows, it’s not easy to cover a classic song that has so much history behind it. Even so, when someone is talented enough to take one of these songs, honor it and make it their own, it creates moments you can replay again and again.
Watch the performance in the link below:
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