It’s not often a cover outshines the original artist’s version of a song, but in the case of an eight-year-old girl who signed a Carrie Underwood song, even the country star would agree that this young girl is giving her a run for her money.
Savannah Dahan is an eight-year-old from Frederick, Maryland, and she’s deaf. In an amazing video shared on YouTube, watch as Savannah signs the lyrics to Underwood’s hit song “The Champion” while the music plays in the background.
Savannah’s dad, Richard Dahan, who is also deaf along with along with Savannah’s mom and her siblings, explained in an interview with TODAY that listening to music is a very different experience for Savannah who was born with moderate to severe hearing loss. “She first memorizes the lyrics and then learns to match the beats with those lyrics,” Dahan explained. “That is how she is able to follow the song.”
Savannah and her family have been blown away by the response to the video she created. “We were very surprised to see that both hearing and deaf people have responded positively,” her dad said. “Her performance has touched many people and many people have reached out to express how that song helped them.”
Richard added, “We hope the video will show the importance of early exposure to ASL and for the world to see kids with proper communication access at school and home can express themselves just as rich and beautiful as kids that can hear.”
—Shahrzad Warkentin
Featured photo: Carrie Underwood via Instagram
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