Bow Down To This Sign Language Interpreter And Her Amazing Performance Of ‘WAP’
She truly went above and beyond.
It seems like we as a culture cannot get over ‘WAP’, the culture-defining song from Megan Thee Stallion and Cardi B.
It’s been almost a precisely a year since the track was released on an unsuspecting world, and since then, it’s spawned thinkpieces, an extraordinary music video, mash-ups, and more hand-wringing from conservatives than could hitherto be imagined.
The newest onslaught of ‘WAP’ content? An unbelievable performance by a sign language interpreter during a live performance of the song at Lollapalooza festival.
The performance, which transforms the wild and frenetic energy of the song into sign language, has since gone viral over on TikTok and Twitter, and for good reason. Watch it and feel yourself transcend:
A sign language interpreter sings “WAP” during Megan Thee Stallion’s Lollapalooza set. 😭 pic.twitter.com/vfzZz4YgFi
— Fan Account | #BLM 💎 (@BardiUpdatess) August 3, 2021
The interpreter’s name is Kelly Kurdi, and since going viral, she’s used the attention to cast light on the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community. Identifying as “just an interpreter passionate about providing access to a community I love and have learned everything from,” Kurdi has used her Instagram page to “amplify the work of Deaf creators and to provide access to social media content for the Deaf community.”
Moreover, Kurdi has noted that seeing interpreters at shows shouldn’t be shocking or unusual, and has argued that the practice should quickly become normalised. “Seeing an interpreter at a concert shouldn’t be shocking. Seeing a deaf interpreter on tour with every artist should be the norm,” she has written.
As those on Twitter have noted, the interpretation is actually the work of “advocate for Domestic/Sexual Violence Survivors Woman office worker” and “Deaf Dancer” @Freelove19xx — Kurdi is following Freelove19xx’s lead.
So yeah, a lot to love here — not just an amazing song given new and incredible life, but a community rallying together and experiencing a long overdue burst of mainstream attention. As Kurdi says, let’s see a lot more of this going down in the future.