Birmingham third graders going viral for “Old Town Road” remix
Reading time: 3 minutes
Lil Nas X and Billy Ray Cyrus have nothing on Ms. Merlette’s third grade class in Birmingham! Watch their rendition of the No. 1 hit “Old Town Road” sweeping the nation and getting some pretty awesome feedback from the original artists.
The Viral Kids of Old Town Road
Jasmine Merlette, a teacher at Sun Valley Elementary School in Birmingham, posted a video on Instagram of her students singing Lil Nas X’s remixed version of “Old Town Road,” featuring Billy Ray Cyrus.
Y’all. These lyrics. I can’t. So cute.
“I’m gonna ace my test. I’m gonna raise my score I’m gonna solve ’til I can’t no more. I got the answers in the back, scratch work is attached, pencils in my bag, and I’m solvin’ mighty fast.
School is my task, I can do this math— really quick and fast— education is that swag. Can’t nobody stop me from learning, can’t stop me from learnin’. The wheels in my head keep churnin’, they keep on churnin’.
“Old Town Road” lyrics by Ms. Merlette’s third grade class
You can watch their version of “Old Town Road” here:
Since then, both original artists have retweeted the video, giving the kids praise for the remix.
Lil Nas X loved it:
So did Billy Ray Cyrus, who was also featured on the original remix version of the track:
Behind the scenes of the “Old Town Road” classroom remix
Ms. Merlette, a first year teacher and graduate of Xavier University, said that making the video was an encouraging process for the class as they prepared for end of year state exams, which according to her #WeKILTOurStateTest hashtag on her original post, they nailed!
“The goal of our song was to encourage my kids to remain confident and motivated while taking the state exams. Music is a fun and easy way to remind them that they possess the tools for success!” said Ms. Merlette to CNN.
The kids were SO excited to find out the artists saw the video:
“A few of them cried because they were overwhelmed with excitement,” she said to Huffington Post on Sunday. “One of my students said, ‘Ms. Merlette, (Lil Nas X) saw our classroom! He saw our classroom!’ and to me, that validation is the most important part of this whole experience. The world got a glimpse of what our classroom is like, seeing how much happiness can be filled in schools.”
It’s official. These kids are a viral sensation!
National publications Billboard, PopSugar and Mashable all featured the story online. What an encouraging message out of Birmingham to spread across the country. Great job, Ms. Merlette and kids!
Watch the original “Old Town Road” here:
Sun Valley Elementary School is located at 1010 18th Avenue Northwest in Birmingham.
