"Makeba" is a song by French singer-songwriter
Jain, released on 6 November 2015, from her debut studio album, Zanaka. It was written by Jain and produced by her longtime collaborator
Maxim Nucci. The
refrain of the song used a
sample from the 1978 song "Me and the Gang" by the American percussionist, songwriter, arranger, and record producer
Hamilton Bohannon.[3] "Makeba" peaked at number seven on the
French Singles Chart. It references
Miriam Makeba, also known as "Mama Africa", a South African singer and anti-
Apartheid civil rights activist.
In June 2023, "Makeba" received a resurgence in popularity due to the virality it achieved on
TikTok.[4] The song has been used in ads for
Marshalls and
Levi's.[5]
Music video
The 3:43 music video for "Makeba" was released on 30 November 2016 on Jain's official YouTube channel. It opens with the last frame of her song "
Come", also from Zanaka, as she crumples the frame from the camera as if it was a sheet of paper and walks to the right of the screen. As Jain turns knobs on the sound deck, street poles rise up or fall down, and buildings rise and lower. The video shows various parts of
Johannesburg: Miriam Makeba Street,
Ponte Tower, Berea Park,
Marble Towers, and
Orlando Power Station.[citation needed]
Shot in South Africa, the video was nominated for a
Grammy Award.[6]
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ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Change the chart to CZ – RADIO – TOP 100 and insert 202335 into search. Retrieved 4 September 2023.
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ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Digital Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Change the chart to CZ – SINGLES DIGITAL – TOP 100 and insert 202325 into search. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
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ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 202331 into search. Retrieved 7 August 2023.
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ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Singles Digital Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select SINGLES DIGITAL - TOP 100 and insert 202326 into search. Retrieved 4 July 2023.