‘Makeba’ the Powerful Story Behind the Viral Song

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TikTok is distinguished for its ability to make video content go viral, but it has also played a role in popularizing songs, as seen in the case of “Makeba”. 

Thanks to its catchy rhythm, the song gained a lot of popularity this year on TikTok, where both its original version and remixes have been used in millions of videos. And as a popular reference on the platform, a dance trend with the song began –even tutorial on how to dance it. 

@cheerleadersmaxi Makeba🌅 #dance #makeba #fyp #trending #fypシ #cheerleaders #viral #taniec #cheerleading #dc #dlaciebie #tiktok #foryou #foryoupage ♬ Makeba – Jain

@juulik_k ✨TREND TUTORIAL – „Makeba”✨ Pełno tego trendu w moim dc, więc wrzucam Wam tutorial 💃🏼 dc:? #foryoupage #fyp #trend #dancetutorial #dancechallenge ♬ оригинальный звук – Риви a4

On Spotify, it has been played over 150 million times (including all its versions), and on YouTube, it has more than 180 million views. However, the song was released in November 2015 as part of the singer’s first album titled «Zanaka» (a Malagasy word to refer a child who has not yet reached adolescence), and it was also used in a Levi’s commercial in 2018. In the commercial, the catchy rhythm and dance are prominent as main elements, as well as inclusion. The commercial ends with the phrase: 

    Men, women, young, old, rich, poor, gay, straight. Let’s live how we dance.» 

Part of song lyrics 

Ooohe, ooh x2 

Ooohe, Makeba, Makeba ma qué bella
Can I get a «oohe?» Makeba
Makes my body dance for you
Ooohe, Makeba, Makeba ma qué bella
Can I get a «oohe?» Makeba 

Makes my body dance for you

I want to hear your breath just next to my soul
I want to feel oppress without any rest
I want to see you sing
I want to see you fight
Because you are the real beauty of human right 

Ooohe, Makeba, Makeba ma qué bella
Can I get a «oohe?» Makeba
Makes my body dance for you
Ooohe, Makeba, Makeba ma qué bella
Can I get a «oohe?» Makeba
Makes my body dance for you 

Nobody can beat the Mama Africa
You follow the beat that she’s going to give ya
Only her smile can all make it go
The sufferation of a thousand more 

Ooohe, Makeba, Makeba ma qué bella
Can I get a «oohe?» Makeba
Makes my body dance for you…

Jain 

Jeanne Louise Galice, better known as Jain, was born on February 7, 1992, in Toulouse, France. Because of her father’s job, she visited a lot of different countries such as India, Jordan, South Africa, Namibia, Senegal, Australia, Madagascar, Oman, The States, and a lot of countries in Europe.

        I wanted to make music to connect all these influences and make multicultural music with these experiences.” 

@in_my_wurlitzer Makeba 🎶 Jain 🎶 from the official music video 2015 #makeba #jain #2000s #inmywurlitzer #2015 ♬ Originalton – Glubbs

As mentioned in an interview with The Fader, when she was 9 years old and living in Dubai, she learned to play the darbuka, an Arabic percussion instrument. She began writing her first songs as a teenager while living in the Congo. 

    It’s in the Congo that I discovered how to make songs, so it’s a really important place for me; it’s where I was musically born and where I found myself. Also it’s in my family—my mother is half Malagasy, so when i was little I listened to a lot of african music, like Miriam Makeba, Oumou Sangare, Salif Keita, Youssou N’Dour.” 

Afterwards, when she lived in Abu Dhabi, she decided to learn Arabic. When she came back to France, she took drum lessons for two years. Each of these countries had a big impact and influence on her musical taste and style. She began her music career in 2013 and released some of her songs on MySpace. 

Miriam Makeba: singer and symbol of the fight against apartheid 

Zenzi Miriam Makeba was born on March 4, 1932, in Prospect, a segregated neighborhood in Johannesburg (South Africa).  She began singing in a school choir at an early age and became a professional vocalist in 1954. In the late 1950s, her singing and recording became popular in South Africa, and her appearance in the documentary film «Come Back, Africa«, a 1959 protest film against apartheid, caught the attention of Harry Belafonte and other American artists. 

Harry Belafonte quickly became his collaborator, and together they started recording several famous songs, including the well-known «Pata Pata«.

In 1959, she moved to the United States and started a booming career in singing and recording and became known for her songs that spoke out against apartheid. However, in 1960, when she realized that her mother and some relatives had passed away during a tragic event called the Sharpeville Massacre, she was denied entry back into South Africa, forcing her to live in exile for the next three decades. 

In 1965, she became first black woman to receive a Grammy Award. She got 8 more nominations throughout her life.

During the 90s and 2000s, her musical career faltered, but she remained dedicated to her charitable foundations and continued to be involved in activism and philanthropy. She received numerous awards from various peaceful organizations, as well as from the health sector and more. 

In 1990, Nelson Mandela, recently released from a long imprisonment, urged Makeba to come back to her homeland. In 1991, she performed there for the first time since her exile. Despite battling health issues, she persisted in performing in the following years. Sadly, she passed away due to a heart attack shortly after a concert in Italy in 2008. 

    I really admire her, because she was a strong woman, and she was an incredible performer… When I watch videos of her shows, she had this thing—this aura—around her, full of determination and joy. And she had this groove —Jain, for The Fader. 

Knowing the full —and beautiful— story behind the song, hopefully you enjoy it even more.