Jerusalema,' the Limpopo House Track That Got the World Dancing
30/10/2020
Jerusalema appeared on Spotify in November 2019. The Limpopo house track featured up-and-coming South African vocalist Nomcebo Zikode and deep, soulful lyrics about the feeling of truly belonging to a different place-a higher, holier place. Over time, the song itself rose to that higher place, increasing over 48,000% in Spotify streams between November 2019, and October 2020, thanks to listeners from all over the world.
But the song's global success was not immediate. For some time it was a hit that belonged to South Africa, debuting just in time for the heat and joy of the southern hemisphere's summer and Christmas holidays. Then, in late February 2020, a group of Angolan teenagers recorded themselves listening to the song and, one by one, getting into step in a traditional line dance-while holding plates of food. The video took off, and suddenly people all around southern Africa were recording their own versions of the #JerusalemaChallenge-complete with line dances and dinner plates.
At that time, the video wasn't the only thing going viral: Plenty of countries had already started imposing lockdowns due to the pandemic. But the song continued to be right for the moment.
'Jerusalema is not just any song, Master KG explained to For the Record. It's a comforting song with a message that we can all relate to. The song came at the time where the world was facing a global pandemic, so it helped restore faith. It's a song that people will remember for many years to come, a song that will be remembered for uniting the world.
In June, several months into lockdown, the song and challenge were still holding strong, and Nigerian singer-songwriter Burna Boy (one of the most influential artists to come out of Africa), partnered with Master KG to create a remix. The remix signaled a fresh South African and Nigerian collaboration that, according to Burna Boy, was meant to be symbolic of unity on the continent.
When Jerusalema (feat. Burna Boy & Nomcebo Zikode) Remix came out, it appeared on Spotify's South Africa Top 50 chart on both June 19 (No. 5) and June 20 (No. 32). Though the song had never really faded away in South Africa (there were jokes that it was the Baby Shark' for adults, and the president of the country even endorsed the #JerusalemaChallenge in his Heritage Day address), it was reinvigorated with the new beat and soon crossed overseas to find a foothold in Europe, where it climbed just as high.
The song peaked at the number one spot on the Spotify charts-not only in its native South Africa, but also in Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Belgium, Switzerland, and Spain in September 2020. Europeans and Americans alike have even posted videos of their own versions of line dances, some with food in hand, others without. Many wore masks, a clear marker of the time. In the past 28 days, the top countries streaming the original Jerusalema track on Spotify were the Netherlands, Germany, Spain, France, and the U.S.
In the Netherlands and Belgium in particular, Jerusalema slowly picked up in July and started to really shine in September and October. The Netherlands have a tradition to be open-minded when it comes to embracing music of lots of genres and languages, says Wilbert Mutsaers, Head of Content, Spotify Benelux. Every year we have hit singles in Spanish, French, German, and Papiamento, besides the songs in English and obviously Dutch. Wilbert explained that Jerusalema and its remixes found homes on Dutch and Belgian playlists such as La Vida Loca, Top Hits NL, and Top Hits BE.
The reason the song became as popular as it did around the world wasn't so much about a trending sound as it was about timing, said Phiona Okumu, Head of Artist & Label Partnerships, Spotify Africa. The whole world being on lockdown meant for the first time in our living memory, everyone was facing the same desire to escape at the same time. Jerusalema' tapped neatly into that collective emotion.
But the upbeat, rhythmic sound behind Jerusalema is not something to overlook. It's a prime example of Limpopo house, a genre of house music out of the Limpopo province of South Africa. A Limpopo house song is equal parts African gospel (heavily joyful and soulful with emphasis on the keyboards) and 1980s South African bubblegum pop. It became noticeable in the mainstream first in 2017 thanks to King Monada's Ska Bhora Moreki and to other Limpopo natives like Sho Madjozi, who incorporates her Tsonga culture in her raps. It has brought other female artists into the spotlight too, including Makhadzi, who released a hit single, Matorkisi, in February, as well as Nomcebo Zikode of Jerusalema fame.
My solo album is doing really well in South Africa, and my single Xola Moya Wam' has just gone platinum, Nomcebo told For the Record. I am very excited for the future. For now I am focusing on working harder, doing more collaborations and creating more music.
As the date moves closer to the one-year anniversary of the song's debut, looking back on the progress and popularity of the track provides a unique insight: As immediate as the internet is, the snowball effect of pop isn't necessarily as instantaneous-especially for African songs.
In Africa, we moved on to the remix of Jerusalema' and the other songs that came from these artists, and then the song started to pick up in other places, says Phiona. The discovery happens in waves. This is quite a positive t
LINK: | https://newsroom.spotify.com/2020-10-29/jerusalema-the-limpopo-house-t... |
See more stories from spotify |
Most recent headlines
04/08/2024
Dalet Appoints Santiago Solanas as CEO to Lead Next Era of Growth and Innovation
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, is excited to announce Santiago Solanas as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO)....
03/06/2024
Dalet and Veritone Reach Agreement to Distribute, Transact and Monetize Media Archives
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, a...
28/04/2024
Mediahaus delivers the first SRT live-streaming sports production over 5G with URSA Broadcast G2
Mediahaus delivers the first SRT live-streaming sports production over 5G with U...
27/04/2024
Audinate Adds Major New Features to Dante Connect
PORTLAND, Oregon Audinate Group Limited, the developer of the Dante AV-over-IP solution, announced significant new additions to Dante Connect, its cloud-based D...
27/04/2024
Bell Media Launches New Portfolio of FAST Channels
TORONTO Bell Media has launched 10 English and French-language FAST channels featuring entertainment, factual, news, and sports programming. The new free stream...
27/04/2024
Study: Broadcast TV Evening News Avoids Serious Economic Issues
An extensive new analysis of the news segments in the broadcast evening news programs of ABC, CBS, NBC and PBS has found that broadcasters devoted most of their...
27/04/2024
Hughes Opens Manufacturing Facility and Private 5G Incubation Center in Maryland
GERMANTOWN, Md. EchoStar's Hughes Network Systems has opened a new manufacturing facility and private 5G incubation center in Germantown, Maryland....
27/04/2024
Broadcasting Legend Harry Pappas Dead At 78
Harry Pappas, one of three brothers who founded Pappas Telecasting Companies in 1971, died April 24. He was 78 years old....
27/04/2024
Televisa Selects Synamedia For Broadcast Distribution Overhaul
ATLANTA and LONDON Mexican telecommunications and broadcast company Televisa has selected Synamedia for an overhaul of its broadcast distribution....
27/04/2024
Participate in the Survey - The Impact of AI on Media and the Creative Industry
Participate in the Survey - The Impact of AI on Media and the Creative Industry Pascal Wagner April 26, 2024 0 Comments By participating in this surve...
27/04/2024
SDVI Rally Access Workstation Earns Two Top Awards at 2024 NAB Show
SDVI Rally Access Workstation Earns Two Top Awards at 2024 NAB Show Brie Clayton April 26, 2024 0 Comments SDVI, the leading platform provider for clo...
27/04/2024
Berklee's Music and Health Institute Launches Community Health Musician Certificate
Berklee's Music and Health Institute Launches Community Health Musician Cert...
27/04/2024
Charter Reports Higher Q1 Profits Despite Broadband, Video Losses
Charter Communications reported higher first-quarter profits despite continued cord-cutting and competition for broadband customers....
27/04/2024
Environmental Groups Aim To Make Unscripted TV More Sustainable
Two environmentally-focused groups are partnering to engage the unscripted TV world in finding better ways to address climate change. Reality of Change is an ec...
27/04/2024
Sarah Garcia Named Weekend Anchor at Telemundo 40 in Texas
Sarah Garcia has been promoted to weekend anchor at KTLM McAllen, Texas, known as Telemundo 40. Starting April 27, she will anchor Noticias Telemundo 40 weekend...
27/04/2024
CBS Sports Kicks Off FAST Channel for UEFA Champions League on Pluto TV
CBS Sports said it launched a new 24-hour free, ad supported streaming television (FAST) channel devoted to the UEFA Champions League....
27/04/2024
Brian Roberts's Pay Rose To $35 Million at Comcast
Comcast chairman and CEO Brian Roberts received $35.4 million in compensation in 2023, up 11% from the previous year, according to a proxy statement filed by th...
27/04/2024
John Lithgow Goes Back to School in Art Happens Here'
Art Happens Here With John Lithgow, which sees the actor study dance, ceramics, silk-screen printing and vocal jazz with students in Los Angeles, debuts on PBS ...
27/04/2024
FETV Wants Upfront Buyers Seeking Cable Viewers To Join Its Family
Remember Leave It to Beaver? Bewitched? Dragnet? When cable ratings were rising?...
27/04/2024
Catchy Comedy Features Gomer Pyle, USMC' Weekend Marathon
Next up for the weekend binge at Catchy Comedy is Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. Every weekend, Catchy Comedy features The Catchy Binge, a marathon of a classic sitcom....
26/04/2024
Sundance Film Festival CDMX 2024 kicks off today at Cinpolis
Sundance Film Festival CDMX 2024 kicks-off today with screenings in 5 theaters in Mexico City and the opening-night film, FRIDA, directed by Carla Guti rrez...
26/04/2024
Interview: Lourdes Portillo, Director of Las madres de la Plaza de Mayo, La Ofrenda
[Editor's Note: This interview is part of a larger feature about the women d...
26/04/2024
Career insights instead of everyday school life
Once again this year, SGL Carbon opened its doors to interested children and young people. On the occasion of the German Girls and Boys Day, which took place on...
26/04/2024
L3Harris Technologies Reports Strong First Quarter 2024 Results, Increases 2024 Profitability Guidance
Orders1 of $5.5 billion; book-to-bill of 1.06x Revenue of $5.2 billion, up 17%,...
26/04/2024
What Makes A Network Resilient?
Five Considerations For Communications Modernization In The 21st Century In the digital-enabled battlespace, the Joint Force needs to shoot, move and communica...
26/04/2024
CBS Sports Launches New Free Streaming Channel
CBS Sports has launched Champions League as a new, 24-hour streaming channel that will serve as the year-round destination for nonstop highlights of the UEFA ...
26/04/2024
Roku Streaming Homes Hit 81.6M
Despite tough competition in the streaming space, Roku reported solid results in Q1 2024, beating revenue expectations, with total net revenue up 19% YoY to $88...
26/04/2024
Sarah Farrell Named General Manager Of Pinewood Toronto Studios
LONDON AND TORONTO Pinewood Toronto Studios has appointed Sarah Farrell as general manager of the Studios in downtown Toronto....
26/04/2024
Quantum to Offer Advanced Filesharing Technology and Performance in StorNext and Myriad Solutions
Quantum to Offer Advanced Filesharing Technology and Performance in StorNext and...
26/04/2024
FilmLight Colour Awards welcomes 2024 entries and introduces new Emerging Talent' award
FilmLight Colour Awards welcomes 2024 entries and introduces new Emerging Talen...
26/04/2024
Picture Shop Announces Chris Evans as Head of Unscripted
Picture Shop Announces Chris Evans as Head of Unscripted Brie Clayton April 26, 2024 0 Comments Picture Shop announced Chris Evans will lead Unscripte...
26/04/2024
Participate in a Survey - The Impact of AI on Media and the Creative Industry
Participate in a Survey - The Impact of AI on Media and the Creative Industry Pascal Wagner April 26, 2024 0 Comments By participating in this survey,...
26/04/2024
Hi Barbie! Mattel Launching First FAST Channels on Samsung TV Plus
Toy maker Mattel said it is working with Samsung to launch its first free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) channels later this year....
26/04/2024
Marty Moe Named President Of Trusted Media Brands
Trusted Media Brands (TMB) said it named Marty Moe as president....
26/04/2024
Ron Howard Directs Jim Henson Documentary for Disney Plus
Ron Howard is the director on Jim Henson Idea Man, a documentary that premieres on Disney Plus May 31. Henson of course created Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Big...
26/04/2024
Kraken Skate Away From RSN Root Sports for Deals With Tegna, Amazon
The ice continues to melt under the regional sports network business as the Seattle Kraken of the National Hockey League have made a long-term deal to broadcast...
26/04/2024
Warner Bros. Discovery Launches Olli First-Party Data Platform
Heading into the upfronts, Warner Bros. Discovery said it launched Olli, a first-party data platform advertiser can use for converged, targeted advertising camp...
26/04/2024
The Equalizer' Gets Season 5 on CBS
CBS has renewed the drama The Equalizer, which will see season five on in 2024-2025. Queen Latifah stars....
26/04/2024
The CW Inks New Deal for Miss USA, Miss Teen USA
The CW has entered into an exclusive multiyear broadcast partnership for the Miss USA Pageant and the Miss Teen USA Pageant. The 73rd Miss USA Pageant will air ...
26/04/2024
Fuse Urging Young Viewers To Vote With Blunt Campaign
Fuse Media isn't mincing words in a campaign urging its young viewers to register and participate in the 2024 elections....
26/04/2024
Neil Gaiman's Sandman' Universe Expands With Dead Boy Detectives'
Dead Boy Detectives, a series from Neil Gaiman about a detective agency staffed by ghosts, debuts on Netflix April 25. George Rexstrew and Jayden Revri are in t...
26/04/2024
The Story Collective opens largest film and TV studio in the heart of London
The Story Collective has gradually repurposed the former Mortlake Brewery to include production offices, workshops and sound stages By Matthew Corrigan Publi...
26/04/2024
Richard Perkett joins Amagi as chief product officer
Perkett joins the company following a 25 year career in product management, product marketing, engineering and user experience (UX) across multiple industries ...
26/04/2024
Teradek Announces Smaller More Robust Built-in Antennas f...
Teradek, the industry leader in wireless video transmitters and receivers, announced today the launch of new Bolt 6 LT 750 and Bolt 6 Monitor Module 750 RX with...
26/04/2024
Amagi Names Richard Perkett Chief Product Officer
NEW YORK Amagi has appointed Richard Perkett chief product officer (CPO)....
26/04/2024
NAB Board Election Results Announced
WASHINGTON, D.C. The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) has announced the results of the 2024 NAB Radio and Television Board of Directors elections. The...
26/04/2024
Mattel to Launch First FAST Channels on Samsung TV Plus
EL SEGUNDO, Calif. & NEW YORK Mattel has announced a deal to launch its first three 24/7 free ad supported streaming (FAST) channels on Samsung TV Plus, Samsung...
26/04/2024
NextGen TV Launches In Portland, Maine
PORTLAND, Maine Viewers here can now receive the NextGen TV signals of five local stations with the launch of ATSC 3.0 service from host station WPFO, which is ...
26/04/2024
Rogers Inks Agreement to Deploy Comcast's Products and Technologies
TORONTO Rogers Communications has signed a 10-year agreement with Comcast to bring the latest Xfinity products and technology to Canadians....