"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.Whosampled "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.
The Australian reality television show I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! uses the song as an intro. Since 2019, it is also used as the intro theme to Amazon Prime Video's coverage of the Premier League in the United Kingdom and Ligue 1 in France.
In June 2023, eight years after its initial release, "Makeba" had a resurgence in popularity due to the virality it achieved on TikTok. The song has been used in ads for Marshalls and Levi's.
Music video The music video for "Makeba" was released on 30 November 2016 on Jain's official YouTube channel. Shot in South Africa, 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 was filmed across Johannesburg, with locations including Miriam Makeba Street, Ponte Tower, Marble Towers, Berea Park, Orlando Power Station, and a pine forest in Bryanston.
It earned a nomination for Best Music Video at the 60th Grammy Awards, losing to "Humble" by Kendrick Lamar.
Charts
Weekly charts + Chart (2015–2017) Peakposition + Chart (2023–2024) Peakposition Belarus Airplay (TopHit) 15 Bolivia Airplay (Monitor Latino) 15 Bulgaria Airplay (PROPHON) 1 Canada (Canadian Hot 100) 35 CIS Airplay (TopHit) 25 Costa Rica Airplay (Monitor Latino) 13 Croatia International Airplay (Top lista) 12 Estonia Airplay (TopHit) 1 Estonia Airplay (TopHit) 13 Global 200 (Billboard) 38 Greece International Streaming (IFPI) 7 Iceland (Tónlistinn) 25 Ireland (IRMA) 51 Israel International Airplay (Media Forest) 8 Italy (FIMI) 49 Kazakhstan Airplay (TopHit) 24 Latvia Airplay (LaIPA) 5 Latvia Streaming (LaIPA) 1 Lebanon (Lebanese Top 20) 6 Lithuania (AGATA) 6 Poland (Polish Streaming Top 100) 25 Russia Airplay (TopHit) 22 San Marino Airplay (SMRTV Top 50) 7 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan) 68 Turkey International Airplay (Radiomonitor Türkiye) 2 Ukraine Airplay (TopHit) 8 US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard) 26
Monthly charts + Chart (2023) Peakposition Belarus Airplay (TopHit) 33 CIS Airplay (TopHit) 31 Estonia Airplay (TopHit) 1 Estonia Airplay (TopHit) 25 Latvia Airplay (TopHit) 16 Lithuania Airplay (TopHit) 25 Russia Airplay (TopHit) 35 Ukraine Airplay (TopHit) 12
Year-end charts + Chart (2016) Position France (SNEP) 93
+ Chart (2017) Position France (SNEP) 161
+ Chart (2023) Position Belarus Airplay (TopHit) 81 CIS Airplay (TopHit) 141 Estonia Airplay (TopHit) 33 Estonia Airplay (TopHit) 132 Global Excl. US (Billboard) 173Hungary (Dance Top 40) 28Hungary (Single Top 40) 90 Latvia Airplay (TopHit) 67 Lithuania Airplay (TopHit) 104 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade) 70
Chart (2024) Peakposition Belarus Airplay (TopHit) 183Hungary (Dance Top 40) 35 Chart (2025) Peakposition Belarus Airplay (TopHit) 134 Hungary (Dance Top 40) 91
Certifications
Release history +Release dates and formats for "Makeba" Region Date Format Label(s) United States 18 July 2023 Contemporary hit radio Spookland
See also List of Billboard number-one dance songs of 2023
References