A trending South African song, Jerusalema has excited the internet across the world. From Lagos, Nigeria, to Lusaka, Paris to Kampala to New Delhi, the hit song is the world favorite at this time of Covid-19 season. The simple dance routine to the 2019 hit song, “Jerusalema” by Master KG and Nomcebo Zikode has provided an uplifting soundtrack for difficult times and has now been viewed more than 256 million times on YouTube.
Last week, South Africa president Cyril Ramaphosa encouraged South Africans to sing the Jerusalema song as they celebrate the 2020 Heritage Day in the country. The president urged the citizens to show the world that they have good songs that are liked and enjoyed by everybody worldwide.
Jerusalema song has gone viral similar to Psy’s Gangnam Style song in 2012. Back then, the world fell in love with the song as it became the trending hit world over. Released more than 8 years ago, Gangnam Style currently has more than 3.7 billion views on Youtube .
How Jerusalema Song Became Popular
The track topped the South African charts in December but in February, as lockdowns due to ravages of coronavirus pandemic intensified, it was a group of friends in neighboring country, Angola who shot a video dancing to the song that sparked the global trend. It was quickly followed by another video from Portugal, setting the tone for how international the #JerusalemaDanceChallenge would prove to be.
Music enthusiasts around the globe have posted tutorials online regarding the #JerusalemaDanceChallenge while celebrities such as footballer Cristiano Ronaldo and songbird Janet Jackson have all posted their clips online dancing to the Jerusalema tunes.
Master KG, the author of the song is ecstatic for creating a global phenomenon. The paparazi have been stalking Mr. KG since South Africa emerged from the lockdown on July 8.
“It’s so beautiful to see how Jerusalema has taken over the world, to see how far it has gone. The song did amazing at home. It ruled the streets and people created memories of the song,” he said in the interview with Sowetan.
