Madonna Links Up With Orquestra Batukadeiras In “Batuka” Video

It really looks like Madonna intends to turn Madame X into a visual album. The chart-topping opus has only been out for a little over a month. However, the Queen of Pop is already on her sixth video. She kicked things into motion by linking up with Maluma for a blockbuster in support of “Medellín.” After that came “Crave,” “Dark Ballet” and “I Rise.” Then she made a powerful plea for gun reform with the Jonas Åkerlund-directed “God Control.” And she’s still not done. Yesterday (July 19) she unveiled a new video in support of “Batuka.”

Directed by Emmanuel Adjei, it opens with a written explanation of batuque – a musical style with its roots in Cape Verde, an area considered by some to be “the birth place of slave trade.” Although there were attempts to stifle the music, it persevered. The video also introduces us to Orquestra Batukadeiras who collaborated with Madonna on the song. In fact, the living legend explained to Refinery29 that her goal was to recreate her first meeting with the all-woman group. “We wanted to honor how I met these women and our journey, with an organic and beautiful cinematic experience,” she explained.

“It wasn’t easy to replicate the significance of our first meeting and how it all happened. How they invited me in and gave me a leather drum, sat me down and said ‘Join Us,’” Madonna added. “They took turns dancing and embracing me. They invited me into their world and made me feel extremely welcome. When I asked them to record with me it was the exact same experience. They were just as joyful, just as down to earth, just as open, just as loving. I tried to capture the simplicity of that exchange. I hope it captures the range of emotions that I felt coming from them, and their music.”

I’d say that she has, once again, expertly achieved her goals. Watch the video, filmed off the coast of Lisbon, below.

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