Nothembi Jam

Album: Mi Mandela (2014)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This sparse, plaintive tune is a track from Mi Mandela, an album inspired by Idris Elbas's experience playing the South African anti-Apartheid leader Nelson Mandela in Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom.‎ The song is titled after South African artist Nothembi Mkhwebane, who contributed towards the tune.
  • The track features James Blake on the guitar. Elba hooked up with the electronic music singer-songwriter after running into him at a Brixton, London café. The actor told Spin magazine: "I was directing a video for an artist D'Banj, he's a Nigerian rapper. I was in Brixton shooting that, having lunch at this place, and this kid came up and sat next to me and he goes, 'Idris, I'm James.' And I'm, 'Hello, man. I didn't recognize you, you're James Blake.' We know mutual friends."

    "We sat there talking, and I told him what I was doing and he goes, 'Oh man, I'd love to hear it.' So I sent him a couple of jams when I was mixing songs," Elba continued. "He came down to studio to mess around with one of these tracks and the one he ended up on he came into the studio and plugged in the Rhodes and started playing. He didn't want to sing, he just wanted to get on it."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Pam Tillis

Pam TillisSongwriter Interviews

The country sweetheart opines about the demands of touring and talks about writing songs with her famous father.

Concert Disasters

Concert DisastersFact or Fiction

Ozzy biting a dove? Alice Cooper causing mayhem with a chicken? Creed so bad they were sued? See if you can spot the real concert mishaps.

Jimmy Webb

Jimmy WebbSongwriter Interviews

Webb talks about his classic songs "By the Time I Get to Phoenix," "Wichita Lineman" and "MacArthur Park."

Julian Lennon

Julian LennonSongwriter Interviews

Julian tells the stories behind his hits "Valotte" and "Too Late for Goodbyes," and fills us in on his many non-musical pursuits. Also: what MTV meant to his career.

Scott Gorham of Thin Lizzy and Black Star Riders

Scott Gorham of Thin Lizzy and Black Star RidersSongwriter Interviews

Writing with Phil Lynott, Scott saw their ill-fated frontman move to a darker place in his life and lyrics.

Amy Lee of Evanescence

Amy Lee of EvanescenceSongwriter Interviews

The Evanescence frontwoman on the songs that have shifted meaning and her foray into kids' music.