Isolation balm: Zikode, whose pandemic hit ‘Jerusalema’ inspired a global dance challenge during the lockdowns, penned the chorus while battling her own depression. — Photos: ©️2023 The New York Times Company
IT starts with a clap, and then the feet tap along to the beat: four times on each side, followed by a quick jump. As the melody rises, dancers dip low and twirl.
It’s a dance easy enough for anyone to learn, and people all around the world have done so, with everyone from an urban dance crew in Angola to Franciscan nuns in Europe showing off their moves on social media.
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Global hit
The South African singer won a Grammy Award this year for her song ‘Bayethe’ but she still has not received payment for her 2020 viral hit ‘Jerusalema’ due to the patriarchal music industry in her home country and its gender pay gap problem, among others.
Zikode at a gala celebrating South Africans who have achieved international success, in Johannesburg.
The global success of Jerusalema has taken Zikode on tour to Europe, the Caribbean and the United States. — ©️2023 The New York Times Company
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