Madonna’s new album Madame X was largely inspired by her experience living in Portugal, and her latest music video honors one of the parts of this country’s past that most people know nothing about.
In the new visual for “Batuka”, the Queen of Pop can be seen joining forces with all-women group Orquestra Batukadeiras. This was her way of honoring batuque – a style of music and dance which originated in the former Portuguese colony Cape Verde.
Madonna discussed this video in a recent interview with Refinery29 and said her main goal was to honor these women and their journey with an organic and beautiful cinematic experience.
“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.’ They took turns dancing and embracing me. They invited me into their world and made me feel extremely welcome,” she said.
