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.†Ž The song is titled after South African artist Nothembi Mkhwebane, who contributed towards the tune.
"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."
This is the title track of Mi Mandela, an 11-song record inspired by Idris Elba's experience playing the South African anti-Apartheid leader Nelson Mandela in Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom.†ŽThe actor has also released music under the name Dris as well as directing and appearing in the video for Mumford & Sons' "Lover of the Light."
The album celebrates South African music and also pays homage to the actor's late father, Winston Elba, as well as Nelson Mandela. "South Africa has numerous different tribes and each one has a musical expression, and each one has a very unique, different sound style," said Elba. "At the time I had my studio at the apartment I was staying in while I was making Mandela - a little keyboard, a laptop - and as an experiment to myself, I vowed to keep making music."
The song is a half-sung account of Elba recording a video message for the real Mandela during the filming of his biopic - only for the South African leader to have no idea who he was when he watched the clip.
