Africa Express Return With New Track "MOTHERLAND"

Ahead of a return to Mexico for two headline shows this weekend, Africa Express have released a brand new bonus track titled ‘Motherland’ (ft. Bootie Brown, M.anifest and Tom Excell) Listen HERE!

A funk-infused beat-driven celebration of a continent, ‘Motherland’ features the distinctive vocals of Bootie Brown alongside the lyrical prowess of Ghanaian rapper M.anifest, with producer Tom Excell on guitar and Joan As Police Woman on violin. A bonus track on the music collective’s acclaimed new album ‘Africa Express presents... Bahidorá’, Having proved itself to be a live hit with audiences across Europe this summer, ‘Motherland’ is now finally available to fans around the word, as Africa Express prepare for a return to Mexico for two epic shows.

M.anifest said of the track - “‘Motherland’ epitomises our Africa Express recording experience in Mexico: spontaneous, unpredictable, open minded, and a beautiful collision of worlds in a sublime location.”

Speaking about ‘Motherland’, producer Tom Excell said - “The atmosphere [in the studio] was completely magical. Bootie started exploring melodies instead of rapping, and just as we were feeling the space for a rap verse, M.anifest appeared. He wrote and recorded his part almost instantly, a pure flow state and profound lyricism. The next morning I kept hearing strings in my head, so I reached out to Joan, who came in and helped bring that sound to life beautifully. Fast forward to the Africa Express European tour earlier this year and we all had an amazing realisation of how powerful the song was - seeing how the crowd immediately sung along and the way they connected to the song was just amazing.”

Bootie Brown added - “The challenge [in the recording session] was to overcome the boundaries and the comfort zone of being in a traditional studio setting. The focus was to concentrate on the main elements of any song which is concept to creation. Once I understood the mission everything fell into place and became in arms reach. From Tom being there at concept, to thinking about who could be the vocal catalyst and M.anifest appears. Some things are just made to be. I’m excited that people will get a chance to hear what I felt being in the surroundings.”

Africa Express will return to Mexico this month for two unmissable live shows at Cervantino Festival in Guanajuato on Sunday 26th October, before taking the stage at Mexico City’s Auditorio BB on Tuesday 28th October. These two very special performances will see Africa Express co-founder Damon Albarn joined by over 50 artists from across four continents - from Moonchild Sanelly to Django Django, Luisa Almaguer to Jupiter & Okwess - as they return to Mexico for the first time since writing and recording new studio album ‘Africa Express presents... Bahidorá’ last year. The album was released to critical acclaim on 11th July and accompanied by a tour which saw the music collective thrill audiences across Europe - from Müpa in Budapest to Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg, on to the ancient amphitheatre of Ostia Antica in Rome, as well as Roskilde Festival, Barcelona’s Cruïlla Festival and a headline slot at Pohoda Festival in Slovakia.

‘Motherland’ follows the release of the new studio album ‘Africa Express presents... Bahidorá’, which was released in July this year. Recorded in Mexico 2024, the 21-track album features six lead singles including Latin pop with soulful vocals over a reggaeton beat on ‘Mi Lado’; the fast and furious ‘Kuduro’; a stunning cinematic duet ‘Soledad’ sung in Spanish by Damon Albarn and Luisa Almaguer; ‘Otim Hop’’s cool laid back slice of hip-hop; the powerful and haunting mystical hymn to the ancestors and ancients on ‘Invocation’; and Mexican singer-songwriter Luisa Almaguer singing once again on ‘Hacernos Asi’, a passionate and deeply-personal meditation on being transgender in a hostile world.