John Cena (song)

Last updated
"John Cena"
ShoMadjozi JohnCena.jpg
Single by Sho Madjozi
Released27 September 2019
Genre Gqom
Length3:02
Label Flourish & Multiply
Songwriter(s) Sho Madjozi
Producer(s) Tboy Daflame & DJ Exit
Sho Madjozi singles chronology
"Idhom"
(2019)
"John Cena"
(2019)

"John Cena" is a song by South African rapper Sho Madjozi. It was made about the WWE professional wrestler John Cena. It was released as a single through Flourish & Multiply Records on 27 September 2019, after being performed on the global music platform, COLORS, uploaded on 15 August 2019. [1] [2] The song was written by Sho Madjozi and produced by Tboy Daflame and DJ Exit. [3]

Contents

Background

"John Cena" was written independently by Sho Madjozi. On 14 August 2019, COLORS announced Sho Madjozi would be the next artist to be featured on the platform. COLORS and Madjozi uploaded the performance on the next day. [4] [5] The song was produced by Tboy Daflame, who previously produced Madjozi's 2018 songs, which include "If I Die" and the single, "Idhom", all from her debut album Limpopo Champions League . [6] The song was released as a single to streaming and digital platforms through Flourish & Multiply Records on 27 September 2019. [7]

Composition

"John Cena" is a gqom song with hip hop vocals featuring the languages Tsonga, Swahili and English in its lyrics. [8] [9] According to Cape Talk and 702, Madjozi said: "I grew up watching American professional wrestler John Cena, so it was only natural to make a jam about him." [10] [11]

Live performances

As her debut, Sho Madjozi performed the song on COLORS, standing next to the mic in the studio covered with blue background. [12] After the formation of the social media challenge "John Cena Challenge", many individuals engaged on the challenge, leading the song to become viral. [13] Following the spread of the challenge, John Cena himself was featured on The Ellen DeGeneres Show , where he was asked by Ellen DeGeneres to dance to the song alongside Stephen Boss. [14] [15]

The song was also performed by Sho Madjozi at several events throughout South Africa and other regions, including the Afropunk Festival held on 13 October 2019 in Atlanta, US. [16] Madjozi performed the song on The Kelly Clarkson Show in November 2019. During the performance, she was surprised by John Cena dancing right behind her while she was performing. It was the first time she met Cena in person. [17] On 17 November 2019, Madjozi performed the song on the finale of the South African-franchise of the reality television singing competition Idols , for season 15. [18]

Release history

RegionDateFormatLabel
Various27 September 2019
  • Digital download
  • streaming
  • Flourish & Multiply

Related Research Articles

<i>The Ellen DeGeneres Show</i> American syndicated talk show (2003–2022)

The Ellen DeGeneres Show is an American daytime television variety comedy talk show. Created and hosted by its namesake Ellen DeGeneres, it aired for 19 seasons from September 8, 2003, to June 3, 2022, in syndication and was produced by Telepictures. The majority of stations owned by NBC Owned Television Stations, along with Hearst Television and Tegna, served as the program's largest affiliate base. For its first five seasons, the show was taped in Studio 11 at NBC Studios in Burbank, California. From season 6 onwards, the show moved to being taped at Stage 1 on the nearby Warner Bros. lot. Since the beginning of the sixth season, The Ellen DeGeneres Show was broadcast in high definition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greyson Chance</span> American singer-songwriter and musician

Greyson Michael Chance is an American singer-songwriter. He rose to national attention in 2010 as a child singer, after his performance of Lady Gaga's "Paparazzi" went viral on YouTube and gained over 72 million views. Two of his original songs, "Stars" and "Broken Hearts", gained over six and eight million views respectively on his channel the following year. He signed a joint-venture recording contract with Ellen DeGeneres' eleveneleven – an imprint of Maverick, Streamline, and Geffen Records – to release his debut commercial single, "Waiting Outside the Lines" in October 2010. His debut studio album, Hold On 'til the Night (2011) was released the following year and peaked at number 29 on the Billboard 200, remaining his only charting release.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jerusalema</span> 2019 single by Master KG featuring Nomcebo Zikode

"Jerusalema" is a song by South African DJ and record producer, Master KG featuring South African vocalist Nomcebo. The upbeat gospel-influenced house song was initially released on 29 November 2019 after it garnered positive response online, with a music video following on 21 December. The music video of the song has generated half a billion views on YouTube. It was later included on Master KG's second album of the same title, released in January 2020. A single edit was released on streaming services on 10 July 2020, after it went viral during mid-2020, garnering international reaction due to the #JerusalemaChallenge. A remix featuring Nigerian singer Burna Boy was released on 19 June 2020. It reached number one in Belgium, Netherlands, Romania and Switzerland, while peaking in the top ten of multiple other European countries. A second remix featuring Venezuelan singer Micro TDH and Colombian singer Greeicy was released on 17 September 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sauti Sol</span> Kenyan band

Sauti Sol is a Kenyan Afropop band formed in Nairobi in 2005 by vocalists Bien-Aimé Baraza, Willis Chimano and Savara Mudigi. Initially an a cappella group, guitarist Polycarp Otieno joined before they named themselves Sauti Sol.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anna Graceman</span> American musician

Anna Graceman is an American singer, songwriter and recording artist whose self-penned songs and music have garnered national recognition. She has been featured on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, America's Got Talent, and CBS News.

Akshat Anjaria or Hakka is an Indian dancer who came into prominence by showcasing his talent in the Bengali dance reality show Dance Bangla Dance. He then took part in India's reality show India's Got Talent and became an overnight sensation. Singh was also a contestant of Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa. He debuted as an actor in the Malayalam film Ayal Njanalla and he also is in a Tamil language film lakshmi

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Today's the Day (Pink song)</span> 2015 single by Pink

"Today's the Day" is a pop song written and recorded by American singer-songwriter Pink to serve as the new theme song for season 13 of The Ellen DeGeneres Show. The song was co-written and produced by Greg Kurstin. It was released to digital retailers as an official single on September 10, 2015, through RCA Records and Warner Bros.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Up All Night (Beck song)</span> 2017 single by Beck

"Up All Night" is a song by the American musician Beck. It is the third single from his thirteenth studio album Colors.

Gqom, gqom tech,sghubu or 3-Step) is an electronic dance music genre and subgenre of house music that emerged in the early 2010s from Durban, South Africa, pioneered by music producers Naked Boyz, Sbucardo, DJ Lag, Rudeboyz, Nasty Boyz, Griffit Vigo, Distruction Boyz, Menzi Shabane and Citizen Boy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sho Madjozi</span> South African artist

Maya Christinah Xichavo Wegerif, known professionally as Sho Madjozi, is a South African rapper, singer, songwriter, actress and poet. Madjozi incorporates the Tsonga culture through her music and public image. In 2019, Madjozi was named as one of Forbes Africa's 30 Under 30 for her contribution in the music and entertainment sector.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spirit (Kwesta song)</span> 2017 single by Kwesta featuring Wale

"Spirit" is a single by South African rapper Kwesta featuring American rapper Wale, released on October 12, 2017 through Sony and Urbantainment. The song was written by Kwesta, Wale, and Makwa who also handled the production.

Yamikani Janet Banda, professionally known under the alias of Lady Zamar, is a South African singer, songwriter and author.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crushed Up</span> 2019 song by Future

"Crushed Up" is a song by American rapper Future, released on January 4, 2019 as the lead single from his seventh studio album The Wizrd, which was released two weeks later. The song was produced by Wheezy, Matt Cap and Ricky Racks, all three of whom co-wrote the song with Future. The song finds Future singing about his luxurious lifestyle, especially regarding jewelry and diamonds.

"Hustle" is a song recorded by American singer Pink for her eighth studio album, Hurts 2B Human (2019). Pink co-wrote the song with Jorgen Odegard and Dan Reynolds, the lead vocalist of Imagine Dragons, and also provides additional vocals on the chorus, while the production was handled by Odegard, with additional production from Reynolds. It was released on March 28, 2019 by RCA Records as the album's first promotional single, along with the album pre-order.

<i>Limpopo Champions League</i> 2018 studio album by Sho Madjozi

Limpopo Champions League is the debut studio album by South African rapper Sho Madjozi. It was released on 14 December 2018 by Flourish and Multiply.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lottery (K Camp song)</span> 2019 single by K Camp

"Lottery", later re-titled as "Lottery (Renegade)" is a song by American rapper K Camp from his third studio album Wayy 2 Kritical (2019). It was released as the album's third single on April 1, 2019, by Rare Sound and Interscope Records. The song was written by K Camp himself and produced by Reazy Renegade. In late 2019, the song went viral online, due to a dance challenge on TikTok, becoming the first sound on the platform to reach 20 million videos. K Camp credited choreographer Jalaiah Harmon for creating the dance challenge, after controversy arose due to Harmon not initially getting credit for it. The song's two official remixes respectively feature fellow American rappers Quavo and T-Pain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Solyd the Plug</span> Zimbabwean DJ and record producer

Martin Chikomba who goes by the stage name Solyd The Plug, is a Zimbabwean-American businessman, record producer and Amapiano artist. He is the founder of Oak Media Group which is a record label. He is one of the co-founders of Mashroom Media. Solyd The Plug is well known for his single Bella Ciao which is a remix of the popular song off the Netflix series Money Heist.

Nonqaba Nozuko Rwaxa, better known as Ms Cosmo, is a South African DJ, radio personality, MC, podcaster, music producer and singer. She is known for being the host of The Trap House and The Stir Up on 5FM. She was the first female DJ to join Channel O’s DJ music show, The Bassment.

Cam Anthony is an American singer who experienced pre-teen success with viral YouTube videos, and later won the FOX revival of Showtime at the Apollo in 2018, and the 20th season of The Voice in 2021, where he was coached by Blake Shelton.

<i>Midnight Train</i> (album) 2020 studio album by Sauti Sol

Midnight Train is the fifth studio album by Kenyan Afropop band Sauti Sol. It was released by Universal Music Africa on June 5, 2020. Recorded in English, Swahili, and Luhya, the album comprises 13 tracks and is the band's first project released under the label. Sauti Sol dedicated the album to their fans and described it as a collaborative project with songwriters and producers. Midnight Train features collaborations with India Arie, Soweto Gospel Choir, Sho Madjozi, and Black Motion, among others. It explores themes of sobriety, personal insecurities, love, and hope.

References

  1. "Sho Madjozi officially releases full length version of 'John Cena'". The Citizen.
  2. "Sho Madjozi - John Cena". COLORSXSTUDIOS .
  3. "Sho Madjozi – John Cena Lyrics". Genius Lyrics.
  4. "COLORS: Sho Madjozi set to take over popular YouTube show". The South African.
  5. "Watch Sho Madjozi Perform a New Song 'John Cena' on A COLORS SHOW". OkayAfrica.
  6. "Tboy Daflame". Genius.
  7. "Sho Madjozi officially drops "John Cena"". The FADER.
  8. "Sho Madjozi Officially Releases 'John Cena'". OkayAfrica.
  9. "Sho Madjozi raps in Swahili on John Cena track and blows minds". MSN.
  10. "Sho Madjozi officially drops viral hit 'John Cena' and shares inspo behind it". Cape Talk.
  11. "Sho Madjozi officially drops viral hit 'John Cena' and shares inspo behind it". 702.
  12. "Sho Madjozi is the Next Artist on International Platform 'COLORS'". COSMOPOLITAN South Africa.
  13. "Sho Madjozi's 'John Cena' sparks viral, worldwide challenge". TimesLIVE.
  14. "John Cena Dances It Up To Sho Madjozi's Track Named After Him On The Ellen DeGeneres Show". Essence.
  15. "John Cena Rocks Out To Sho Madjozi On Ellen". People Magazine.
  16. "Watch! Sho Madjozi Sends Crowd Into A Frenzy Performing In Atlanta". SA Hip Hop Mag.
  17. "WATCH: Sho Madjozi finally meets John Cena". Enca. Retrieved 10 November 2019.
  18. "Sho Madjozi is live performer goals". ZAlebs.