“Batuka” is an anthem about overcoming adversity. Written with Madonna’s son, David Banda, the track was recorded with The Batukadeiras Orquestra of Portugal, a collective of female drummers from Cape Verde, with its members ages ranging from teenagers to elderly women. With influences with afrobeat, the track is a batuque song, a dance and music genre from Cape Verde.

When Madonna moved to Lisbon in 2017 she started to get involved with local culture. The singer would meet several artists, painters and musicians who would invite her to “living room sessions”, in which they would sit around a table, eat, play instruments and sing mostly Faado and Samba. One of the closest friends she made was the musician Dino d'Santiago, who introduced her to the Batukadeiras Orchestra.

Madonna immediately fell in love with the Orchestra, the singer was so amazed by what she described as an “amazing” experience, with “mesmerizing and hypnotizing” music, that she not only invited the drummers to be on her album, but also to go on tour with her.

Since most of the women did not speak English, d'Santiado had to act as a translator. Through him, Madonna explained them the meaning of the song; and they liked it, since it matches the group’s philosophy of “fighting for their rights and empowering women”. After the recording sessions, the Batukadeiras would ask the whole studio to pray together, blessing Madonna in the end. Through what Madonna described as a positive and emotional encounter, “Batuka” was born.

The track’s music video, directed by Emmanuel Adjei, was shot at Praia de São Julião of Sintra, Portugal. Madonna explained that the directors wanted to replicate when the singer first met the Batukadeiras, but in a more natural environment for their first meeting place. Madonna commented on that:

[It] wasn’t easy to replicate the significance of our first meeting and how it all happened. […] [I hope it] captures the range of emotions that I felt coming from them, and their music.

The video opens with the following message that reads:

Batuque is a style of music created by women that originated in Cape Verde, some say the birth place of slave trade. The drums were condemned by the Church and taken away from the slaves because it was considered an act of rebellion. The women continued their singing and dancing and the Batuque lives on today.