South Africa has become a popular location for filming movies and TV shows, but there are also many international music videos that have been shot in the rainbow nation, with Canadian rapper Drake recently shooting his yet unreleased music video in the country.
From The Script to Jonas Blue, many artists from around the globe have used South Africa as the cinematic canvas to showcase their music on TV.
A variety of genres, bands and individual artists have made their way to South Africa, with Johannesburg and Cape Town proving to be enticing places to shoot music videos.
Below are 12 international music videos which were shot in South Africa.
Released in 2016, the popular song by Jonas Blue and JP Cooper did well on global charts and featured scenes shot in various locations around Cape Town, including the iconic Table Mountain.
The Script – Superheroes
Popular Irish band The Script travelled to South Africa to shoot the inspirational video for their hit song ‘Superheroes’. Shot in a Johannesburg township, the video featured the story of a South African father who works hard each day to put food on the table and make his daughter proud.
Coldplay – Paradise
Mega-group Coldplay chose to film the music video for ‘Paradise’ in South Africa, revealing beautiful South African landscapes and natural scenery, proving that the country does embody a natural paradise.
Leona Lewis – Run
The music video on YouTube had reached just under 60 million views at the time of publishing, with UK X Factor winner Leona Lewis singing ‘Run’, which proved to be a very popular song. She chose to shoot the video above in South Africa.
Robbie Williams – Sin Sin Sin
British singer Robbie Williams makes use of the vibrant colours of the South African sun and landscape in his video for the track, ‘Sin Sin Sin’. It was filmed in Cape Town, and released in 2006 as the fourth and last single from his album ‘Intensive Care’.
Blue – You Make Me Wanna
British former boy band Blue made their way to South Africa to shoot the video to one of their most popular songs, ‘You Make Me Wanna’. The video is shot with the unmistakeable backdrop of the Cape Town mountains, and was released in 2003.
Lily Allen – Air Balloon
Cape Town it is once again for this Lily Allen song, which was released in 2014. The topography of the Cape is once again evident in the background as Allen sings ‘Air Balloon’.
Janet Jackson – Got til it’s gone
Released as the lead single from Jackson’s sixth studio album, The Velvet Rope, this Janet Jackson music video takes the viewer back to apartheid South Africa, where Jackson is portrayed as a lounge singer. It won a Grammy Award for “Best Short Form Music Video”, and was shot in both Cape Town and Johannesburg.
Tokio Hotel – Monsoon
With over 21 million views on YouTube, this song from German rock band Tokio Hotel was shot in Cape Town, South Africa. It features scenes of the band in a helicopter before free falling to the ground, landing and walking to a stage to perform for fans.
Solange Knowles – Losing You
The sister of Beyoncé Knowles, Solange selected South Africa as the setting for her song, ‘Losing You’. The American singer features distinctive township scenery within the video, which was shot at Langa.
Snow Patrol – The Planets Bend Between Us
In this music video Irish/British alternative rock band Snow Patrol walk through the city streets of Cape Town, revealing beautiful shots of Table Mountain, the Cape Town City Hall, and sunsets from the stunning Cape beaches.
Travis – Flowers In The Window
Indie band Travis selected South Africa as the location of the video for ‘Flowers In The Window’, with the music video filmed in a small town in South Africa. The band walks through the town and notices that all of the inhabitants appear to be pregnant women.
