05/15/26 08:31:00
Printable Page
05/15 08:30 CDT Shakira and Burna Boy release official 2026 FIFA World Cup
Anthem, 'Dai Dai'
Shakira and Burna Boy release official 2026 FIFA World Cup Anthem, 'Dai Dai'
By MARIA SHERMAN
AP Music Writer
NEW YORK (AP) --- As the song demands: "Let's go!"
The Colombian superstar Shakira and Afrobeats icon Burna Boy have teamed up for
"Dai Dai," the official song for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
It's a mesh of their musical landscapes: Afrobeats and Latin rhythms, an
undeniably global, multilingual pop track. In one verse, they name a number of
the world's most famous soccer players and countries competing in this year's
World Cup: "Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, Colombia," Shakira cheers. "Mexico,
Japan, Korea, Netherlands."
After the first chorus, Shakira and Burna Boy take turns tackling their own
verses, singing back and forth, before joining in a duet.
The song arrived shortly after it was announced that Shakira, Madonna and K-pop
group BTS will co-headline the FIFA tournament's first-ever final halftime show
on July 19 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, just outside New
York City. The lineup was curated by Coldplay's Chris Martin.
The show will support the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund, which is raising
$100 million to help children access education and soccer.
Shakira first teased "Dai Dai" last week, sharing a minute-long teaser clip of
her dancing in the center of the field of Maracan Stadium in Rio de Janeiro.
She included a snippet of the opening verse: "Here in this place / You belong,"
she sang in English, a male voice harmonizing with her now identifiable as
Burna Boy. "What broke you once / Made you strong."
She is no stranger to World Cup anthems. Her song "Waka Waka (This Time For
Africa)" was the official song of the 2010 World Cup held in South Africa and
is widely regarded as one of the best.
It's also not uncommon for sponsors of the FIFA World Cup to release their own
singles for the tournament. In March, Coca-Cola shared its own official anthem
for the World Cup, a reimagination of Van Halen's "Jump" that features
Colombian singer J Balvin, drummer Travis Barker, pop/R&B singer Amber Mark and
guitarist Steve Vai.
It is similarly multilingual: Balvin wrote a new verse in Spanish for the
anthem, bringing in Brazilian funk and hip-hop to the classic rock staple.
"?Jump' is not a ftbol song," he told The Associated Press about the original
track, using the Spanish word for soccer. "So that's why I had to put the Latin
love and passion for ftbol (in the lyrics)."
The World Cup is co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico and runs
through June and July.
___
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
|
