NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� As the song demands: 鈥淟et’s go!鈥�
The and have teamed up for 鈥淒ai Dai,鈥� the official song for
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: 鈥淏razil, Uruguay, Argentina, Colombia,鈥� Shakira cheers. 鈥淢exico, Japan, Korea, Netherlands.鈥�
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 will co-headline the FIFA tournament’s 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 sharing a minute-long teaser clip of her dancing in the center of the field of Maracan谩 Stadium in Rio de Janeiro. She included a snippet of the opening verse: 鈥淗ere in this place / You belong,鈥� she sang in English, a male voice harmonizing with her now identifiable as Burna Boy. 鈥淲hat broke you once / Made you strong.鈥�
She is no stranger to World Cup anthems. Her song 鈥淲aka Waka (This Time For Africa)鈥� 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 for the World Cup, a reimagination of Van Halen鈥檚 鈥淛ump鈥� that features , drummer 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. 鈥溾�楯ump鈥� is not a f煤tbol song,鈥� he told The Associated Press about the original track, using the Spanish word for soccer. 鈥淪o that鈥檚 why I had to put the Latin love and passion for f煤tbol (in the lyrics).鈥�
The World Cup is co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico and runs through June and July.
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