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After Smallpools’ “Dreaming” popped up in the FIFA 14 soccer video game, singer Sean Scanlon noticed something had changed: his Los Angeles electro-pop band began booking more college gigs. The fans reacted differently, too. “We’d get to the soundchecks, and we’d have students who wouldn’t even know what our band was called go, ‘Yo, FIFA’s here!’” Scanlon says. “We’d kind of be branded with that. That was huge for popularity on the younger front.”
As the FIFA World Cup opens Sunday (Nov. 21) in Qatar, the 29-year-old video game franchise based on the international sport, which allows Playstation and Xbox users and others to simulate tens of thousands of real-life soccer stars, is maintaining its global popularity. The 2023 version is at No. 8 on the NPD Group’s list of the year’s global best-sellers, and the FIFA series has scored 325 million sales overall, according to Electronic Arts. This sales power has been a unique song-breaking opportunity for artists going all the way back to FIFA: Road to World Cup 98, which licensed Blur‘s woo-hooing “Song 2.”
Over the years, the game has used music synchs from Kasabian (whose “L.S.F.” appeared in the 2004 game, the first of many for the band) to Billie Eilish (“you should see me in a crown” was in FIFA 19) to Glass Animals (whose “Heat Waves” was in the 2021 game, then hit Billboard‘s Hot 100, where it rose to No. 1 in March). “You see a noticeable uptick in streams,” says Adam Faires, manager of U.K. electronic-music duo Jungle, whose “Busy Earnin’” was in FIFA 15 and has since streamed nearly 120 million times on Spotify and has 30 million YouTube plays. “You can almost pinpoint it to the exact moment that the game comes out.”
The game provides different looks for synchs — some artists hit the soundtrack, airing prominently throughout the game, some are in marketing trailers, and certain stars, such as Jack Harlow and Rosalía, design custom uniforms as kits to be unlocked during the game. “It’s a little ahead of the curve. They’ve done a great job of breaking artists over the years,” says David Nieman, Interscope Geffen A&M Records’ senior vp of sports and gaming, who has placed Tierra Whack, Louis The Child and other synchs in FIFA. “We see followers increase, we see streams increase, then we see other people wanting to license that song after FIFA is taking that risk.”
Game giant EA Sports launched FIFA in 1993 as an international counterpart to its American-focused Madden NFL franchise, but the soccer game didn’t turn into a song-breaking fixture until the early 2000s. That was when Steve Schnur, an early MTV programmer who’d been a promotions, marketing and A&R exec for Elektra and other labels, took over the music. Schnur’s vision was to turn FIFA into its own music company, scouting and breaking new acts.
“The producer at the time wanted to record a symphony to do an orchestral score,” Schnur recalls. He had grander visions. He instructed EA’s music staff: “We’re going to make the real estate of FIFA really important real estate, where people discover their next favorite band with no global barriers.” After that, FIFA soundtracks expanded, breaking tracks by artists old and new, including Ms. Dynamite, Avril Lavigne, The Dandy Warhols, Junior Senior and even Radiohead.
“All of the artists got it,” says Schnur, Electronic Arts’ worldwide executive and president of music. “They knew that they not only played games, but their audience played games.” Artists featured in FIFA often expanded their touring business, reaching “a huge part of the world that potentially terrestrial radio and streaming services don’t have the same impact,” says A/J Jackson, frontman for pop-rock band Saint Motel, which landed “My Type” in FIFA 15. “We noticed in our shows, especially in the U.K., we were getting football fans and hooligans jumping around and chanting their team name. It exposed us to a lot of new people.”
The FIFA game sound, as defined by Schnur and Electronic Arts music supervisors such as Cybele Pettus, has a “particular mix of that DNA,” including world, electronic, hip-hop and pop, says Jonathan Palmer, BMG’s U.S. senior vp of creative synch, who has placed many tracks in the game over the years. Looking at artists on this year’s soundtrack, including Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Biig Piig, Black Thought and Danger Mouse, he adds, “That’s a great day at Lollapalooza.”
When Palmer worked on synchs for Columbia a decade ago, he placed Foster the People‘s “Call It What You Want” in FIFA, which helped extend the band’s post-“Pumped Up Kicks” run. “This just felt like a good fit — not just for the tone and style for the music, but also for the fact that they’re massive football fanatics. It culturally made sense,” he says. “People were showing up at shows and telling the band, ‘I heard your song in the game.’ This was making a difference.”
Nicki Minaj, Maluma and Myriam Fares have dropped their infectious and celebratory new World Cup song “Tukoh Taka.” Thriving on a jittery hook and a throbbing beat, the track — produced by Gordo, Play-N-Skillz and Massari — makes history as the first FIFA World Cup song featuring English, Spanish and Arabic lyrics.
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“I am so happy to be part of this FIFA World Cup anthem! I always dreamt of an opportunity like this,” Maluma said in a statement. “Representing Latin music on this global track alongside amazing artists that sing in English and Arabic, takes our culture to another level.”
Fares added: “‘Tukoh Taka’, the song that I was honored to participate in its composition, arrangement, and choreography, made me more passionate about it, in addition to working alongside two of my favorite international artists, Nicki Minaj and Maluma. I truly wish that ‘Tukoh Taka’ will be transmitting the Eastern culture and Arabian music to the whole world.”
On Saturday (Nov. 19), Maluma and Fares will perform the song together live for the first time at the opening of Doha’s FIFA Fan Festival.
This year, FIFA has released a handful of official songs for the 2022 World Cup. The first song was the uplifting track “Hayya Hayya (Better Together)” by Trinidad Cardona, Davido and Aisha, which fuses R&B and reggae influences. The tournament’s soundtrack will feature a multi-song collection, with international artists “showcasing diverse musical genres that span the world, setting the tone for a truly global celebration,” according to FIFA.
The 2022 FIFA World Cup kicks off on Nov. 20 with host nation Qatar’s tournament opener against Ecuador. A total of 32 teams representing different countries will participate. One team will be crowned the World Cup champion on Dec. 18.
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After fans had been speculating about a new World Cup-inspired song by Nicki Minaj, Maluma and Lebanese artist Myriam Fares, FIFA has officially confirmed that the trio is set to release a new official World Cup anthem that will be out Friday (Nov. 18), via Universal Arabic Music/Universal Music Group/ Republic Records.
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Titled “Tukoh Taka,” the track will make history as the first FIFA World Cup song featuring English, Spanish and Arabic lyrics. This cross-continental collaboration features a high-energy synergy between Minaj, Maluma and Fares as they rap and sing about uniting fans worldwide and celebrating together. Fans can also expect a “cinematic” music video premiere to accompany the track that same day.
This year, FIFA has released a handful of official songs for the 2022 World Cup. The first song released was the uplifting track “Hayya Hayya (Better Together),” featuring Trinidad Cardona, Davido and Aisha, which fuses R&B and reggae influences. For the first time ever, the tournament’s soundtrack will feature a multi-song collection, with international artists “showcasing diverse musical genres that span the world, setting the tone for a truly global celebration,” according to FIFA.
In 1990, almost sixty years after the first-ever edition of the World Cup, the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) began to adopt songs that would become the official soundtrack of the global soccer event, which happens every four years.
The 2022 FIFA World Cup kicks off on Nov. 20 with host nation Qatar’s tournament opener against Ecuador. A total of 32 teams representing different countries will participate. In the end, one is crowned the World Cup champion on Dec. 18.
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It’s officially World Cup month, and Billboard has compiled the ultimate playlist for soccer aficionados around the world.
The playlist is over two hours long and includes 45 jams to celebrate fútbol, including Ricky Martin’s “Cup of Life,” the official song of the 1998 event held in France and Shakira‘s “Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)” for the 2010 World Cup in Africa. The former peaked at No. 45 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1998, and the latter peaked at No. 38 on the Hot 100 dated July 3, 2010.
Also on the playlist are soccer-related bops by Carlos Vives and Camilo (“Baloncito Viejo”); Jason Derulo and Maluma (“Colors”); Will Smith, Nicky Jam and Era Istrefi (“Live It Up”); and Akon (“Oh Africa”), to name a few. As well a handful of officials songs for the 2022 World Cup released by FIFA such as “Hayya Hayya (Better Together),” featuring Trinidad Cardona, Davido, and Aisha, which fuses R&B and reggae influences, and “Arhbo,” a feel-good collaboration between Ozuna and French-Congolese rapper Gims named after the local slang word for “welcome” in Qatar and embodies the welcoming spirit of the Arabian country.
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The 2022 FIFA World Cup kicks off on Nov. 20 with host nation Qatar’s tournament opener against Ecuador. A total of 32 teams, representing different countries, will participate. In the end, one is crowned the World Cup champion on Dec. 18. Below, listen to the playlist. (You can find Billboard‘s updating list of 2022 World Cup songs here.)
As the World Cup gets set to launch in Qatar later this month, FIFA has announced a prestige league of global artists for its 2022 FIFA Fan Festival.
Artists playing on the festival’s mainstage include Calvin Harris and Diplo, along with Canadian/Morroccan singer Nora Fatehi, American singer Trinidad Cardona and Nigerian singer/songwriter Kizz Daniel.
“I’ve been really fortunate to travel all over the world and experience different cultures through music,” says Diplo. “Wherever I am, Jamaica, Spain, England, China, South Africa, etc., football is a social constant. Seeing so many fans from all over the world in one place – the FIFA Fan Festival is just awesome. Really looking forward to it!”
“I’m so excited to be playing for football fans from all over the world at this year’s FIFA Fan Festival,” adds Harris.
These five shows start in Qatar on Nov. 22 with Diplo’s performance and extend through Dec. 10 when Harris closes out the event. The Fan Festival promises music, entertainment, local culture, food and games along with, of course, loads of soccer.
These live performances are just one part of the musical offerings associated with the World Cup, the global soccer event in which 32 teams — representing different countries — participate with one, in the end, being crowned World Cup champion.
As has been tradition for many years, a select number of songs officially soundtrack the tournament, and so far this year several songs associated to the World Cup have been released, with a few including “Hayya Hayya (Better Together)” being part of the official FIFA soundtrack. See a list of those 2022 tracks here.
In honor of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, which kicks off Nov. 20, Billboard has reached out to Latin artists who are big fútbol fans to ask what the sport means to them. For our first installment, we spoke to Mexican actor and singer Diego Boneta (Luis Miguel: The Series) who is a self-declared soccer aficionado and is ready to support La Selección Mexicana — of course proudly wearing “la verde” (Mexico’s jersey) — during the tournament. Below, Boneta’s “What Fútbol Means to Me,” as told to Billboard.
My earliest memories of fútbol go back to when I was a kid, definitely. I’d play at recess with my friends. I even got signed up for fútbol classes when I was younger. I wasn’t amazing, but I was good and I really enjoyed playing. I grew up watching La Selección Mexican games. Fútbol matches were and are to this day a big deal for my family. Whenever La Selección is playing, nos ponemos la verde, and we watch the game at home, we’ll have friends and family over, we’ll have micheladas and root for them. I’m the type that will be on the edge of my seat the whole time and just start screaming at the television. I’m a screamer for sure.
The one World Cup song that has truly stuck with me is Ricky Martin’s “Cup of Life.” To this day, I love that song so much and it brings back many memories. Music is a big part of the World Cup and fútbol. Especially after personally having sung at some big stadiums, like Maracanã [in Brazil] back in the day, I feel like music goes hand in hand, that’s why having a great World Cup song is so important. It makes the event much more memorable.
The game that, as Mexicans, we’re probably all waiting for during this World Cup is the Mexico vs. Argentina game. That is the match to watch. I’ll be at home, watching with my family and friends, having some tequila, of course it all depends on what time they’re playing … But hopefully we’ll be celebrating afterwards and eating all the botanas you can think of, like guacamole, some tacos, cacahuates japoneses, papitas preparadas. Fútbol is really about us coming together, celebrating our country and roots. It’s about unity, culture, food, having fun. It’s very powerful, if you think about it.
My prediction for the México-Argentina game? 2-1, Mexico wins. Viva México!
The World Cup was inaugurated in 1930, but it wasn’t until 1990 that the Fédération Internationale de Football Association, or FIFA, began to adopt songs that would become the official soundtrack of the global soccer tournament, which happens every four years.
Some more popular than others, these official anthems have not only soundtracked World Cups, they’ve gone on to change the careers of the artists who’ve performed them. Such was the case for Ricky Martin, who in 1998 recorded the euphoric official song “Cup of Life (La Copa de la Vida)” for the tournament that took place that year in France.
At the peak of the “Latin explosion,” with artists such as Martin crossing over to the English market, the Puerto Rican star teamed up with Desmond Child and Draco Rosa to write and produce the song, which originally peaked at No. 60 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1998 and re-entered the chart at No. 45 in August 1999. The international smash hit also won a Grammy for best Latin pop performance.
Another official song that took on a life of its own is Shakira‘s joyful “Waka Waka (This Time for Africa),” featuring Afro-fusion band Freshlyground, for the 2010 soccer event held in South Africa. With more than 3 billion views on YouTube to date, the track peaked at No. 38 on the Hot 100 chart dated July 3, 2010.
This year, FIFA has released a handful of official songs for the 2022 World Cup, set to kick off Nov. 20 in host country Qatar. The first song released was the uplifting track “Hayya Hayya (Better Together),” featuring Trinidad Cardona, Davido and Aisha, which fuses R&B and reggae influences. For the first time ever, the tournament’s soundtrack will feature a multi-song collection, with international artists “showcasing diverse musical genres that span the world, setting the tone for a truly global celebration,” according to FIFA.
It’s worth noting that World Cup-inspired songs have been released since 1962, but not all have been adopted by FIFA. The ones below, for each year since 1990, are recognized as FIFA official theme songs and anthems.