The draw is done, the ball has been revealed and the stage is set, we are well and truly approaching the World Cup season.
Held once every quadrennial, the festival of football brings with it joy, heartbreak and passion. While the participants and venues have been decided, the spectacle itself is still months away, specifically in November.
Yet, World Cup fever is beginning to catch on, as more and more gets revealed.
We’ve had the match ball, and the group stage draw and on Friday, fans received another reminder that the World Cup is fast approaching.
This came in the form of the official FIFA World Cup 2022 soundtrack, titled ‘Hayya Hayya’ (Better Together).
Featuring US star Trinidad Cardona, Qatari Singer Aisha and Nigerian superstar Davido, the song draws on R&B influences and provides an uplifting track.
A chorus of trumpets blares in the background and the track is carried by melodic vocals from the featured artists, offering up a laid back tone.
Fans were quick to the scene and reactions online flooded in, here are some of the highlights-
Some weren’t a fan –
Evidently, the low key vibes weren’t to everyone’s liking.
Having Davido on the track certainly helped its chances, considering how beloved the Nigerian is, however, fans still seemed unsatisfied. Important to remember, that music, like many forms of art, is subjective and what doesn’t strike a chord in your heart might be harmonious for someone else.
Nevertheless, general reactions were rather mixed.
The magic of South Africa 2010 got perfectly captured in the tracks, likewise so did Brazil 2014’s. The official song for the iteration was Pitbull and Jennifer Lopez’ ‘Ole Ola’, the track heavily drew from Latin music influences, and delivered a song you can truly Macarena to. This was followed up by Shakira dropping ‘La La’ which ended up being even more popular than the official variant, another iconic track by the artist.
Russia 2018’s tracks on the other hand were largely forgettable, the official track titled ‘Live it Up’ felt lacklustre to many. On the other hand, the unofficial highlight was Jason Derulo’s ‘Colors’, a commendable effort, but no way near the icons.
Naturally, fans fear that 2022 won’t deliver a World Cup classic either.
The way no one cares about the world cup song if it's not Shakira 😌
— Radical Optimism 🌊 (@radpessimist22) April 1, 2022
Wavin Flag by K'naan, Waka Waka by Shakira, Sign of a Victory by R. Kelly and Oh Africa by Akon.
No World Cup song still comes close to these 2010 classics.
Somali-Canadian artist K’naan struck gold with ‘Wavin’ Flag‘, the track provided an uplifting soundscape and captured the essence of the beautiful game. Its lyrics are still stuck like earworms in the hearts of fans, and for many, it simply couldn’t get any better.
Nothing will ever beat Wavin’ Flag and Waka Waka, I seriously don’t know why anyone bothers anymore
Having Davido on the track certainly helped its chances, considering how beloved the Nigerian artist is.
His influence has overtaken many Nigerian Football fans and many deemed his feature on the global track to be ‘historic’.
It also helped that Davido held his own on the track, and blended well with the overall tone. While Nigeria wasn’t able to qualify for Qatar, Naija fans can find consolation in Davido’s feature.
Hopefully, this opens up the possibility of other African artists playing a part in the rest of the World Cup soundtrack.
You won't know what it means for African Music that Davido is featured in a World Cup song but we will all realise how historic it will be in the future.
Davido did well with this Hayya Hayya Better Together World Cup song. It’s one with beautiful vibes. Actually a big win for him and our music Industry at large!
