The 2022 FIFA World Cup kicks off on November 20th in Qatar, and soccer fans around the world are ready for a month full of fun. Each World Cup comes with Official Songs, Anthems, and songs for the Official Soundtrack. There have been artists from around the world with the honor of saying they sang the Official World Cup Song. Check out some unforgettable Official Songs that featured Latinos.
1998: Ricky Martin “La Copa de la Vida”
Ricky Martin was at the top of his career in 1998 when he was asked to sing and compose the official song for the World Cup taking place that year in France. His banger “La Copa de la Vida,” had a Spanish and English version and he made his GRAMMY stage debut with it. The unforgettable song became one of his biggest hits and is credited for exploding interest in Latin music.
2010: Shakira’s “Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)”
Like many others, Camilo told HOLA, Shakira’s “Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)” is his favorite World Cup song. She performed the official song with South African band Freshlyground during the Closing Ceremony ahead of the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa Final match between Netherlands and Spain. Impressively, it was the most successful song of 2010 in seven countries. It’s also the song that brought her and ex Gerard Pique together, as they met on the set of the music video.
2014: Pitbull, Jennifer Lopez, Claudia Leitte “ We Are One”
Pitbull, J.Lo, and Claudia Leitte had a tough act to follow with Waka Waka. But they looked to Brazilian rhythms for inspiration for the song “We Are One (Ole Ola)” for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. At first the song was met with mixed reviews with people saying it was not Brazilian enough so they released a new version which was the song they used for the music videos.
2018: Nicky Jam feat. Will Smith & Era Istref “Live It Up”
Produced by Diplo, The Picard Brothers, and Free School, “Live It Up” was the official song of the 2018 World Cup held in Russia. It brought Nicky Jam, Will Smith & Era Istref together for an interesting mix. The song reached number 1 in Pamana and was top 10 in Hungary, Poland, Bolivia, and Argentina but was met with negative reviews. Some people even asked FIFA to change the song.
,type=downsize)