We’ve seen our fair share of head-turning crossover collaborations over the past year, but you can bet the official FIFA World Cup song was bound to induce a couple of double takes. It’s official: Will Smith and reggaeton legend Nicky Jam will unite for the tournament’s anthem. Nicky Jam’s manager Juan Diego Medina revealed the news during an appearance on Colombian program W Radio yesterday morning. Medina spoke to the radio show’s hosts from Budapest. “I can’t give you many details, but it’s a banger, and it’s with a friend of ours, who is Will Smith, with production by Diplo,” he told the show’s host. Medina also said that the song will be released on Friday, May 25.
Smith leaked the news via Instagram on Tuesday morning, revealing that Kosovo pop star Era Istrefi will appear on the song as well.
In April, Smith took a trip to Colombia, where he shot the upcoming film Gemini Man. Nicky Jam linked with Smith in Cartagena, where the reggaetonero taught him the dance to “X (Equis)” and Smith turned up to champeta.
Several other World Cup-affiliated songs have a Colombian connection; the Coca-Cola-sponsored track features Maluma and Jason Derulo, while the Telemundo Deportes anthem features J Balvin and Michael Brun. However, the official FIFA track is typically the most prestigious song associated with the tournament. Previous World Cup anthems include Shakira’s “Waka Waka” and Ricky Martin’s “The Cup of Life,” which catapulted Martin’s career and introduced him to a global audience, so we can guess this collab could do the same for Nicky.
