Prepare to have Maluma stuck in your head all summer, guys. With the 2018 World Cup just three months away, FIFA has started rolling out some of this year’s official championship songs—and now, we’ve learned that at least one of these will include Colombia’s favorite self-proclaimed pretty boy.
Speaking with Ebro Darden on Beats 1, Maluma revealed that he and Jason Derulo are going to kick off the tournament with an anthem that will be released in both English and Spanish. Derulo recently shared one Coca-Cola-sponsored track called “Colors,” and it seems Maluma will be reworking the lyrics in Spanish, according to Billboard.
Regardless of what they say, a FIFA anthem marks a major opportunity for Maluma, and it’s a chance for the current Latin boom to keep blooming. World Cup songs have done a lot to give Latin artists serious exposure—Ricky Martin won global attention with 1998’s “The Cup of Life” and Shakira saw huge success with “Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)”, which sampled Golden Sounds’ hit “Zangaléwa.”
“I remember when I saw Shakira doing the World Cup song and other things, and now it’s my time to do it. I feel a huge responsibility and it’s such an honor,” Maluma told Ebro on Monday.
Plus, a World Cup anthem is a personal win for Maluma: If you remember, he was a soccer player as a teenager and even trained with the Medellin team Atlético Nacional before eventually signing to Sony Music. He shared that recording the track is allowing him to go back to his days on the field.
“It’s incredible because all of the commercials and things that we’re recording, it’s playing soccer. So I feel like I’m in my zone,” he said.
It’s shaping up to be a big year for Maluma—he recently dropped “El Prestamo” in anticipation of his new album F.A.M.E., which is due out this May. On Beats 1, he also told Ebro that F.A.M.E. will feature songs in English and Spanish—hinting that he’s angling to be the latest crossover success.
He gave fans a sneak peak of the song Wednesday at Faena Theater in Miami Beach. Check out the performance below: