You won’t be hearing "Oh Canada" at the 2010 FIFA World Cup (something to do with our national soccer team not qualifying). But the games’ anthem will come courtesy of a rapper raised in Toronto.
Rapper K’Naan has remixed his Troubadour single "Wavin’ Flag," and the inspirational tune will serve as the official song for the 2010 soccer tournament.
"Wavin’ Flag" will be put to use in TV and online commercials leading up to the games, and will be blasted during every FIFA event of the World Cup.
By the time the games kick off in South Africa next summer, lyrics such as "See the champions take the field now/ Unify us, make us feel proud" could be as maddeningly ubiquitous as Ricky Martin’s "La Copa de Vida" (theme of the 1998 World Cup) — or, to a lesser extent, Nelly Furtado’s "Forca" (the anthem of Euro 2004).
K’Naan, who spent his early childhood in Mogadishu, Somalia, is currently touring throughout Africa on a FIFA/Coca Cola-sponsored World Cup Trophy tour.
"K’Naan is the perfect man for the job – he’s not only a great musician but a special person with a truly authentic story," Umut Ozaydinli, global music marketing manager for The Coca-Cola Company, told the U.K.-based Sport Industry Group. "He’s not known in many of the countries where we’re launching the track but we’re confident his music will connect with football and music fans all over the world."
The original Wavin’ Flag was the third single released off the 2009 album Troubadour, and the only K’Naan track ever to chart on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 at No. 99. It also appears on the soundtrack for the video game NBA 2K10.
The 2010 FIFA World Cup will be held in South Africa starting June 11.
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