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2018 FIFA World Cup Anthem ‘Colors’ by Jason Derulo

Sports are one of the things that unify people from all over the world. Regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, beliefs, and education, most people can find common ground playing and watching their favorite sports. Some of the most notable sports events in the world are the Olympics and the World Cup. Wherever these events are held, millions of people from across the globe converge in the host nation to watch the games and also interact with one another. The culture of sports is one that is universal to all people. The FIFA World Cup has a theme song for every world cup, and the 2018 anthem ‘Colors’ by American artist Jason Derulo is a celebration of the diverse cultures from all over the world.

The FIFA world cup often referred to simply as the world cup, is a global soccer event that brings together 32 teams from all over the world. For three years before the vent, regional organizations take part in qualifying matches before the final teams are picked. The event takes place every four years since 1930 when the first world cup was held. Many countries crave the chance to host the world cup for many reasons. The event itself is a mega production, with millions of people traveling to the host nation to cheer their favorite teams and also to just watch the sport they love the most. The host country gets a substantial economic boost from the visitors. It is also a celebration of diversity as people from multiple countries and cultures from all over the world had the opportunity to interact with each other (Oonk & van Campenhout).

Each FIFA world cup has a theme song that is meant to be an anthem for the event. The 2018 world cup was held in Russia. The theme song was ‘Colors’ by Jason Derulo. The song delivers a mix of stunning visuals, engaging beats and empowering lyrics celebrating cultures from all parts of the world. Aside from sports, Music also has a unifying power for many people. Music is used to convey human emotions such as pain, grief, happiness, anger, loneliness, and love among many others. No matter the language that a song is sung in, it evokes powerful emotions from its audience. The FIFA world cup anthem is the perfect mix of sport and music (Valencia). The anthem is the chance for the world cup to communicate what it stands for and also to entertain its millions of fans. The song is synonymous with the world cup tournament.

The video for the song has dancers waving flags from many countries in the world including Germany, France, Colombia, Mexico, the United States, Russia, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Canada, and Nigeria among many other countries. This itself is a mark of the diversity of the world cup which brings together football teams from all parts of the world during the World Cup. The dancers in the video also showcase different dances unique to their culture. They have dancers from all regions of the world such as Asia, Africa, Europe, North and South America. All these dancers also wear their traditional outfits that are very colorful and celebrate their various cultures and backgrounds. The dances are lovely with the dancers being very flexible and relay giving their best performance. The video was shot in the breathtaking Citadelle Laferriere in Haiti and also in Miami (Valencia). The two locations provide spectacular backdrops that add beauty and authenticity to the music video itself.

The lyrics of the song written by Jason Derulo urge the listeners to celebrate diversity. This is the whole point of the World Cup; to embrace diversity and appreciate our individual cultures. The lyrics begin by explaining that we should look at what we’ve overcome, the world had faced many disasters and problems and the fact that we overcame all of them is the first reason for celebration. The lyrics go on to say that the writer is going to wave their flag and count all the reasons as to why they won, “Oh, I’m gonna wave-a-wave my flag And count all the reasons We are the champions” (Derulo). Different people from all over the world have different flags, and every one of them should wave theirs and think of all the reasons they are winners.

Derulo also writes in the lyrics of ‘Colors’ that there’s still a long way to go, but that should not stop us from celebrating the far we have come. It is true that people and countries still have many issues and challenges such as climate change, war, famine, disease, and many others. However, the world cup is a chance to forget the worries of every day and take a moment to celebrate all the achievements made so far. He says that “There’s beauty in the unity we’ve found” (Derulo); the world is so much more beautiful when people are united and celebrate each other. The world cup is a symbol of the world’s unity. He urges everyone to put their hands up to celebrate their colors.

“A new day has just begun/ And I wear my colors on my back (celebrate, celebrate)/We’re created equal/ One race, and that’s human.” (Derulo) These lines from the 2018 FIFA world cup anthem emphasize the equality of all human beings. Derulo explains that it is time for a new day which is a new beginning for the human race; they should not be divided by issues such as race. He wears all the colors of the various flags on his back, showing that he celebrates them all. All over the world, people have faced discrimination based on race, ethnicity, and religion and ‘Colors’ wants to do away with all that. According to the song, all people are born equal; the only race that matters is the human race. Our different cultures should be a matter of celebration and not disunity and intolerance.

Several remixes of the song ‘Colors’ have been made. The central theme of the song which is embracing our diversity and celebrating who we are has been enhanced with the local remixes. Coca-cola is the main sponsor of the FIFA 2018 world cup, and it has partnered with artists from all over the world to come up with localized versions of the song so that local audiences can identify even more with it (Valencia). Artists come from Russia, Latin America, Europe, and Asia. Coca-Cola describes the FIFA world cup as “a social and cultural phenomenon that transcends age, race, gender, and religion.” Music is a big part of the world cup franchise, and the 2018 song by Jason Derulo plays tribute to the inclusivity and equality advocated for by the world cup. Derulo worked with other artists to morph the song into something even more powerful while retaining its message.

One of the artists that Jason Derulo has worked with is Maluma from South America. Football and music are two of the most popular things in South America, and the ‘Colors’ remix was received with excitement by fans. Maluma is one of the biggest musical acts in South America which added even more appeal to the song. Maluma had a significant interest in football himself and brought the football moves as well as Spanish remixes to the son which instantly became a fan favorite. He traveled to Miami to film the remix with Derulo.

Remixes from Africa proved to be a bit of a challenge, because of the different countries and languages spoken in the continent. Derulo teamed up with several artists including Diamond Platinumz from Tanzania, Cassper Nyovest from South Africa, Y Kee Benda from Uganda and Lizha James from Mozambique. All these artists have different styles of music, and their remixes appealed to diverse audiences from all over the continent (Oonk & van Campenhout). Switzerland in Europe was chosen for its diversity; the languages spoken in the small country include German French and Italian. Being one of the teams playing in the 2018 world cup, the Swiss people were delighted by the chance to cheer on their team with their own version of the anthem. Other artists that took part in the ‘Colors; remixes include Basta from Russia, Douzi from Morocco, as well as Lil Eazy and Aseel Omran from Saudi Arabia.

The FIFA world cup gives a chance for football lovers and players from all over the world to celebrate their shared love for the ‘beautiful game.’ Music has been incorporated into the world cup in the form of an anthem. These anthems have gone on to become one of the most memorable parts of the world cup, for example, Shakira’s song ‘Waka Waka’ and ‘Wavin’ Flag’ by K’naan in 2010. Jason Derulo held his own with the 2018 anthem ‘Colors.’ The song is essentially a celebration of the diverse cultures of the world, from its spectacular visuals featuring flags and dances from all parts of the world to its powerful lyrics embracing the equality of all human beings. The song has many remixes by artists all over the world, further embracing the cultures from different continents and people.

Works Cited

Derulo, Jason “Colors” YouTube. Published on 11 April 2018. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6E9R9qv1NoOonk, Gijsbert, and Gijs van Campenhout. “The Emergence of Hyperdiversity at the World Cup Football, 1930-2022.” (2018).

Valencia, Candalija. “Diversity, religion and politics during the 2018 World Cup in Russia.” Fair Play, Revista de Filosofía, Ética y Derecho del Deporte 12 (2018): 21-54.