‘I Was Obsessed With Getting Burna Boy on World Cup Anthem’ — Shakira

Shakira says she waited nearly three weeks for Burna Boy to
deliver his verse on ‘Dai Dai,’ their collaboration on the official soundtrack
for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

In a recent interview, Shakira revealed that she was
“obsessed and determined” to have the Afro-fusion star feature on ‘Dai Dai’
from the outset because the track needed a strong male vocal to match the
energy of the global football tournament.

“Once I had this song, I felt I really needed a male vocal
in the song because the World Cup carries a big male energy,” she said.

“I was like, who can give me that very masculine voice that
I want in this sort of Afrobeats setting? Because this song is very Afrobeats,
but it also has some Caribbean sounds and a little bit of R&B.

“I’ve always loved Burna. I always wanted to do something
with him, so I called him. I’m like, ‘Hey, are you down to do this?’ And he was
like, ‘Yeah, why not?’”

However, the Colombian hitmaker admitted that the Grammy
winner kept her in suspense for weeks before submitting his contribution,
leaving her uncertain if the collaboration would materialise.

“It took a while. I was waiting for about 20 days for him to
send something and I’m like, ‘Okay, maybe he’s not going to do it.’ But then he
sent his magic and it was just absolutely perfect,” she said.

“I was so obsessed about having Burna on this track. I’m so
glad that I got him.”

Earlier, Shakira had described Burna Boy’s contribution to
‘Dai Dai’ as the “cherry on top,” adding that his voice took the song “to
another level”.

Beyond the World Cup, Shakira explained that the song was
created to inspire children around the world and remind them that no dream is
too big.

She added that the project also highlights the need to
provide children with better opportunities, especially access to quality
education.

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