In need of a global superstar for a sports anthem?Colombian singer J Balvinis the right man for the job.
Balvin is one-fourth of Coca-Cola’s official anthem for theFIFA World Cup 2026, a reimagination of Van Halen’s “Jump” that also featuresdrummer Travis Barker, pop/R&B singer Amber Mark and guitarist Steve Vai.
“Our biggest moments in history, of happiness, surround sports,” he says of Colombia. “Of course music, but sport has this power (to) unite a whole country and vibe in a really positive way. So that’s part of my DNA.”
Last year, Joshua Burke, head of global music and culture marketing at TheCoca-Cola Company, approached Balvin with the idea. The singer initially felt trepidation.
“I’m really precautious when it comes to songs like this one,” Balvin said. “It’s like touching the Mona Lisa.”
“I have so much respect for anthems like that,” he said. So, he had to take “a totally different approach” to make it work; he wanted to avoid straightforward comparisons to the original recording.
“It was like a puzzle,” he says.
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Mark’s rich, crystalline voice is the first heard on the track; she sings the song’s original English lyrics. Vai transforms its iconic guitar; Barker amplifies its percussion.
The greatest difference is found in Balvin’s contributions. He wrote a new verse — in Spanish — atop production courtesy his collaborator L.E.X.V.Z, a sound he describes as “Brazilian funk with hard strings, kind of like hip-hop.”
Source: California Post – Breaking California News, Photos & Videos
