{"id":595239,"date":"2026-04-10T17:46:10","date_gmt":"2026-04-10T17:46:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/595239\/"},"modified":"2026-04-10T17:46:10","modified_gmt":"2026-04-10T17:46:10","slug":"new-fifa-world-cup-music-includes-just-released-single-by-nelly-furtado","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/595239\/","title":{"rendered":"New FIFA World Cup music includes just-released single by Nelly Furtado"},"content":{"rendered":"

If World Cup<\/a> songs are meant to sound like the world linking arms, Jelly Roll\u2019s entry for 2026 is striking a more divisive chord.<\/p>\n

Last month, FIFA released \u201cLighter,\u201d the first official track for the tournament, pairing the American country artist with Mexican singer Car\u00edn Le\u00f3n and Canadian producer Cirkut. On paper, it\u2019s a cross-border collaboration for a World Cup spanning Canada, Mexico and the United States.<\/p>\n

But the battle-worn country-rock anthem \u2014 heavy on imagery of breaking free from personal shackles \u2014 has drawn mixed reactions, with critics arguing it misses the mark for what FIFA is touting as its \u201clargest and most inclusive\u201d tournament yet.<\/p>\n

\u201cJelly Roll\u2019s verses honestly sound a little MAGA,\u201d says Canadian sports media scholar Stephen Sheps.<\/p>\n

Canada coach saw pop culture possibilities via home World Cup<\/a><\/p>\n

While careful not to ascribe intent, Sheps says the song leans toward a distinctly American sensibility.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt sounds like it\u2019s singing to a certain kind of base \u2013 there\u2019s references to muddy boots and Chevy trucks in the lyrics. I don\u2019t know if that\u2019s what you think of when you think of football fans from around the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

Open this photo in gallery:<\/a><\/p>\n

Jelly Roll performs during the 2025 Invictus Games closing ceremony, in Vancouver, B.C.DARRYL DYCK\/The Canadian Press<\/p>\n

That tension points to a broader mismatch, he adds: a song striving for trilateral unity amid strained cross-border politics.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt leans into a kind of American dominance, even at a time where Mexican and Canadian political leaders have been trying really hard to disassociate from that kind of American hegemony,\u201d says Sheps, an undergraduate program director at Toronto Metropolitan University.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a stark disconnect from the current geopolitical realities we\u2019re facing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Inside the massive effort to grow World Cup grass<\/a><\/p>\n

Toronto sports broadcaster Ashley Docking agrees the track seems to cater to a right-wing American audience that might not typically watch soccer.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just disappointing, because there is a certain faction who probably watched Kid Rock\u2019s little alternative halftime show during the Super Bowl that\u2019s going to love this song,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was an opportunity to make something more inclusive, and they went straight eagles, stars and stripes.\u201d <\/p>\n

FIFA and Jelly Roll did not immediately respond to requests for comment.<\/p>\n

Historically, FIFA has used music not just to promote the World Cup, but to seize defining moments or export certain cultural sounds globally.<\/p>\n

\u201cLa Copa de la Vida\u201d by Ricky Martin captured the late-\u201990s Latin pop boom at the \u201998 World Cup in France, while Shakira\u2019s \u201cWaka Waka (This Time for Africa)\u201d spotlighted African sounds during South Africa\u2019s 2010 tournament. That track had its own controversy, with some criticizing FIFA for choosing a non-African lead artist, despite South African group Freshlyground providing backup vocals and music.<\/p>\n

FIFA redraws the map on top-tier World Cup seating<\/a><\/p>\n

For Toronto producer Hill Kourkoutis, the purpose of World Cup songs is to unite audiences and showcase local culture \u2014 and \u201cLighter,\u201d she argues, succeeds at the latter.<\/p>\n

\u201cNorth America is the host this year, and that\u2019s part of the culture \u2013 country music, especially out of the States, it\u2019s the sound. So I think it\u2019s totally reflective of the cultural identity of America, and it makes sense that that would be one of the songs we hear,\u201d says the Juno winner.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot all of us have to like everything \u2026 But to me, it\u2019s important to just respect culture at the end of the day.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kourkoutis was commissioned by FIFA to create a \u201csonic ID\u201d representing Toronto, which will be incorporated in World Cup marketing and social media campaigns. <\/p>\n

More songs from FIFA will be coming \u2014 \u201cLighter\u201d is the first single from an entire album of World Cup songs meant to represent all three countries. <\/p>\n

In a first for the organization, it also tapped producers from 16 host cities across Canada, Mexico and the U.S. to remix the official theme for this year\u2019s tournament \u2014 offering a more granular way to highlight regional sounds.<\/p>\n

FIFA World Cup machine keeps rolling no matter what<\/a><\/p>\n

Capturing the cultures of three distinct countries \u2014 each richly diverse in its own right \u2014 is no small task, Kourkoutis acknowledges. She says even reflecting the diversity of Toronto alone proved to be a challenge.<\/p>\n

\u201cToronto is known for so many things \u2014 we\u2019re so culturally diverse \u2014 so it was daunting at first,\u201d says Kourkoutis, who\u2019s worked with artists ranging from the Weeknd to Aysanabee.<\/p>\n

She wound up crafting a track combining what she calls \u201cthe Toronto sound\u201d \u2014 the moody, nocturnal style popularized by the Weeknd and Drake \u2014 with influences ranging from Punjabi to Caribbean music.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt felt like a walk through the city and its ethnic enclaves, ultimately ending up in the stadium.\u201d<\/p>\n

Open this photo in gallery:<\/a><\/p>\n

Nelly Furtado appeared at the 2026 JUNO Awards last month in Hamilton.Cindy Ord\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

In June, Canada Soccer will release an album, dubbed \u201cWhat If It All Goes Right?\u201d meant to rally support for the national team ahead of the World Cup. <\/p>\n

Executive produced by Boi-1da, the project features an all-star crew of Canadian artists including Alessia Cara, Charlotte Cardin and the Tragically Hip.<\/p>\n

The album\u2019s first single, \u201cElectric Circus\u201d by Nelly Furtado, drops Friday.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt doesn\u2019t feel like your typical World Cup sort of thing,\u201d said Cara in an interview last month. \u201cIt just feels like a really great representation of Toronto specifically, but just Canada in general.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Brampton, Ont., pop star added that while the album boasts a variety of styles, Boi-1da wanted her track to have a \u201cmid-range, anthemic vibe.\u201d<\/p>\n

From the sounds of it, there won\u2019t be any references to Chevy trucks.<\/p>\n

\u201cI tried to write it in a way that could apply to the players walking out onto the field and how that can feel, but also made it general enough that it\u2019s not about like, \u2018Score that goal!\u2019 or whatever.\u201d<\/p>\n

The City of Toronto and Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment unveiled several new upgrades to Toronto Stadium ahead of the 2026 World Cup, including the completed addition of 17,000 seats, the new pitch and major hospitality upgrades.<\/p>\n

The Canadian Press<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"If World Cup songs are meant to sound like the world linking arms, Jelly Roll\u2019s entry for 2026…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":595240,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[901,888,902,879,877,903,49,48,876,895,896,891,878,875,46,549,75,295,894,887,914,880,881,893,889,890,884,904,341,885,909,910,912,907,911,905,908,882,898,899,714,897,906,865,61,900,892,886,883,913],"class_list":{"0":"post-595239","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-music","8":"tag-alberta","9":"tag-arts-news","10":"tag-bc","11":"tag-breaking-news","12":"tag-breaking-news-video","13":"tag-british-columbia","14":"tag-ca","15":"tag-canada","16":"tag-canada-news","17":"tag-canada-sports","18":"tag-canada-sports-news","19":"tag-canada-trafficcanada-weather","20":"tag-canadian-breaking-news","21":"tag-canadian-news","22":"tag-economy","23":"tag-education","24":"tag-entertainment","25":"tag-environment","26":"tag-federal-government","27":"tag-foreign-news","28":"tag-globe-and-mail","29":"tag-globe-and-mail-breaking-news","30":"tag-globe-and-mail-canada-news","31":"tag-government","32":"tag-life-news","33":"tag-lifestyle","34":"tag-local-news","35":"tag-manitoba","36":"tag-music","37":"tag-national-news","38":"tag-new-brunswick","39":"tag-newfoundland-and-labrador","40":"tag-northwest-territories","41":"tag-nova-scotia","42":"tag-nunavut","43":"tag-ontario","44":"tag-pei","45":"tag-photos","46":"tag-political-news","47":"tag-political-opinion","48":"tag-politics","49":"tag-politics-news","50":"tag-quebec","51":"tag-sports-news","52":"tag-technology","53":"tag-travel","54":"tag-trudeau","55":"tag-us-news","56":"tag-world-news","57":"tag-yukon"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/595239","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=595239"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/595239\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/595240"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=595239"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=595239"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=595239"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}