Shakira Says Burna Boy Was Her First Choice for ‘Dai Dai’

Shakira Reveals She Personally Called Burna Boy to Land Him on World Cup Anthem ‘Dai Dai’

Colombian pop superstar Shakira has opened up about how her 2026 FIFA World Cup anthem, Dai Dai, came to feature Nigerian Afrobeats giant Burna Boy, revealing that he was her first and only choice for the record. According to reports, the singer admitted she had admired Burna Boy for a long time and took matters into her own hands by phoning him directly.

“I Was Obsessed With Getting Him on the Track” — How the Dai Dai Collaboration Was Born

“I’ve always loved Burna, I was obsessed with getting him on the track, so I called him,” Shakira reportedly said while explaining the origins of the partnership. Rather than going through intermediaries, the pop icon reached out to the Nigerian star herself, determined to make a collaboration she had long wanted a reality.

Her vision for the song also shaped the decision. Shakira reportedly wanted Dai Dai to fuse a range of influences, from Afrobeats to Caribbean rhythms, and Burna Boy’s signature sound made him the obvious fit. The finished track paired her global pop sensibility with his Afrobeats style, crafted to capture the borderless spirit of football.

Dai Dai was released as the official song of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and the pair took the collaboration to its biggest stage yet when they performed it together at the tournament’s first-ever final halftime show — a historic moment for both artists and for Afrobeats on the world stage.

From Waka Waka to Dai Dai: Shakira’s Football Legacy Meets Burna Boy’s Global Rise

Shakira is no stranger to World Cup music. Her 2010 anthem, Waka Waka (This Time for Africa), remains one of the most recognisable songs ever attached to the tournament, and Dai Dai has further cemented her association with football’s biggest event.

For Burna Boy, the feature marks another landmark in a career that has carried him from Lagos to the summit of global music. Being hand-picked by one of the world’s biggest pop stars for a project of this scale underlines how far Afrobeats has travelled, and news of Shakira’s revelation has reportedly sparked celebration among Nigerian fans proud to see their star sought out by name.

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On X

Sunday Prep! @shakira See you at the @FIFAWorldCup Final! Dai dai, ikó, dale, allez, let’s go ❤️‍🔥⚽️! 🇳🇬 https://t.co/WQc2rP0o1M

— Burna Boy (@burnaboy) View on X

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