One of the biggest and most anticipated tournament of the sports world FIFA World Cup is back and it will be held in Qatar this year from 20th November, 2022. Building its hype, the FIFA dropped a series of official soundtrack, one of which Light The Sky is all about girl power and diversity in a game dominated by men.
Featuring four female musicians from Morocco, India, United Arab Emirates and Iraq, the track celebrates cultural diversity like the game. Bollywood’s Nora Fatehi, Emirati singer Balqees Ahmed Fathi, Iraqi artist Rahma Riad and Moroccan singer Manal Benchlikha flaunt their vocals and performing capabilities , representing their different cultures. The soundtrack features not only English lyrics but also Moroccan Arabic bits while Nora also sings a part in Hindi.
The official music video pays homage to the women on the field as it features a short clip of female referees of the 2022 World Cup.
It is heartening to see four beautiful women, hailing from rich cultures, gathered on a platform to reflect that music can serve as a cultural anchor. The song strengthens a sense of community and unison and at the same time, it also establishes a feeling of identity and heritage, reaching out to people of different backgrounds.
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However, the song doesn’t live up to the hype that its memorable predecessors have built in their respective years. Light The Sky is a foot-tapping number and kudos to Nora’s part in Hindi which hits at home as Indians and Pakistanis can instantly feel a connect with the song. But football world cups have witnessed better, brighter and more upbeat tracks which have become a phenomena because they were universally well-received even by those who were not followers of soccer.
Ricky Martin’s The Cup of Life, the official song for 1998 World Cup, became a game-changer for Latin music worldwide. Later, K’Naan released Wavin Flag for the people of Somalia and their aspirations for freedom. It became a global smash hit when selected as Coca Cola’s promotional song for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Imagine, this happened when 2010 already had the world in trance with Shakira’s irresistibly catchy Waka Waka. While we love to see a familiar face and hear a relatable language on a world stage like FIFA, we will always wish to hear a pride-stirring and morale boosting anthem for a tournament of this magnitude.
The opening ceremony of FIFA World Cup 2022 will be held at the Al Bayt Stadium on November 20.
Here is another song from the FIFA soundtrack 2022:
