Shakira’s name has become almost synonymous with the FIFA World Cup. Since her electrifying performance of “Hips Don’t Lie” in Berlin’s 2006 final, the Colombian singer has repeatedly turned the tournament into a stage for her music.
This year’s edition is no different. Data from Spotify shows that “Hips Don’t Lie” has surged 61.6% in streams, while “Waka Waka” – released during the 2010 South Africa tournament – jumped 246% the day after the competition opened and now sits 128% above its pre‑tournament baseline.
Another legacy track, “La La La”, which debuted in 2014 and starred Lionel Messi and Neymar in its video, is also enjoying a renaissance, with streams climbing 124.2% this year.
A New Collaboration
The most recent buzz surrounds “Dai Dai”, a collaboration with Nigerian afrobeats star Burna Boy. The song, released amid the current tournament, blends English, Italian, Spanish, French and Japanese, and name‑checks legends such as Pelé, David Beckham, Mohamed Salah, Kylian Mbappé, Harry Kane and Christian Pulisic. The music video even features the three stars alongside Mbappé, Kane and Pulisic.
The lyrical nods extend to Andrés Iniesta and Carlos Valderrama, grounding the track in football lore. According to streaming metrics, “Dai Dai” has risen 136% in plays, and a global tally of 35 million playlists now includes one of Shakira’s four World Cup‑related songs.
Breaking Records
The ripple effect reaches beyond individual tracks. Shakira’s entire catalog has logged a 21.6% increase in streams throughout the tournament, and the artist recently became the first female Latin musician to surpass 100 million monthly listeners on Spotify.
Demographically, “Waka Waka” attracts a youthful audience – more than a quarter of its listeners are under 25 – and 15% of its recent audience are newcomers to the artist. One in seven current streams comes from someone who had never heard Shakira before.
The phenomenon is not confined to one market. In Germany, where the 2006 final took place, the song’s legacy still resonates; in South Africa, the birthplace of “Waka Waka”, the track continues to dominate playlists; and in Brazil, a nation with deep football passion, the singer’s reach remains strong.