Shakira reveals she specifically sought out Burna Boy for “Dai Dai”

Colombian superstar Shakira has opened up about how deliberately she pursued Nigerian Afrobeats giant Burna Boy for their 2026 FIFA World Cup anthem “Dai Dai,” describing the collaboration as the fulfillment of a long-held goal.

In an interview with People magazine around the song’s release, Shakira explained that the track’s core melody, lyrics, and concept came together relatively easily. What it still needed, she felt, was a distinctive voice that could elevate it further. Burna Boy was the only artist who came to mind.

“When I recorded ‘Dai Dai,’ I felt like it needed something. And the only person that I thought like ‘Yeah, he’ll kill it’ was Burna Boy,” she said. “So when I had Burna Boy record it, that was like the cherry on top. I always wanted to do something with Burna, and I think that his voice just takes it to another level.”

In some accounts of the conversation she went further, calling him “like the best African artiste I’ve ever heard.” The comments underscore how intentional the pairing was rather than a last-minute label suggestion. Shakira had admired Burna Boy’s distinctive vocal style and global impact for some time and saw him as the ideal complement to the song’s blend of Latin rhythms and Afrobeats energy.

“Dai Dai” (roughly “come on, come on”) served as an official song for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, hosted across the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The track carries a message of resilience, inner strength, and opportunity for children, with Shakira directing her royalties toward education initiatives. The pair performed it at both the tournament’s opening events and the final’s historic halftime show at MetLife Stadium.

The collaboration quickly became a streaming and chart success, topping Spotify’s global daily chart for multiple days, amassing hundreds of millions of streams and views, and boosting both artists’ profiles. Shakira’s public praise highlighted not just professional admiration but a clear creative obsession with landing Burna Boy’s voice on the record, something she had wanted long before the World Cup opportunity arose.