Era Istrefi joins forces with Will Smith for World Cup anthem

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Era Istrefi joins forces with Will Smith for World Cup anthem
Will Smith, Era Istrefi and Nicky Jam.

The official World Cup song is slated for release this Friday.

By Staff Report

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Published: Thu 24 May 2018, 8:02 PM

When City Time met Albanian singer-songwriter Era Istrefi late April, she was looking forward to working on her new album and releasing two new singles.
The Bonbon singer, whose track propelled her to instant stardom in 2016 when it was released, garnering over 500 million views on YouTube alone, told us how she was shocked at the sudden fame, considering it was sung in an Albanian dialect.
Now with news that the Kosovar pop singer has joined forces with none other that Hollywood A-lister Will Smith and Columbia based reggaeton star Nicky Jam to launch the official 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia anthem on May 25, we are understandably excited! The track is produced by Diplo.
Era Istrefi with Mr. Suhail Galadari in Dubai.
The Men in Black star seemingly confirmed the news when he posted a picture on Instagram alongside Nicky Jam, with the caption: One Life to Live. Live it Up. #WorldCup and tagged Diplo, Nicky Jam and Era Istrefi in the post.
World Cup songs are usually performed at the beginning or end of the tournament and  with the 2018 World Cup kicking off on June 14, fans can look forward to a spectacular event once again.
Also read: Era Istrefi dazzles fans in Dubai
The 2014 World Cup in Brazil saw Pitbull alongside Jennifer Lopez and Claudia Leitte storm the stage with their rousing rendition of We Are One (Ole Ola); in 2010 it was Shakira whose Waka Waka reverberated across the South African stadium.
With the performance of this track at the World Cup spectacle, Era will join luminaries like Shakira (Waka Waka) and Ricky Martin (The Cup of Life)
The pop star referenced Rihanna as a huge inspiration during her conversation with City Times: "When my voice hits certain notes, it sounds like Rihanna and I'm aware of that... But I always try to keep my own style in terms of music, lyrics and personality - I don't try to copy her art, it's just my voice which is similar to hers."
Era who stated that since she gets bored easily, she likes to change her looks, genre and music regularly, elaborated: "I'm like a chameleon ... I evolve - I would say that Reggae was my first 'love' along with dance hall which people really 'vibed' with, then I combined it with Hip Hop, RnB, Soul, Pop, Electronic and lately Trap. But pop is always there, that's my main thing."
So fans can expect something totally different from her collaboration with Will Smith and Nicky Jam.
The singer who performed at XL Dubai on April 26 had a special shout out to Suhail Galadari of Khaleej Times: "Thank you for your support and hospitality. For inviting me and supporting all international artists; you are the best!"
citytimes@khaleejtimes.com


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