"I Owe It to Ed Sheeran": Burna Boy on Securing His World Cup Track
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| Burna Boy (Nigerian singer and songwriter) |
Grammy Award-winning Nigerian artist Burna Boy has credited British pop star Ed Sheeran for facilitating his feature alongside Shakira on "Dai Dai," the official anthem for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
In a recent interview with Capital FM, the singer shared that Sheeran personally contacted him to collaborate on the project—an opportunity he eagerly accepted, citing a long-standing desire to work with Shakira.
“He’s actually the first to call me about this because he’s the one who had my number. He hit me up and said we should a World cup song with Shakira and I said I’ll love to work with Shakira, let’s do it,” Burna Boy said.
Burna Boy also revealed that Sheeran helped prepare him for the high-stakes performance at the 2026 FIFA World Cup final, offering an early heads-up about the sheer scale of the global event.
He added: “He had to give me a heads-up like, ‘Yo, you’re going to have to perform at the finals and all of that.’ He knows me… he knows how I get down.
“He knows the stress part is a bit crazy for me, so he gave me a heads-up. He was like, ‘Yo, it’s going to be real stressful.'”
Burna Boy praised Sheeran’s character and professionalism, describing him as one of the most thoughtful collaborators he has ever worked with.
“He’s just a very sensible and lovable guy. He is someone I have taken to personally from the beginning. Ed is very smart, man. He always knows what he is doing.”
