How Shakira & Burna Boy’s ‘Dai Dai’ Turned World Cup Buzz Into Global Chart Domination
Categoria: Musica
"In its earliest stages, the song already felt World Cup ready," says marketing specialist Ray Rock. "We knew instantly that Shakira had aced the assignment."
Por Billboard | 24/07/2026
Shakira and Burna Boy ‘s global smash “Dai Dai” was always designed to meet a massive moment. The song first premiered at the World Cup opening ceremony in Mexico City on June 11, then continued to build throughout the tournament before reaching another peak with the Colombian superstar and Burna Boy’s performance during the first-ever World Cup final halftime show on July 19 — and, even after the tournament’s close, it has kept surging across Billboard ’s charts. That momentum has now translated into No. 1 placements on 10 charts worldwide for “Dai Dai,” including on the Billboard Global 200 , Billboard Global Excl. U.S. and Latin Airplay charts. Its rise was the product not only of the scale of the World Cup stage, but of a carefully paced global strategy led behind the scenes by independent marketing specialist Ray Rock , who works across multiple artist management teams from Philadelphia and Los Angeles and whose active roster includes Shakira, Ariana Grande , Coldplay and Madonna . And that success has earned Ray Rock the title of Billboard ‘s Executive of the Week. Related Which Artist Got the Biggest Boost Performing at the World Cup? Soulja Boy Requests DNA Test for Son With Ex Jackilyn Martinez Desiigner Arrested on Domestic Violence Charge in South Carolina In the eight weeks leading up to “Dai Dai,” Rock and the team reengaged different segments of Shakira’s global audience with releases in three languages — the Spanish-language “Algo Tú” with Beéle , a dance-pop remix of Zara Larsson’s “Eurosummer” and the Portuguese-language Anitta collab “Choka Choka” — “ultimately reinforcing Shakira’s status as one of the most global figures to ever exist in pop,” he says. Here, Rock discusses when he first realized the song had true anthem potential, how the team avoided peaking too early during the tournament and why building bespoke campaigns around an artist’s particular strengths matters more than ever in a crowded-release music industry. “Dai Dai” has now collected 10 Billboard No. 1s worldwide. Early on, what did you and the team see in the song that made you believe it had the potential to break through at this level? The first time Shakira shared her demo of the song was at a 2026 kickoff meeting just days after New Year’s at her studio in Miami. The final song structure was still being finalized, but [Shakira’s manager] Nadine Eliya and I were immediately inspired by the globally-influenced pop sound Shakira had developed, alongside producer A.C. ; and the lyrics, specifically the football chant-inspired hook that she had written. In its earliest stages, the song already felt World Cup ready. We knew instantly that Shakira had aced the assignment of an anthem. The song premiered at the World Cup opening ceremony in Mexico City and then kept building through the tournament, culminating in the final halftime show. What was the core strategy behind sustaining momentum over the course of the World Cup