ROBBIE Williams has been confirmed as the Official FIFA Music Ambassador – with his new anthem set to debut at the Miami World Cup opening today.
Superstar Robbie, 51, will take on an ongoing global role with FIFA, tasked with bringing music and football closer together on the world stage.
Robbie Williams has been confirmed as the Official FIFA Music Ambassador[/caption]
His first contribution is Desire – the first official FIFA anthem – which will be played as teams walk onto the pitch at every FIFA match worldwide.
Robbie wrote and recorded the track alongside long-time collaborators Karl Brazil, Owen Parker and Erik Jan Grob.
It features vocals from Italian singer Laura Pausini and was produced by Karl and Owen, with mixing by Richard Flack.
The former X Factor judge said: “Music and football bring people together like nothing else.
“Football and music have both been part of my life for as long as I can remember, so this means a lot to me on a personal level.”
The track will be introduced with a video at tonight’s opening game at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.
It will then accompany every official FIFA tournament, including the FIFA World Cup 26 and future global fixtures.
Laura said: “It’s an honour to be invited to join Robbie on this song. Desire is amazing, really touching. Since I was a little girl growing up in Italy, I remember the thrill and passion for football. To be part of that on a global stage is a dream.”
The announcement comes as Robbie wraps up the UK leg of his BRITPOP Tour, which has seen him perform to more than 250,000 fans in the past fortnight.
The tour continues across Europe this summer, with dates in Ireland, France, Germany, Spain, Italy and Sweden.
His new album BRITPOP is due for release this autumn on Columbia Records.
Speaking exclusively to The Sun, Robbie said: “I set out to create the album that I wanted to write and release after I left Take That in 1995.
“It was the peak of Britpop and a golden age for British music.
“I’ve worked with some of my heroes on this album.
“It’s raw, there are more guitars and it’s an album that’s even more upbeat and anthemic than usual.
“There’s some ‘Brit’ in there — and there is certainly some ‘pop’, too.
“I’m immensely proud of this as a body of work and I’m excited for fans to hear it.
“I also can’t wait to perform a song or two from it on my upcoming ‘Britpop’ tour — which I’m opening in the UK, naturally.”
The announcement comes as Robbie wraps up the UK leg of his BRITPOP Tour[/caption]
Desire features vocals from Italian singer Laura Pausini[/caption]
His new anthem will debut at the Miami World Cup opening today[/caption]
His new album BRITPOP is due for release this autumn[/caption]
