South Africa’s Hugh Masekela and Four Other African Musicians Who Have Performed At the FIFA World Cup
Many shed tears of joy when Lionel Messi finally won the World Cup for Argentina. For a significant fraction of football fans, this ultimately laid to rest the question of who is the football GOAT (Greatest of all Time).
While that is an exhausting argument we will be unwise to jump in, we can’t but admit that FIFA World Cups are the most watched football spectacles globally. Millions worldwide tune in to watch these fixtures, with thousands of punters staking on the biggest international fixtures, accessible after you install betway mobile app.
On the other side, musicians eagerly eye performing at the World Cup. Performing at the World Cup is a resounding testament to success for any artiste.
Proudly, a number of African singers have achieved this feat. This article celebrates South Africa’s Masekela and four other African artists who have performed at the FIFA World Cup.
Hugh Masekela – 2010 FIFA World Cup
Hugh Masekela was known for being one of the most diverse South African musicians when it came to musical instruments.
He could play the trumpet, cornet, and flugelhorn. Also, he was a good singer and was so invested in the Afropop, Jazz, and Mbaqanga music genres.
From 1956 – 2018, Hugh Masekela notably wrote songs that climbed to number one on the U.S. pop charts. Not only was he an admirable composer and bandleader, but he was also a political activist too.
In the 2010 FIFA World Cup game held in South Africa, Hugh Masekela made an appearance, performing some of his most loved songs like Grazing in the grass and Pata Pata while featuring Lira, who did much of the vocals with Masekela brandishing his skill on the wind instrument.
Davido – 2022 FIFA World Cup
The famed American-born Nigerian performer, Davido, is known for his Afrobeats, Afropop, pop and Electropop music.
He rose to fame in 2012 after releasing his single, Dami Duro, which came from his debut album, Omo Baba Olowo.
Aside from singing, Davido is also good at music production and songwriting. Davido has tons of awards to his name and has a great number of followers on social media and music streaming platforms.
His songs are some of the most popular to top the music charts in both Nigeria and the U.S. So far, he is one of the few Nigerians who has gotten recognition on international platforms and have gone out to perform on international stages.
The 2022 FIFA World Cup music performance hosted at the Lusail Iconic Stadium, Doha, Qatar, has Davido performing the song Hyya Hayya (Better Together) featuring Aisha.
Femi Kuti – 2010 FIFA World Cup
Born in London but raised in Lagos, Nigeria, Femi Kuti stands as one of the best in the Afrobeat, Jazz, and Funk music genres.
He has a wide knowledge of musical instruments. Notably, he effortlessly plays the saxophone, trumpet, and keyboard.
Femi Kuti is known to have closely mirrored his legendary father’s style of music, Fela Kuti, the immortal Afro singer.
He is a fantastic singer who has garnered tons of awards and honors and also has a place on the international stage. Femi Kuti made an appearance at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa where he performed most of his popular songs like Bang Bang Bang.
Youssou N’Dour – 1998 FIFA World Cup
The popular Senegalese, Youssou N’Dour is so many things in one – he is more of a singer and a percussionist but has delved into songwriting, music composing, and business.
He has also held a political position as the Minister of Tourism of Senegal and has occasionally delved into acting.
Youssou N’Dour developed invested so much in creating his music around the Mbalax and World music genres. He became so popular that those genres that Rolling Magazine, in 2004, had to describe him as perhaps the most famous singer alive at the time.
In the 1998 FIFA World Cup held in France, Youssou N’Dour performed alongside Axelle Red, singing La Cour des Grands (Do You Mind If I Play), which became the official anthem for the competition.
Amadou & Mariam – 2006 FIFA World Cup
The Malian musical duo and legally married couple, Amadou & Mariam, has transformed into one of the most prominent power couples who ruled the Malian music industry.
Although both are blind, they still demonstrate amazing skills in singing and playing the guitar. Amaduo is known to play the guitar and sing, while Mariam focuses on singing alone.
Their music is mostly tied around the Worldbeat and Malian Music genres, and some of their songs and album has received accolades and have been nominated for awards.
They are one of the music duos in Mali to b featured in international events.
Amadou & Mariam appeared in the 2006 FIFA World Cup hosted in Germany alongside the German singer and producer, Herbert Grönemeyer.
They performed the song, Zeit dass sich was dreht (Celebrate The Day), which was adopted to be the official anthem of the 2006 FIFA World Cup competition.
We can continue listing Africans who are making history by performing at elite global sporting events.
Having musicians like Hugh Masekela, Amadou & Mariam, and Davido perform at the opening or closing of the World Cup competitions shows us that Africans also have a cut of the global sports cake.