"Tukoh Taka" is the 2022 FIFA Fan Festival anthem performed by rapper

Nicki Minaj Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty (; born December 8, 1982), known professionally as Nicki Minaj ( ), is a Trinidadian-born rapper based in the United States. She is known for her musical versatility, animated flow in her rapping, alter egos and accents. ...

and singers

Maluma Juan Luis Londoño Arias (born 28 January 1994), known professionally as Maluma, is a Colombian singer, songwriter, and actor. Born and raised in Medellín, he developed an interest in music at a young age, recording songs since age sixteen. ...

and

Myriam Fares Myriam Fares ( ar, ميريام فارس , ; born 3 May 1983) is a Lebanese singer, actress, and entertainer. Personal life Fares, born in Kfar Chellal, Sidon District to a Maronite Christian family, married a Lebanese-American busine ...

. It was released by FIFA for the

2022 FIFA World Cup The 2022 FIFA World Cup is an international football tournament contested by the men's national teams of FIFA's member associations. The 22nd FIFA World Cup is taking place in Qatar from 20 November to 18 December 2022; it is the first Wo ...

soundtrack A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack o ...

on November 18, 2022, through Universal Arabic Music and

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along with an accompanying music video.

Composition

The song features the three artists' languages in the lyrics: Minaj's English, Maluma's Spanish, and Fares' Arabic, becoming the first world championship anthem to feature all three languages. Fares said in a statement: "'Tukoh Taka', the song that I was honored to participate in its composition, arrangement, and choreography, made me more passionate about it, in addition to working alongside two of my favorite international artists, Nicki Minaj and Maluma. I truly wish that 'Tukoh Taka' will be transmitting the Eastern culture and

Arabian music Arabic music or Arab music ( ar, الموسيقى العربية, al-mūsīqā al-ʿArabīyyah) is the music of the Arab world with all its diverse music styles and genres. Arabic countries have many rich and varied styles of music and also man ...

to the whole world.” The song has

reggaeton Reggaeton (, ), also known as reggaetón and reguetón (), is a music style that originated in Panama during the late 1980s. It was later popularized in Puerto Rico. It has evolved from dancehall and has been influenced by American hip hop, ...

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and house-rap sounds. The name of the song is said to be Arabic for "knock-knock", with fans and commenters also recognising it to sound like " ''tiki-taka''", a style of football play.

Critical reaction

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''s writer Chris Malone Méndez said the pairing of the two international artists with the

Arab The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Wester ...

singer "was a natural choice for optimal global reach" but, while appreciating the song's trilingualism, noted that "no Qatari artists are featured on any World Cup songs". The song received negative reactions in the

Arab world The Arab world ( ar, اَلْعَالَمُ الْعَرَبِيُّ '), formally the Arab homeland ( '), also known as the Arab nation ( '), the Arabsphere, or the Arab states, refers to a vast group of countries, mainly located in Western A ...

. Fans and critics accused Myriam Fares of imitating

Shakira Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll ( , ; born 2 February 1977), professionally known by the mononym Shakira, is a Colombian singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Barranquilla, she has been referred to as the " Queen of Latin Music" and is ...

's dancing style and overall aesthetics. According to ''

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'', numerous online critics said the song had "annoying lyrics".

Controversy

After the announcement of their collaboration for the World Cup anthem, the three artists were criticised for choosing to be paid to sing a song in an

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whose internal policies violate

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and support perceived

slavery Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...

. Singer Maluma replied to the charge by declaring: "it's something I can't resolve; ..It's not something that I actually have to be involved with. I'm here enjoying my music and the beautiful life, playing soccer too". FIFA has also been under fire online for featuring Fares considering her

blackface Blackface is a form of theatrical makeup used predominantly by non-Black people, Black people to portray a caricature of a Black person. In the United States, the practice became common during the 19th century and contributed to the spread of ...

stunt in her "Goumi" (2018) music video.

Music video

The music video, directed by Edgar Esteves and Juan Felipe Zuleta, features Maluma and Fares performing in the Qatari desert, while Minaj performs her verses aboard a bus, all alternating with some clips of soccer players cheering after goals.

Charts

References

{{FIFA World Cup music 2022 songs 2022 singles FIFA World Cup official songs and anthems Nicki Minaj songs Maluma songs Myriam Fares songs Republic Records singles Universal Music Group singles Macaronic songs