The song “Lighter” by Jelly Roll and Carín León was released on March 20 as part of the FIFA (International Federation of Association Football) World Cup 2026 Album, and has faced criticisms online. Many listeners have compared it to previous World Cup songs, highlighting the contrast in musical quality. They have also brought attention to the lack of emphasis on national pride and diversity, which is something the World Cup prides itself on.
“I feel like for such an event of this caliber, having a song that kind of sounds like something a mom would post her six-year-old boy to after he wins a soccer match. I don’t know. I feel like it’s just, not disheartening, but I don’t know, it just doesn’t sit the way that it’s supposed to make the audience feel,” junior Isabella Mejorado said.
In the song, nothing regarding diversity, countries or national pride is mentioned, themes that were prevalent in previous World Cup songs. The song focuses instead on resilience and overcoming difficulties.
“They just wanted to try something new, maybe, because it really doesn’t reflect anything that the World Cup has to do with this specific year. So I don’t know, I think it was just on the artists, that they just wanted something different,” Mejorado said.
Jelly Roll sings how he “was shackled and battling in a war with” himself, but now his “chains don’t rattle no more.” Carín León sings, in Spanish, that “they said would end up in the streets,” but “look at flying, there is now no one to stop .” Sophomore Isabella Arias feels like this song represents the exhilarating nature of the World Cup, but not the diverse aspect of it.
“It’s more of a hype song instead of including everyone. But I feel like that’s the benefit of it, to hype people up. But it’s also different countries going against each other, and you want to include everyone,” Arias said.
While the song lacks diversity, the production of the song does not. Jelly Roll is an American artist, Carín León is a Mexican artist, and the producer of the song, Cirkut, is Canadian. However, Jelly Roll’s country influence and Carín León’s regional Mexican influence made the song feel very “American.”
“It felt like if I was in a different country and I listened to it, I’d be like, ‘This is so American,’” Arias said.
Previous World Cup songs highlight the global aspect of the competition and the national pride that is invoked. For example, in “Waka Waka” by Shakira, she sings phrases like, “from East to West,” “This time for Africa,” and “cause this is Africa.” Shakira released this song for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, highlighting the continent and diversity of the tournament.
Another popular song, “Wavin’ Flag” by K’naan, was picked by Coca-Cola to promote the World Cup. Similar to “Lighter,” this song also emphasizes struggle and surmounting challenges. K’naan sings how his home, Somalia, was “a violence-prone, poor-people zone,” but how they “accept no defeat, surrender, retreat.” He sings that “they’ll call freedom, just like a wavin’ flag.”
“The previous World Cup song that I liked is… I like Waka Waka, Magic in the Air, and my favorite one is Wavin’ Flag. Those are from 2010 and 2014,” sophomore Steven Pham said.
In 2022, streamer IShowSpeed made the song “World Cup,” and although it was not an official World Cup song, it garnered significant attention and now has nearly 96 million streams. Even though IShowSpeed’s career is not centered around music, he made a generally well-liked song, leading Pham to compare “Lighter” to his song.
“It just doesn’t sound good, and then, there’s no catchy part about the song. Even IShowSpeed made a better song,” Pham said.
For fans around the world who love soccer and the World Cup, “Lighter” is disappointing. This event comes around every four years, making what it releases more valuable. This World Cup is hosted by North America, and for a continent that has successful artists, fans feel like FIFA could have done better.
“I think it’s bad. It’s not that bad that you can’t listen to it, but for FIFA, it’s just really crazy. Because you can just look at those old songs, like “Waka Waka,” and “Wavin’ Flag” and “Magic in the Air” and stuff. This is my last World Cup as a kid, and they just released this song; it’s really disappointing,” Pham said.
The World Cup and soccer are cherished not only by Pham but also by Vietnam, where he was born. The sport is extremely popular in Vietnam, and bolsters feelings of community.
“Yeah, it’s really popular… On a soccer day, everyone just gathers around and watches on a big screen,” Pham said.
While Jelly Roll, Carín León, and Cirkut may be appreciated for their musical talents to be chosen for the World Cup song, their song was not a hit this time. For the fans who had to wait four years to experience this event again, they were hit with disappointment at hearing the song. Although the World Cup may have had a rocky start, there is still time for the tournament to bring joy to fans.
