MIES (Switzerland) – Global multi-platinum recording artist Jason Derulo releases the official FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 anthem “Champion” featuring China’s soul queen Tia Ray.
The International Basketball Federation, FIBA, first teamed up with Jason Derulo and global sporting icon Kobe Bryant earlier in the year at the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 Draw, presented by Wanda.
The star-studded show took place on Saturday, March 16, in the Chinese city of Shenzhen which marked an important milestone in FIBA’s Road to China 2019, as it set out the path for the participating teams in their journey to win the Naismith Trophy.
This is the 18th edition of the FIBA Basketball World Cup, hosted for the first time in China. The world’s top players from the 32 best national teams will battle it out in eight Chinese cities from August 31 – September 15 to be crowned FIBA Basketball World Cup Champions. To celebrate this unique occasion, FIBA brought together two world class artists to create the first official anthem.
Andreas Zagklis, FIBA Secretary General, said: “As the count down to the FIBA Basketball World Cup gets even closer, we’re excited to have two world famous artists be part of this historic event. Thanks to this song, fans from all over the world will be united in celebration for the World Cup from now until the final in Beijing.”
Jason Derulo grew up playing basketball and making music from a young age. His connection to basketball and his worldwide presence in pop culture made him an easy choice as the first global superstar in history to represent FIBA in creating their first official anthem. “Basketball is a huge part of my life, so it’s been a great honor to team up with FIBA to create this song”, Derulo said.
Tia Ray, also known as Yuan Yawei, has amassed over 4 billion streams globally with her songs. She’s known in China for pioneering new genres of music. Her versatile voice represents a new generation of Chinese artists who can crossover from traditional to contemporary international, and from Chinese pop to fusion soul.
The powerhouse duo proves to be a perfect match with their melodic vocals and inspiring lyrics. Derulo, also sings in impressively proper Mandarin for parts of the song.
The collaboration represents a true convergence of East meets West. It is a celebration of champions across the world, representing unity amongst basketball players and fans alike across cultures and continents.