J Balvin remade Van Halens Jump as Coca-Colas World Cup anthem with a new Spanish verse

In need of a global superstar for a sports anthem? Colombian singer J Balvin is the right man for the job.Balvin is one-fourth of Coca-Cola’s official anthem for the FIFA World Cup 2026, a reimagination of Van Halen’s “Jump” that also features drummer Travis Barker, pop/R&B singer Amber Mark and guitarist Steve Vai.“Our biggest moments in history, of happiness, surround sports,” he says of Colombia.“Of course music, but sport has this power (to) unite a whole country and vibe in a really positive way.

So that’s part of my DNA.”Last year, Joshua Burke, head of global music and culture marketing at The Coca-Cola Company, approached Balvin with the idea.The singer initially felt trepidation.“I’m really precautious when it comes to songs like this one,” Balvin said.

“It’s like touching the Mona Lisa.”“I have so much respect for anthems like that,” he said.So, he had to take “a totally different approach” to make it work; he wanted to avoid straightforward comparisons to the original recording.“It was like a puzzle,” he says.

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By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.Never miss a story Mark’s rich, crystalline voice is the first heard on the track; she sings the song’s original English lyrics.

Vai transforms its iconic guitar; Barker amplifies its percussion.The greatest difference is found in Balvin’s contributions.He wrote a new verse — in Spanish — atop production courtesy his collaborator L.E.X.V.Z, a sound he describes as “Brazilian funk with hard strings, kind of like hip-hop.”“’Jump’ is not a fútbol song,” he said of the original, using the Spanish word for soccer.

“So that’s why I had to put the Latin love and passion for fútbol (in the lyrics).”“El fútbol es nuestro idioma / Aquí todos so...