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This is what happened to K'naan 12 years on from his iconic World Cup song

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Published 19:26 28 Oct 2022 GMT+1

This is what happened to K'naan 12 years on from his iconic World Cup song

'Wavin' Flag' is undoubtedly an iconic World Cup song, but what has happened to its artist 12 years on?

Callum Jones

Callum Jones

As the World Cup in Qatar is just a matter of weeks ago, we are at a fever pitch as the action is so close to getting underway.

Obviously, the football is the main attraction, but a big part of any football World Cup is its anthem.

The Qatar 2022 official song is 'Hayya Hayya (Better Together)' by AISHA, Davido and Trinidad Cardona.

Back in 2010, the song on every football fan's lips was 'Wavin' Flag' by K'naan.

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Despite it arguably being one of the most iconic World Cup songs of all time, 'Wavin' Flag' is actually not the official track for the 2010 South Africia World Cup.

That belongs to Shakira - 'Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)' - which is very catchy, too.

'Wavin' Flag' was chosen as Coca-Cola's promotional anthem for the 2010 World Cup, but the song was originally written without football in mind.

It was intended to be about K'naan's home country Somalia and the aspirations of its people for freedom during a civil war.

Football fans will know all about Wavin' Flag.
dpa picture alliance archive / Alamy Stock Photo

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'Wavin' Flag' boasts impressive numbers with over 399 million people listen to it on YouTube, with over 134 million streams on Spotify.

The song was so loved, K'naan published a children's book in 2012 titled When I Get Older: The Story Behind Wavin' Flag - which discussed the making of the song and the history behind it.

But what happened to K'naan since his iconic World Cup song stole 12 years ago?

Well, since the fame he experienced as a result of the extremely catchy song, K'naan has kept a fairly low profile.

In the same year of his book release, the Somali released a brand-new album, but it was not met with the same positive reception as his previous album Troubadour.

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After the release of Country, God or the Girl, K'naan apologised for the change in sound with the album in an article published in the New York Times.

More recently, K'naan has reportedly resided Nairobi, Kenya writing and recording, plus enjoying the attractions as a tourist.

K'naan was no stranger to performing Wavin' Flag.
ZUMA Press, Inc. / Alamy Stock Photo

Rumours of K'naan's current residence had been swirling for months, with the 'Wavin' Flag' artist spotted there with rapper Kaa La Moto.

The cat appeared to be out of the bag when Karun of the hip hop group Camp Mulla posted a picture of K'naan in the Kenyan capital.

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K'naan has a long history with the city, as the music video for his debut single 'Soobax' was shot there.

Featured Image Credit: Shutterstock/K'naan Warsame/YouTube

Topics: Football, World Cup, Music

Callum Jones
Callum Jones

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