With the World Cup fever at its peaks and every country cheering for their players, brands across the globe are leveraging the spirit to associate with the sport. Amidst all the enthusiasm, Mikey McCleary composed and curated an innovative World Cup Anthem Way O Way O, bringing together five recognised names from the music arena together to create an international track like never before for Uber.

In the digital world where brands look at diversified pop culture and prefer songs over adverts, Mikey McCleary has beautifully integrated the two showcasing the true love for the game across the globe.

Speaking about the overall association with Uber and Way O Way O, Mikey McCleary shares “This has been an exciting and challenging project to create a catchy international pop song which brings together artists from 5 different cricketing nations. The goal was to celebrate the passion of the fans around the globe, creating a song people would love and also making sure that the song is in sync with the tone of the brand (UBER). After I composed the song and recorded rough guide vocals, I then directed many sessions with international singers via video calls to piece together the anthem like a jigsaw puzzle and make it flow naturally. It’s great working on a song which promotes the idea of celebrating competitive spirit in a global positive way.”

Having recognised names like Sanam, a popular Indian band known for its renditions of classic Bollywood songs, alongside other globally acclaimed artists such as Jahmiel (Jamaica), Catherine Taylor Dawson (United Kingdom), Simba Diallo (New Zealand) and Choir group – Khayelitsha United Mambazo (South Africa), the track is a culmination of cultures. Mikey has carefully chosen some of the finest global talent to compliment his composition which he first sketched with local singers to comprehend its real look.

“Most anthems are supporting a specific team” stated McCleary,  “but we wanted to create an anthem that was universal to the fans of all cricketing nations. It was important to create a groove and melody that was catchy, uplifting and enjoyed across borders. It was also important to connect with the ideology of the brand (UBER) and that's why the main line is "We're on our Way-O". It was exciting for me to be able to record artists from around the world and compose a song that flowed while changing constantly from singer to singer.”

The man behind many catchy songs in TV ad campaigns, Mikey believes the connection between brands and artists is important and beneficial for both parties. He has curated campaigns for some of the biggest brands like Vodafone, Levi's, Titan, Coca Cola, Lakme, Garnier, Toyota to name a few.

When questioned on how he integrates Brands with Music, he replied, “I make sure that the song is strong enough to be a proper song and not a jingle. It should be worthy of release as a single and not contain lyrics that sound like advertising. It's often a hard balance to find because there are always requirements from brands to incorporate their messages into songs. That's the challenge, and the test is the reaction that you get online - if people are asking about and liking the track. This creates a very positive music association for the brand and also can raise the profile of the artist.”

Here is the song link: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9pf6OmsIZM