The work of the EA Music Team starts well before release. The aim is to discover trends and talents before others do. Benja Hiller takes a look behind the scenes of the creation of the FIFA soundtrack.
Creating a FIFA soundtrack is a task that is actually doomed to failure. Over 15 million games sold every year, translated into 18 languages, available in more than 50 countries around the world.
EA SPORTS has to unite all the different cultural and personal preferences, dissolve borders and put together a soundtrack that is accepted all over the world.
Can that even work, to please everyone? Isn’t the FIFA soundtrack doomed to be an immediate turn-off? No, is shown not only by the past and the increased attention for the artists involved on Spotify, but also by the media’s expectations for the release.
Being featured in the FIFA song selection is like a knighthood for young music creators. But the music genre has changed in the 2010s. From title tracks and rock club hits to two organically and modernly staged units. Both with completely different attitudes.
Trendsetter FIFA soundtrack
Six people worldwide work within the EA Music team in close collaboration with artists, managers, producers and labels on the playlists. While the original FIFA 22 soundtrack has been given a genre-bending, bold and modern identity, the VOLTA playlist includes a mix of hip hop, grime and electro.
“If a song is already playing on the radio, it’s too late to shortlist it,” EA responded to kicker eSport’s query about working on the soundtrack.
The team’s task is no less than to identify the most exciting trends for the coming year. Different musical interests of the six people help to make the right selection.
They look for the hottest newcomers on the scene and have to assess hit potential before others beat them to it. A job that seems to resemble that of the football talent scout.
From mirror to cultural asset?
52 songs adorn the original FIFA 22 soundtrack this year, which accompanies you through the menu navigation. International greats like Swedish House Mafia, Glass Animals, girl in red and Sam Fender accompany newcomers like Casper Caan, Garden City Movement and Inhaler.
The 70-song VOLTA soundtrack features exciting beats from this year’s breakthrough artist Badmómzjay from Germany, alongside a remix of the FIFA 14 classic “Love Me Again” by John Newman.
“Originally, FIFA soundtracks reflected world culture. Then they started to influence the culture. Thanks in no small part to Spotify, FIFA soundtracks have now become a piece of culture themselves,” EA said of the evolution of music in FIFA.
EA SPORTS put a lot of effort into their FIFA playlist, helping to promote talent within the music scene. Without the soundtrack, fewer artists would probably have made it into your playlists and onto the public’s radar. Whether within the game or off it on Spotify.
The next time you’re on your way to turn off the music after quite a few hours played in FIFA, think of the bands and artists that benefit. Think of the work that goes into the soundtrack. Without it, everything before the game would be mere tactical pre-game banter.
