Emilio Estefan on Producing 2024 Leagues Cup Anthem ‘Nuestros Colores’: ‘I Wanted to Showcase Unity’
When the Leagues Cup approached Emilio Estefan to produce this year’s tournament anthem, the renowned producer and songwriter knew exactly what he wanted to capture with this song.
“My idea was to create something that is important to me, and that was to showcase unity and different cultures,” Estefan tells Billboard about writing and producing “Nuestros Colores,” the official anthem for the 2024 Leagues Cup. “That’s why I had artists from different cultures, to represent the unity between us Latinos and really show our diverse colors.”
The euphoric, percussion-heavy track powered by blaring horns features Mexican mariacheño star Christian Nodal; Argentine singer Abel Pintos; Cuban-American producer and multi-instrumentalist Emily Estefan (Emilio and Gloria Estefan’s daughter); Black Eyed Peas’ Taboo; Colombian singer-songwriter Gusi; and, from Panamá, Rabanes lead singer Emilio Regueira.
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Estefan came up with a global sound that reflected the tournament’s international appeal and the teams’ diversity. The Leagues Cup had approached other producers, but “they came back with something too local, something either too Mexican or too Colombian,” explains Estefan. “I said, ‘Let me give it a try,’ and I produced a song that is true to what I do. I mix sounds. I’ve been doing that since Miami Sound Machine. We became famous because we combined cultures and sounds.”
The annual Leagues Cup is an international soccer tournament that includes the United States’ Major League Soccer (MLS) and Mexico’s Liga MX respective clubs. Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami is the defending champion. It’s the team that Estefan, who is Miami-based, is rooting for this year, he confirms. “Inter Miami brought so much unity to Miami,” he explains. “When you go to a game, you see people from all over the world.”
Just after Copa América ends, the soccer tournament currently taking place in the U.S., the 2024 Leagues Cup is set to kick off July 26, with all matches to be played in the U.S. and Canada.
Listen to “Nuestros Colores” below:
