I'm a composer and producer, and I wrote the theme song for the 2026 World Cup. I was blown away when it was chosen.
Zach Golden is a 37-year-old creative director at UMPG Audio Branding.He led the composition of the theme song for the FIFA World Cup 2026.The goal was to make listeners feel as if they were at the stadium, watching the game in person.This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Zach Golden. It has been edited for length and clarity.When the first game of the 2026 World Cup was played, I got everything ready and set up in my living room to watch it.
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Zach Golden is a 37-year-old creative director at UMPG Audio Branding.He led the composition of the theme song for the FIFA World Cup 2026.The goal was to make listeners feel as if they were at the stadium, watching the game in person.This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Zach Golden. It has been edited for length and clarity.When the first game of the 2026 World Cup was played, I got everything ready and set up in my living room to watch it. There was no way I was going to miss the start of the game, because I knew I'd be hearing the theme song I had spent months composing.I've always loved musicI've been a musician for as long as I can remember, starting out in high school bands, and in college at Berklee, focusing on audio engineering and jazz composition. As a young adult, I fell in love with composing music, disappearing for hours to make my own creations.When a friend told me about an entry-level job at a company called UMPG Audio Branding (formerly ELIAS) that would include tasks like data management and file renaming, I interviewed and got the job.It was my "in" into the industry.Year after year, I took on more responsibility within the company, eventually working my way up to creative director and lead composer.The company I worked at was approached by FIFA in 2020In late 2020, we were approached by FIFA to put together a theme song composition for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.We spoke with FIFA to figure out what the music needed to sound like.
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- What's the story?
- Zach Golden is a 37-year-old creative director at UMPG Audio Branding.He led the composition of the theme song for the FIFA World Cup 2026.The goal was to make listeners feel as if they were at the stadium, watching the game in person.This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Zach Golden. It has been edited for length and clarity.When the first game of the 2026 World Cup was played, I got everything ready and set up in my living room to watch it.
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- 1 outlet, average source rating 6.0/10.
- When was it last updated?
- 6m ago.
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I'm a composer and producer, and I wrote the theme song for the 2026 World Cup. I was blown away when it was chosen.
Sources1TypeCoverageBusiness Insider