Elijah King wins SuperSong FIFA World Cup 2014 contest
MISSION—Elijah King can remember marching through his neighborhood with a drum set in his toy wagon to work on music in a friend’s garage at the age of 10.
“I’ve always had dreams of doing something in music. That has always been where my heart is,” King said. “I’ve always had a connection with music, like a love for a relative or a friend. It’s a love for the other half of you.”
This month, King won the 2014 FIFA World Cup SuperSong contest with his song titled “Vida.” The musician sings in both English and Spanish and writes and produces his own music. King has worked with artists like T-Pain, Young Cash and Grupo Treo.
Originally from Miami, King, who then was known as Obed Rodriguez, moved to Mission in 2000 and graduated from Veterans Memorial High School in 2004.
The SuperSong contest was a global competition sponsored by Sony Music and FIFA, to find an original song that would be sung by artist Ricky Martin. The song is one of many placed on the official soundtrack of The World Cup Brazil 2014, with other artists like Pitbull and Jennifer Lopez.
King already has had the opportunity to work with Martin and Producer Salaam Remi in re-recording the track, “Vida,” in Miami. He added it was a unique opportunity to experience, one that he will never forget.
“I’ve had one-on-one time with Ricky and Salaam Remi…they both took a role in where I am right now,” King said. “They’ve mentored me and that is a once in a lifetime thing.”
The musician expressed gratitude to Martin, Remi and Sony for the honor of working on the song as well as the opportunity to attend the World Cup. King said he was so excited to learn he had won, he said he went into the competition with no expectations.
The song “Vida” was written to represent the state of King’s life. He explained he is creating from a happy place, and he was lucky to have voters relate to what he was channeling. Early in his music career, King said he was nervous about singing in Spanish but found confidence in letting things happen naturally.
“At first I was a little shy about it. Once I started singing in both Spanish and English, it was really fun,” King said. “It’s a really beautiful thing, whether it’s English or Spanish or both. I let both just come out. You never limit a moment because it only happens once.”
From singing gospel music at the age of 5 to listening to salsa music in his father’s car, King has been surrounded by music and shows no sign of stopping. He added his family has been very supportive of his projects and his future.
“It’s crazy. As an artist or as a person in this industry, you wait for these moments,” King said. “Now that I’m actually living it, I have no clue what I’m doing next and that makes it more exciting.”
King said people could look out for his next single, a video for his selected song “Vida” and a behind the scenes look of the process behind the SuperSong contest. He added he couldn’t reveal much, but soccer fans can see Martin perform “Vida” during the run of FIFA World Cup 2014 in Brazil.
To see King’s song “Vida” visit www.supersong.com/us.
