Pop
superstar Jennifer Lopez has pulled out of the World Cup opening ceremony in
Brazil, FIFA said Sunday, four days before the tournament kicks off.
Lopez,
who recorded the official World Cup song, “We Are One,” with rapper Pitbull and
Brazilian singer Claudia Leitte, had been due to perform with them at the
opening ceremony in Sao Paulo but had to cancel, said the football governing
body.
“For production issues, Jennifer Lopez, one of
the artists of the official song ‘We Are One,’ will not be able to perform at
the FIFA World Cup opening ceremony,” it said in a statement.
The
25-minute ceremony will feature 600 artists including acrobatic gymnasts,
trampolinists, marshal arts-style capoeira performers and stilt walkers.
The grand
finale will be a performance of “We Are One” — now minus Lopez — accompanied by
Brazilian drumming collective Olodum.
Pitbull
did not let J-Lo’s withdrawal dampen his enthusiasm.
“To be
performing ‘We Are One’ to the world, especially in such a beautiful country
like Brazil is going to be a lot of fun. But more than this, it is going to
show the world that music is the universal language,” he said in a statement
released by FIFA.
Lopez
also missed the January event where Pitbull and Leitte unveiled plans for the
song alongside FIFA officials in Rio de Janeiro.
More than
60,000 people will be in Sao Paulo’s Corinthians Arena to watch the ceremony
and kick-off match between Brazil and Croatia. Around a billion people are
expected to tune in on TV worldwide.
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