Gwen Stefani and Anderson .Paak Come Together for the Paris 2024 Olympics Song “Hello World”

On July 25, Gwen Stefani and Anderson .Paak released the official song of the Paris Olympics, “Hello World.”

Intended to be the soundtrack of the Summer Olympics and beyond, “Hello World” celebrates “everyday greatness” in a collaboration between Coca-Cola and the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The partnership between the two organizations dates back nearly 100 years.

The two-week 2024 Olympic Games begin today (July 26).

OneRepublic

Ryan Tedder from OneRepublic wrote “Hello World” with Anderson .Paak. (Paak is famous for his R&B duo Silk Sonic featuring Bruno Mars.) The song arrived on streaming platforms Thursday along with an official music video. In the video, Stefani and Paak dance in front of the five-ring Olympic logo. The inspirational clip is spliced with footage from past Summer Olympics.

Apart from his work with OneRepublic, Tedder is an accomplished pop producer and songwriter whose credits include Beyoncé, Adele, Taylor Swift, and Katy Perry, among others.

Tedder explained to Billboard, “It’s not every day that you’re given the opportunity to write a song in celebration of the Olympic Games, and I am grateful to be part of such an incredible collaboration.”

He added, “The Games are an important way for all of us to come together and celebrate each other globally, and we wrote this song with that in mind. I grew up watching every Olympics since childhood, so this is a lifelong dream. I hope this song inspires and uplifts. I’m excited to share ‘Hello World’ with all of you, and I want to thank Brian Monaco, and the teams at Coca-Cola and IOC, for their partnership and support.”

Finding the Right Artists

After Tedder completed the song, the search began for who would sing it. “Gwen & Anderson’s energy together is undeniable, and both have these incredibly unique and iconic voices that were a perfect blend [for] this global track,” said Josh Burke, Coca-Cola’s global head of music and culture marketing.

“We also loved that this was the first time Ryan, Gwen, and Anderson have collaborated, and the story of two very different artists coming together is a nice nod to Coke’s legacy in music and the spirit of the Olympic Games,” Burke said.

Burke and Brian Monaco, the president and global marketing officer of Sony Music Publishing, wanted an original song for the project. The two met over dinner and discussed how to create an official song for the Paris Olympics—one that shared the ambitions of Coca-Cola and the IOC.

It began with a collection of song demos. Monaco contacted Tedder, whom he’d worked with in the past. The team instructed Tedder to create a song with universal appeal. The message needed to uplift and inspire “everyday greatness among athletes and music fans.”

Come Together

Paak said in a statement mixing genres “was the real magic” of working with Stefani and Tedder. He hopes “Hello World” inspires “fans and athletes to embrace the differences that make them unique as we celebrate the excitement of the Olympic Games.”

I was minding my business, taking care of business
Doing my thing (My thing)
Woke up in the middle of the night like, “Whoo!”
Heard the telephone ring
I don’t need to tell you, I don’t need to explain
It’s “Hello World,” we showing up, we changing the game

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Photo courtesy Coca-Cola Corp.