Barcelona will honour Canadian rapper Drake by showcasing his logo on their jerseys during Sunday’s El Clasico at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu in Madrid.
It is the first LaLiga meeting between the Catalans and their El Clasico rivals Real Madrid this season, and Drake is being feted as part of Barcelona’s partnership with streaming platform Spotify.
“One of the main ideas behind the alliance between FC Barcelona and Spotify is to bring football and music together in order to connect with new audiences around the world,” the Spanish giants said in a statement today.
“As both are capable of bringing people together and exciting fans, for the first time, the men’s football team will enter the pitch for Sunday’s Clásico wearing a jersey featuring the logo of an internationally acclaimed artist – rapper and singer Drake, winner of four Grammy awards and the first to surpass 50 billion streams on Spotify – rather than their main partner’s logo.
“So, on October 16, instead of seeing the world’s most popular audio streaming subscription service logo on the front of the Barça jersey, those watching the game against Real Madrid will see the silhouette of an owl – the logo of the Canadian singer’s brand.
“Spotify has given this privileged space on the jersey as part of the framework of the partnership with the Club, just one of the actions that both brands are putting into place to offer innovative experiences for football fans, as well as helping to reach new audiences through music.
“As was announced when the agreement was ratified, this type of exchange on the front of the jersey is scheduled to happen more as the season progresses.”
Drake, who has had successful collaborations with Nigerian artistes especially Wizkid, has made history by becoming the first act to reach 50 billion streams on Spotify, a record Barcelona are highlighting.
“By including Drake’s logo on the front of the jersey, Barça and Spotify aim to celebrate the singer’s milestone of becoming the first artist to achieve 50 billion streams of his songs on the platform,” the club added.
“Drake – who has already shown his preference for Barça by wearing the jersey – is behind albums like ‘Take Care’ or ‘Certified Lover Boy’.
“He is breaking records with his singles, is number 1 on the leading charts around the world, and has earned over 275 awards during his career, including four Grammy awards, considered one of the main international accolades for music.
“As part of the initiative to recognise the singer’s achievement, Xavi’s squad are scheduled to wear a special version of the jersey during the pre-match warm up, featuring the number 50 on the back, with the Spotify logo on the front.
“The collaboration between FC Barcelona and Spotify began on July 1 this year. It is part of the Club’s strategic aim to proactively seek out partners that share the same values and philosophy, while also helping reinforce the Club’s position as a global benchmark both on and off the pitch within an increasingly competitive landscape.”
Marc Hazan, Spotify VP of Partnerships, said the platform is ‘excited’ by the innovation.
“We were really excited to celebrate one of the biggest games of the year and mark Drake’s milestone as the first artist to reach 50 billion streams,” he said.
“We’ve always said that we want this partnership to be a celebration of fans, players and artist’s on a global stage—and there’s no bigger stage than El Clásico.”
