On September 21, 10 days before it opened its doors to the world, Expo 2020 Dubai launched its official theme song. In less than 48 hours, This Is Our Time went viral, clocking 750,000 views on Instagram and becoming the ‘#1 Trending’ song on YouTube with a quarter of a million views.

The expo anthem highlights pride in the UAE’s culture, celebrates the future and brings together nations from around the world while conveying the story of Expo’s overarching theme of ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’ through the universal language of music.

The song is led by Hussain Al Jassmi, one of the UAE’s biggest artists and Expo 2020 Ambassador. He is accompanied by 21-year-old Emirati singer-songwriter Almas, named in Spotify’s Best Female Talent in the Middle East. Lebanese-American singer-songwriter Mayssa Karaa, who is also Artistic Director of Expo’s all-female Firdaus Orchestra, is also part of the song.

One of the first global mega-events to take place since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, Expo 2020 will run from October 1, 2021, to March 31, 2022. It invites millions of visitors to join the making of a new world in a six-month celebration of human creativity, innovation, progress and culture, with music providing a unifying, uplifting force.

An anthem for the ages

Throughout history, people have swooned to anthems, musical composition and a melodic symbol made for global events. Several pop songs like We Are the Champions and We Will, We Will Rock You have been used as anthems for global sporting events. Lullaby, composed by Steve Barakatt, is the official anthem of the Unicef. Asean Way is the official anthem of, well, Asean (Association of Southeast Asian Nations).

The tune of the Ode to Joy from Beethoven’s Symphony is the European Union’s official anthem. Let’s All Unite and Celebrate is the official anthem of the African Union. The Olympics has La Espero, a linguistic anthem. Saarc too has an anthem. Prominent artists created Earth Anthem to extol the ideas of planetary consciousness.

The first World Expo at London’s Crystal Palace in 1851 lacked an anthem. Hymn of the Nations was composed for the 1862 world exhibition in London. It’s a small world, after all was subsequently played as the inaugural song at the world’s fairs in US cities. Music played a significant role at the Chicago World’s Fair, from the officially sanctioned orchestral concerts by the new Chicago Symphony Orchestra to the street musicians.

A historian noted: “Americans received their first taste of musical exoticism, including their first exposure to Indonesian gamelan music and the Hawaiian hula. Most visitors regarded the sounds as ‘cacophonous’ rather than musical, but a door had been opened to a wider world of musical experience, and it would never be closed again.”

The musical performance with accompanying commentary featured music that was sold as souvenir pieces, quickly written by composers to capitalise on the craze that seized the nation, to be taken home and performed in the living rooms and parlours across the country, historians noted.

Powerful performances

According to Bureau International des Expositions (BIE), music has always played a central and prominent role in expos. Driven by technological and social advancements, expos have always had a strong musical element, putting the spotlight on new instruments, genres and musicians, and holding memorable performances.

“Like the logo and mascots, the official song(s) of an expo is a key part of its story and its public image, serving as an auditory identifier and as a lasting reminder of the Expo experience,” remarked BIE. According to the BIE, several most catchy and memorable songs – official or not – remains popular.

The themes of the expos evolved after the 1950s. Expo 1962 Seattle’s famous anthem was Meet me in Seattle. Canada came out with The Centennial Song in 1967 to celebrate the country’s centennial and Expo 1967.  Montreal’s song Hey Friend, Say Friend was selected from over 2,500 proposals submitted as part of a contest.  

Expo 1970 Osaka had Hello from all over the world. Expo 1974’s song was Come join the fun, magic and muuuusic’ Expo 1988’s theme song, Together, We’ll Show the World! also created a sensation. Expo 1992 Seville had Bienvenidos a Sevilla.

Expo 2000 Hannover had 155 countries as participants – higher than any previous Expos – with developing countries accounting for around two-thirds of participants. Over 18 million visited the Expo during its five-month duration. The official jingle and song of Expo 2000 were created by the celebrated German electronic band Kraftwerk. Featuring the lyrics Expo 2000 sung in German, English, French, Russian, and Japanese, the full-length synth-pop song paid tribute to the theme and reached the singles charts in several countries.

Expo 2005 Aichi had I’ll Be Your Love. Shanghai World Expo 2010 theme song City featured Expo Ambassadors Jackie Chan, pianist Lang Lang, and Yao Ming. The song embodied the Shanghai Expo’s theme ‘Better City, Better Life’. Expo 2015 Milan’s song was The strength of a smile.

Long Live my Country

In December 2019, music stars from around the world performed the UAE national anthem, Ishy Bilady, to mark the 48^th anniversary of the country’s formation. Put together by the team behind Expo 2020 Dubai, the two-minute video begins with the strains of oud music before crisscrossing the globe to bring together a diverse array of musicians including Chinese pianist and producer Corsak, Indian slide guitarist Niki Mukhi, British trumpeter Paul Spong and Saudi multi-instrumentalist Hatoon Idrees, alongside individual artists from the Norwegian State Orchestra, Russia’s Minski Theatre and the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra. Led by Oscar-shortlisted Emirati director Nahla Al Fahad, the film reflected Expo 2020 Dubai’s theme of Connecting Minds, Creating the Future.

Expo 2020 Dubai’s musical anthem This Is Our Time has now kicked off the celebrations as the official song. “This Is Our Time is a tribute to the UAE for all it has been, is today and will achieve in the years to come. It’s a song about pride, faith and unity. The song is an embodiment of hope and the belief that collaboration will yield a better future for all,” said Al Jassmi.

Produced by Canadian Grammy Award winner Greg Wells, who was behind the 2019 Special Olympics World Games Abu Dhabi official song Right Where I Am Supposed To Be, the expo’s anthem is a lush and dramatic number that begins with Khaleeji percussion before making way for a steady dance beat in which synths and Middle Eastern strings intertwine. The three singers perform two verses in English and Arabic each. It is written by singer-songwriter Saif Fadhel.

The accompanying music video is lavish, featuring panoramic shots of the Expo site and various landscapes of Dubai. The song’s inspirational message is visually represented via scenes of an Emirati female astronaut preparing to launch into space. This comes on the back of the announcement Emirati Nora Al Matrooshi will be the Arab world’s first female astronaut. The mega event will kick off with a 90-minute performance featuring hundreds of performers to be broadcast live for spectators across the world.