​Erling Haaland has emerged as a goal machine, a larger-than-life persona, and a rising music artist, with the 2026 World Cup catapulting the Manchester City striker into an even brighter spotlight. His profile had already been growing, but the tournament has pushed him into the global conversation in a way that revealed a surprising facet of his early life: a rap track he recorded as a teenager. Under the stage name Lyng, Haaland teamed up with two of his Norway teammates, Erik Botheim and Erik Tobias Sandberg, to form a group called Flow Kingz. Their track, “Kygo Jo,” features each member trading verses in Norwegian over a bright, sunlit beat. A music video accompanied the release, showing light choreography and Haaland performing in front of a grill, wearing a hoodie emblazoned with the 100 emoji. The video has since amassed 22 million views on YouTube.
Norwegian DJ and producer Kygo, a multi-platinum artist who also hails from Norway, caught wind of the song and offered to remix it if Haaland could deliver in the World Cup knockout stages. True to form, Haaland rose to the occasion, scoring twice in Norway’s first-ever World Cup knockout win against a formidable foe. True to his word, Kygo released the remix two days later, “Kygo Jo (Kygo Remix),” which expands on the original with more dramatic buildups and bass drops. Kygo shared a mini music video on X showcasing Haaland’s highlights and Norway’s rowing tradition as part of the promotion. In response, Haaland posted an Instagram carousel featuring the cover art for the remix, a still from the original video, and an old team photo with his friends, calling the remix a “Made it moment!”
Sandberg also joined in the social celebration, sharing the cover artwork for the remix on his own Instagram and hinting at a Flow Kingz comeback. Kygo took to X on July 9 to reveal that the remix had topped Norway’s Spotify Top 50 chart. He accompanied the post with a screenshot of the chart and a video-call image with Haaland, expressing astonishment at the striker’s rap talents and placing him in a rare athlete-artist category alongside names like Memphis Depay, Clint Dempsey (AKA Deuce), and Rafael Leão, who raps under the alias WAY 45. “Erling being a No. 1 artist in Norway wasn’t on my bingo card for 2026,” Kygo wrote.
As for the footballing side, Haaland’s prolific form continues to be a talking point. He remains a leading candidate for top scorer, currently sitting behind only Kylian Mbappé and Lionel Messi in the Golden Boot race with seven goals. Norway’s run in the tournament has drawn attention for its historic depth, and Haaland’s dual identity as a world-class striker and a chart-worthy artist adds an extra layer to the narrative surrounding the team’s journey. The road ahead is still challenging: Norway is set to face England in a quarterfinal clash at 5 p.m. ET on Saturday, July 11, at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. Whether Haaland can extend his goalscoring streak and whether the Flow Kingz storyline will continue to unfold remains a compelling subplot to watch as Norway pursues its ambitions on football’s biggest stage. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY.