Duffy, The Automatic, Stereophonics and Tom Jones… they’ve all featured on EA Sport’s FIFA soundtracks, but now there’s a new Welsh artist in town.
Welsh soul-crossover artist Nia Wyn, joins an ever-growing list of artists to have their work shared to a global audience through the means of virtual gaming.
Wyn’s ‘Who Asked You’ features on the latest edition of the popular game franchise FIFA.
Hailing from a small town in North Wales, Wyn is mixing it with artists such as Dua Lipa and Royal Blood, having come from humble beginnings.
The inspiration behind ‘Who Asked You’ comes from her overcoming the hurdles which have faced Wyn in her rise to prominence.
“It makes me feel proud that this particular track was the one that got on FIFA, as I wrote it about defiance in the face of those obstacles and the determination to succeed regardless.
“It’s about facing challenges such as rejection, the stigma around mental health issues and small-town mentality.”
For some artists, featuring on the soundtrack of the game has propelled the careers of some.
The exposure of featuring on one of the best selling games has already seen her achieve more than 100,000 plays on Spotify.
“I love that EA have facilitated my music to be exposed to a wider audience than I could have ever hoped for,” said a delighted Wyn.
“I grew up playing FIFA on my brothers PS2 and beyond, and I always dreamed of having one of my tracks on there. It’s something off my bucket list.”
“It seems they like to get a mix of artists players will already know, and newcomers’ music which gamers can experience alongside playing FIFA.”
An ardent member of the Red Wall, Wyn’s plans next summer were to attend the UEFA Women’s EURO 2021, but the tournament has since been pushed back a year.
Wales are pushing for a place for England 2022 and are currently second in their qualifying group.
“I was so excited to go watch the Euros next year but sadly it’s been postponed to 2022.
“I hope to see Wales women’s side qualify for the Euros, I would be phenomenal to see them compete.”
Currently, Jayne Ludlow’s side are not playable on FIFA 21 game, but qualification for a first major tournament could enhance their prospect of featuring on the game.
Many players who play for the Welsh national team also feature in England’s Women’s Super League, including captain Sophie Ingle and talisman Jess Fishlock.
“I long to see not only more national sides like Wales if we are able to qualify in there but, I would love to see the inclusion of WSL or at least regular Champions League sides.”
Wyn, a grassroots football player herself, added: “The increased visibility of women’ football on an international and national level is going to no doubt inspire lots of little girls locally to start playing.”
“I love playing the World Cup set-up on FIFA.
“I long to see not only more national sides like Wales if we are able to qualify in there but, I would love to see the inclusion of WSL or at least regular Champions League sides.”
With Wales now in a 17-day lockdown which is similar to the one imposed in March, it will see more football matches take place in the virtual world rather than the real world.
So with most having to spend time at home, the top emerging artist has seen the positives of using gaming, which helps with socialising when it isn’t physically possible.
“We are hitting another lockdown now so having a great game to play to pass the time and connect with others feels more important than ever.
“I find gaming really relaxing, helps me take my mind off things, so it’s important to me as a coping strategy when taking care of my mental wellbeing.”
Ultimately however, creatives such as Nia will have been affected by the pandemic.
With restrictions in place on holding concerts and gigs for music lovers, some have had to turn to a second job to prolong their creative careers.
“The joke is that a huge proportion of us hold one or more other jobs to keep ourselves afloat, allowing us to develop and practice whatever we do creatively for work.”
“The issue is simply that the creative industries are being actively ignored by the government and therefore not funded during the pandemic.
“I am fearful for the future if I’m honest as are many other musicians and people working in creative fields.”
(Featured Image: Nia Wyn)
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