D Howell Puts Something “In The Air” With World Cup-Inspired Single

The Toronto-based Jamaican artist on writing a World Cup anthem, the difference between one person and a billion, and why giving back was never optional

Damien 'D Howell" Howell

There’s a unique pressure that comes with writing a song for the world. Not for a city or a country, but for a global audience. Independent Toronto-based artist D Howell embraces that challenge with his latest single, “In The Air,” is Howell's bid to become the soundtrack of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, as the tournament is already underway across Canada, the United States and Mexico.

fter breaking through with the deeply personal “Oh Na Na,” Howell shifts from intimate storytelling to a stadium-ready anthem. While the scale has changed, he insists the message remains the same. “It’s still about love,” he says - only this time, it’s a love shared across nations, cultures and the world’s biggest sporting stage.

“Whether it’s love for your country, your community, your family, or the game itself, those emotions are universal,” he explains. “The transition came naturally because of that.” What changed wasn’t the emotional core of his writing, but the aperture. Instead of focusing inward, he turned outward - toward the specific feeling the World Cup manufactures better than almost anything else on earth.

“The World Cup is one of the few moments where people from different countries, languages, and backgrounds can share the same emotion at the same time,” he says. “If this song can make people feel like they’re part of something bigger than themselves, then I’ve done my job.”

The 2026 tournament’s tri-nation hosting arrangement - split across Canada, the US, and Mexico - gave Howell something to work with sonically and personally. He was born and raised in Jamaica, built his career in Toronto, and has collaborated with artists from across the diaspora throughout his career. That in-between identity, rooted in the Caribbean and shaped by North America, felt like useful creative territory for a record meant to land everywhere at once. “I wanted the song to feel global while still staying true to my Caribbean roots,” the singer says. “The biggest global songs have simple, memorable moments that people can sing together regardless of language. I wanted a record that felt uplifting, energetic, and inclusive.”

Fellow artist Chase joins Howell on the track, a collaboration he says helped elevate its emotional impact. “The right collaborator should elevate the emotion of a song,” Howell explains. “That’s exactly what happened here.”

One of the more technical challenges was designing a record that works across two very different listening environments - the deafening collective noise of a packed stadium, and a single pair of headphones late at night. “I wanted it to hit hard in a crowd but still feel personal when you’re listening alone,” he says. “That tension is where the record lives.”

Growing up in Spanish Town, Jamaica, Howell witnessed families facing real hardship, and says music gave him hope and direction. “If this record is bringing people together, then I want it to also create opportunities to help people who are struggling,” he expresses.

With that in mind, Howell has pledged a portion of proceeds from “In The Air” to support at-risk youth and people experiencing homelessness. For the independent artist, it was a commitment he felt was worth making.

Canada hosting the World Cup for the first time adds a layer of personal weight to the project. Living there while carrying Jamaican roots puts Howell at an interesting intersection of what this tournament means culturally - and he’s conscious of that. “It makes me proud to contribute something positive to the energy surrounding it,” he says. The vision is global from the first day, though he’s clear that his love for the Caribbean community - the audience that first heard him — hasn’t faded anywhere in that ambition.

For Howell, appealing to a global audience doesn't mean sacrificing authenticity. “Authenticity isn’t about making music for a small audience. It’s about being honest in your intentions,” he says, adding that his goal has always been to unite people through music.

Although “In The Air” was not selected for the official 2026 FIFA World Cup soundtrack, Howell still hopes the record captures the spirit of the tournament. “It looks like joy,” he says. “It looks like people from different backgrounds celebrating together. It looks like strangers becoming friends for a moment because they’re sharing the same experience.”