Is A German Remix Of A 2012 Reggae Song About To Be The Global Song Of The Summer?

OMI’s “Cheerleader” was always a jam, but now it’s found new life and breaking streaming records.

April 23, 2015

When OMI released his debut single, "Cheerleader," in 2012, it was a great reggae song and a success in his native Jamaica—it even won him a spot guest-judging the Jamaica Fitness Association's Cheerleading Championship.

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It seemed like that was that—until last spring, when the track found its way to the German DJ Felix Jaehn. His tropical house remix, released by Ultra, recontextualized the song within a global pop conversation with the likes of Nico & Vinz's "Am I Wrong" and Robin Schulz's remix of "Prayer In C"—songs with upbeat messages and similarly long, cross-country origin stories.

While those other hits have faded over the winter, "Cheerleader" is sitting pretty atop Shazam's global charts and breaking Spotify records in France and Germany, according to the label. Though its original low-budget music video—filmed for some reason in Portland—was an endearing watch, the label has wisely acknowledged the song's growth with a new beachy clip. On the one hand, the new one's pretty simple, just a diverse crew happily dancing. On the other, what could nail it more?

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Check out that new video above, then dig the FADER premiere of its behind-the-scenes clip below.

Behind-the-scenes on "Cheerleader":
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Is A German Remix Of A 2012 Reggae Song About To Be The Global Song Of The Summer?