Nagpur: From learning music in Nagpur to hearing his work reverberate at the world’s biggest sporting events, city-born music producer Aman Moroney has scripted a remarkable journey. Moroney co-produced “We Dance”, a song by British rock band Coldplay, which was performed during halftime show of FIFA World Cup 2026 final, placing a Nagpur talent on one of the world’s grandest stages.Speaking exclusively to TOI, Moroney said the opportunity came unexpectedly. “My manager introduced me and my collaborator, Zeek, to Coldplay. We met Chris Martin and spent the first day just listening to music and getting to know each other. He was working on a song and asked if I could help produce it. At that point, it was mainly music without vocals,” Moroney said.The team spent next several days shaping the track alongside Coldplay and other musicians. “We worked on it for around 8 days spread over nearly a month. When Chris came back and heard what we’d done, he loved it. We then recorded vocals and completed the production. We had absolutely no idea it was being made for the FIFA World Cup final. We only found out after the song was finished,” he said.For someone who grew up watching football’s biggest tournament, the revelation was surreal. “I grew up watching the FIFA World Cup and playing FIFA video games. To suddenly have my music played during the World Cup final halftime show was an unbelievable feeling,” Moroney said.Moroney described “We Dance” as a song centred on hope, love and togetherness. “The lyrics carry a beautiful message about love and bringing people together. It was an honour to contribute to such a positive message.”The son of a tabla player, Moroney credits Nagpur for laying the foundation of his musical journey. “Nagpur exposed me to Indian classical music. The city has an incredible culture of live performances during festivals, and that’s where I first developed an appreciation for music,” he said.He received his early musical training under guitar teachers Sanjay Gadhe and Krupal Purohit, while also interning with musician Shailesh Dani.Moroney later moved to the United Kingdom in 2010 to study music composition, before working on projects including Coke Studio and collaborating with celebrated Indian composers AR Rahman, Vishal-Shekhar and Salim-Sulaiman. Encouraged by his mentor, he relocated to Los Angeles in 2023, where he has since worked with Paramount Pictures, international labels and globally acclaimed PS22 Chorus.
