President Ya Straata’s new single Pressure is aptly titled because it highlights the attitude of overcoming constraints to perform at your best as artists and athletes.

The 27-year-old amapiano superstar collaborated with iconic sportswear brand Adidas in crafting the anthem as a nod to SA’s long-standing soccer heritage — with a yanos touch for modern cultural finesse.    

Visuals for the music video feature the iconic Orlando Stadium in Soweto with special appearances by soccer legend Lucas Radebe, two-time Rugby World Cup champion Damian Willemse, Bafana Bafana captain Ronwen Williams and Olympians Akani Simbine and Boipelo Awuah.

Fashion designer Rich Mnisi, musician Pabi Cooper and songstress Shekhinah also make cameo appearances in the video.

Drawing reference from his roots as an aspirant soccer player to then finding superstardom in music, President Ya Straata aka Focalistic is no stranger to the pressure of sporting and cultural codes. 

“Growing up in the dusty streets of Ga-Rankuwa, Pretoria, all I did was play soccer and score goals. I was Messi, I showed no mercy,” he said in a statement.

“Fast forward to today and I am not the best football player, but I have used the same disciplines I learned from the game to score more hits and build a record label whose name was inspired by soccer ’18 Area’. I hope this song will inspire and bring hope to those who are under pressure.” 

In an interview with Sowetan in 2021, he shared the story of how he got his other moniker Pitori Maradona. He explained that he was a top goal scorer and wore the number10 jersey like Diego Maradona, Pele and Lionel Messi.