Beats Taps Soccer Players Bukayo Saka, Serge Gnabry and More for Global "Defy the Noise" Campaign

Professional athletes are subject to an overwhelming amount of pressure, from receiving criticism from spectators to shouldering expectations to perform on the field. In a new campaign entitled “Defy the Noise,” Beats is giving viewers a look into the “noise” that leading soccer players face on a daily basis.

A new short film from the brand in support of the Beats Fit Pro follows England’s Bukayo Saka, Germany’s Serge Gnabry, France’s Kingsley Coman and Japan’s Ritsu Doan as they detail the struggles of being a pro athlete.

Gnabry discusses being subject to critics who say he cares more about his appearance than soccer, while Coman has to once again prove himself after being out of the game due to serious injuries. Saka talks being the subject of online hate and Doan feels the pressure to prove that his country poses serious competition in the sport.

Additional appearances come from Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano, soccer coach Joe Cole, former athlete Ledley King and more. The film also features a new single from British rapper slowthai called “i know nothing.”

“Social media can and should be used as a tool for connection and good but instead it serves to gloat and punch down,” slowthai said. “It fails to show the harsh reality we live in, which can lead to isolation and depression. Let’s lift each other up.”

Watch Beats’ “Defy the Noise” short film above.

In other tech news, Elon Musk has outlined his plan for Twitter to launch a native payment system.