The reviewers dropped their anonymous scores, and the lowest was an 8.5 — solid confirmation that the song was something special. It was the good news everyone had hoped for, and with that green light, the real preparation for the release kicked off.
First came the paperwork. All the credits — producers, writers, engineers — were carefully uploaded to the metadata platforms. Dayo handled the technical side, but the legal and copyright details he shifted to Valery. The deal ensured shared ownership: UC Label and JD Records — the name Dayo had quietly chosen for both his budding label and his stage name.
Next was the artwork. The concept was simple but powerful a black-and-white portrait of Dayo and Luna, side by side, their expressions. It stripped away the noise, focusing on the music and the emotion it carried, making it feel personal and timeless.
Then came the teaser. The plan was minimalistic: Dayo, seated at a piano, softly playing the melody while Luna slowly walked into frame, delivering a single, haunting line from her verse. No fancy effects, no dramatic cuts — just raw anticipation. At the end of the clip, the screen faded to black, revealing nothing but the release date.
***
The reaction was immediate. The teaser spread like wildfire across platforms, with fan pages breaking down every frame like it was a Movie trailer. Old clips of Luna in the studio — the moment she first heard the demo of the song and clutched her headphones in shock — resurfaced and started circulating again. Fans picked apart her every expression, talking about the emotion on her face, the quiet disbelief in her eyes.
The narrative flipped overnight.
Months ago, people accused Luna of being "lazy," of losing her touch. Now those same people flooded her comments with apologies:
"I was wrong. She's still the queen."
"Imagine doubting Luna? Crazy."
"If this is the teaser, the full track is going to wreck us, and i can't wait."
Meanwhile, Dayo stayed quiet, letting the buzz grow on its own. But behind the scenes, UC Label ramped up their marketing engine, and the pre-save campaign went crazy. Within a week, the track crossed 1.4 million pre-saves across Spotify and Apple Music. TikTok had already claimed the piano line as its next big sound, with over 50,000 users creating videos even before the song dropped.
***
The Release Day Came soon
The morning of the release was calm — too calm. The studio was quiet, filled only with the hum of anticipation. Publicists, music reviewers, and industry heavyweights filed into the glass-walled conference room for the official listening session and media brunch.
For Luna, this wasn't just another release. This was her first official track in years, a statement to the world that she was back and ready to dominate again. She sat at one end of the long table, flawless as always, but her fingers tapped lightly against her coffee cup nervously.
Dayo sat opposite her, his demeanor calm, but inside, there was a storm of emotions. He wasn't just dropping a song — he was dropping his first single ever in both his life and his dream was finally coming true.
Then the track played.
The soft piano intro filled the room, building anticipation. By the time the first chorus hit, heads were nodding in sync, and by the bridge, the room was completely silent — not out of politeness, but because everyone there knew they were hearing something different. Something big.
And then, as the final note faded, there was a pause.
Five seconds of stunned silence.
Then applause.
Not polite applause — the kind that echoed off the walls, the kind that carried relief, excitement, and awe.
"Hall of Fame" had officially launched.
***
The media reaction was immediate and brutal — in the best way possible. Within an hour of the soft release to private streaming portals and industry insiders, #HallOfFame, #JDandLuna, and #FIFAanthem were trending worldwide. Clips from the private event leaked, enough to ignite the firestorm.
Fans swarmed social media:
"THE QUEEN IS BACK!!! 😭🔥"
"Who is JD and how is he this good?!"
"This feels like stadium energy. Play this in the World Cup already."
"Bro is Nigerian? WE CLAIMING HIM!!! 🇳🇬"
"This isn't just a song, this is an experience."
Music blogs chimed in with early reviews:
Pitchfork:"It's rare for an artist to evolve so cleanly and yet elevate the genre in the process. JD and Luna's 'Hall of Fame' isn't just a song; it's a statement."
Rolling Stone:"Luna's return is nothing short of iconic — a masterclass in reinvention."
Billboard:"JD proves he's no fluke. His production choices, his restraint, his presence — all industry grade. And Luna? Effortless."
Even casual listeners commented:
"Man came out of nowhere and bodied this like he's been in the game a decade."
"The chemistry is unreal. Like their voices were made for each other."
"I wasn't ready for JD to be fine and talented. Lord have mercy."
"Luna just showed every rookie how to make a comeback."
***
The Numbers came rolling
By the end of the first day, the numbers were staggering:
Spotify: 5.2 million streams
Apple Music: 2.5 million streams
YouTube (lyric video): 6.8 million views Audiomack & Boomplay (combined): 1.7 million plays
TikTok: Over 20,000 videos made with the sound in 24 hours
Billboard: Debuted at #11 on the Hot 100, #4 on the Global 200, and #8 on Digital Song Sales
Total first-day streams across platforms? Over 22 million — a new record for a non-major-label release leading into a global sporting event.
Dayo barely reacted publicly, just posting a quiet update on Instagram:
"We're just getting started. Thank you."
***
Behind the scenes, UC Label had been lobbying FIFA for weeks. Emails, calls, demo versions sent to key executives — everything to make sure "Hall of Fame" landed where it needed to.
Three days after the official release, the payoff came.
FIFA posted on their socials:
"It's official. 'Hall of Fame' by JD and Luna will serve as the anthem for the upcoming FIFA World Cup. A track that captures the global spirit of football — resilience, unity, triumph."
If the release was an atomic bomb, the FIFA announcement was a nuclear one. Overnight, every platform exploded again.
From Lagos to London, Rio to Buenos Aires, the song was everywhere. Football pages, lifestyle blogs, and even official national team accounts reposted clips with captions like "See you at the opening ceremony."
The hashtags #HallOfFame, #FIFAanthem, and #JDandLuna trended in over 45 countries within 24 hours. TikTok challenges took off, YouTube covers multiplied, and streaming platforms updated their "Global Hits" playlists to feature the track at the top.
And the numbers reflected the frenzy:
Spotify: From 5.2M → 25.4M streams
Apple Music: #1 in 34 countries, Top 10 in over
50 countriesShazam: Searches spiked 400%
globallyBillboard: Climbed to #4 on the Hot 100, #1 on the Global 200 (Excl. U.S.), and #2 on Digital Song Sales
A/N: Extra chapter Chapter coming soon