The 2018 Winter Olympics next month will allow skaters to perform routines to music with lyrics for the first time, which guarantees that we’ll see plenty of great music choices from skaters. And while we’re already big fans of Jason Brown’s Hamilton routine, fellow U.S. figure skater Jimmy Ma’s song choice in his short program sticks the landing.
At the U.S. National Figure Skating Championships in San Jose, California, Ma took to the ice to perform a routine to DJ Snake’s “Propaganda.” However, about two-thirds of the way through the routine the music faded as a very familiar tune started to emerge: DJ Snake and Lil Jon’s “Turn Down For What.”
The commentators aren’t as sure what to make of it, but the upbeat change gave Ma’s routine—and the audience—a fresh jolt of energy and allowed him to end on a high note.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2eoEctPNGNw
The transition starts around the 2:20 mark, but if you just want to watch Ma skate to “Turn Down For What” NBC Olympic Talk’s Nick Zaccardi has you covered.
https://twitter.com/nzaccardi/status/949133007515996161
“Figure skating is an extreme sport,” Ma told USA Today after getting off the ice. “I want the most amount of people to see that it is both an awesome art form and also an awesome sport. The whole point was to get people hyped. Get older people hyped and for younger people to think it is cool.”
Ma finished the night in 11th place and he’s unlikely to make the U.S. Men’s Figure Skating team after the free skate on Saturday, but he’s already won gold in our hearts.
