Music makes you perform better. Science says so, athletes feel it, and anyone who's ever crushed a workout playlist knows it. Yet somehow, Sweden had been heading into its biggest sporting moments with a national anthem that could double as a lullaby. Svenska Spel — the main sponsor of the Swedish Olympic team — decided something had to change. And who better to turn to for a crash course in passion than the host nation itself: Italy.

Together with Oscar Zia — half Italian, fully passionate — Sweden's national anthem was reimagined as Pronti Via, an emotionally charged track built on Italy's tradition of operatic feeling. Released ahead of the Winter Olympics in Cortina, the song spread from the Olympic village to radio stations, billboards, cultural programmes and podcasts. Sweden went on to win 18 medals — more than in any previous Winter Olympics. Coincidence? Maybe. But the mountains in Cortina were definitely singing along.