Valorant is celebrating a significant milestone with its fifth anniversary. The Riot Games’ tactical shooter is celebrating with a brand-new cinematic titled “Why We Fight,” featuring musician Qing Madi and her single, “EGO.”
In a press release about the celebratory video, Anna Donlon, Studio Head for Valorant, said, “As we pass our five-year milestone, we’ve been presented with a ton of opportunities, moments of reflection, and new challenges that keep us in check as more players join us. Our commitment to this game is stronger than ever, and I’m so grateful to continue this journey with our community.”
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The focus of the music and storytelling piece is to draw inspiration from “First Light,” the pivotal event that shaped Alpha Earth and the Valorant world as we know it. The cinematic also introduces a significant new character: Mary Ade, Phoenix’s sister. Mary is the game’s first non-playable character, and she plays a crucial role in Phoenix’s story, sparking a moment of reflection for all the agents.
Qing Madi’s “EGO” allows players to explore the world of Valorant
Mary’s song, “EGO,” serves a dual purpose for Valorant‘s anniversary celebration. It’s both a nod to the dedicated players who have been with the game for half a decade and a dive into the agents’ emotional challenges, particularly Phoenix’s struggles.
David Nottingham, Creative Director on the game, explained the creative vision behind the cinematic. “To celebrate our anniversary, we envisioned a special musical moment capturing the journey of our players and agents.”
He continues, “This led us to create Mary, Phoenix’s sister and Valorant‘s first non-playable character. Her song, EGO, embodies the duality of our 2025 celebration: honoring our players who have been with us all these years with us and the emotional challenges faced by our agents, particularly Phoenix.”
Who is Madi Qing?
In the same release, Jonny Altepeter, Lead Music Supervisor at Riot Games, highlighted the importance of the artist Riot Games chose for the song:
“Every now and then, an artist comes along who just naturally fits into a story, and Qing Madi was that perfect match for Mary Ade. Her raw demo of ‘EGO’ instantly captured the emotional depth we wanted to explore with this music video, and it became a powerful foundation for deeper storytelling in the VALORANT universe.”
The voice behind “EGO,” the new single featured in the “Why We Fight” cinematic, belongs to Qing Madi, an 18-year-old Nigerian singer, songwriter, and entertainer. Born Chimamanda Pearl Chukwuma, she is heavily influenced by her cultural background and Kendrick Lamar’s lyrics.
Qing Madi crafts a unique sound blending Afrobeats, pop, soul, and R&B. Raised primarily by her mother, who is a former singer and dancer, Madi honed her skills by performing in school talent shows and her church’s adult choir. Her mother’s foresight led her to a local ballet academy, which further fueled her creativity and taught her to quickly memorize lyrics, nurture her vocals, and define her distinctive sound.
Qing Madi released two EPs, Africa and Soldier, at ages 11 and 13, respectively. While she explored mature themes like heartache and financial struggles, she later moved to solely writing her own powerful, yet soft, compositions. Her major label debut EP, Qing Madi, and the full-length I am the Blueprint feature tracks like “Ole” and “Favorite Psycho,” contributing to over half a billion streams. Qing Madi aims to revolutionize the music industry with her global brand of Afro R&B.
Valorant is available now on Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC.
