From Rag’n’Bone Man to Ricky Martin, here are all the music megastars coming to Dubai this year

2018 in music: All the artists confirmed to perform in Dubai.

After a stellar 2017 which saw the likes of J-Lo, Justin Bieber and Ed Sheeran take the stage, 2018 is already shaping up to be another epic year for live music fans.

It may only be January, but the likes of John Legend, The Chainsmokers and Rag’n’Bone man are all already confirmed to perform this year.

But they’re not the only ones coming to town – so we’ve rounded up all the stars with confirmed gigs (plus a few we’d love to see join the line-up).

The Chainsmokers

Who: American DJ duo The Chainsmokers, made up of Andrew Taggart and Alex Pall, will be performing smash hits like Closer, Don’t Let Me Down and Roses in February at RedFest DXB.  They’ll be supported by US rapper Russ, known for tracks What They Want and Losin Control, South London singer-songwriter Kelli-Leigh, and French-Lebanese artist Anthony Touma.
When: Thursday, February 8
Where: RedFest DXB, Media City Amphitheatre, Dubai Media City
Price: From Dhs395 for single day tickets and from Dhs695 for weekend access

Kesha

Who: Electro-pop star Kesha, who has sold more than 100 million records worldwide, will be performing hits including We R Who We R and Tik Tok when she comes to Dubai for the first time ever this year after a five-year hiatus from the industry.
When: Friday, February 9
Where: RedFestDXB, Media City Amphitheatre, Dubai Media City
Price: From Dhs395 for single day tickets and from Dhs695 for weekend access

Bebe Rexha, Marshmello & Craig David

Who: Breakthrough American singer-songwriter Bebe Rexha, British R&B favourite Craig David, as well as DJ Marshmello, who recently collaborated with Selena Gomez on the song Wolves will all be supporting Kesha at her RedFestDXB debut.
When: Friday, February 9
Where: Redfest Dxb, Media City Amphitheatre, Dubai Media City
Price: From Dhs395 for single day tickets and from Dhs695 for weekend access

Duran Duran

Who: Duran Duran are a hugely influential 80s band whose expansive catalogue of music has gone on to inspire many of the modern pop, indie and electro-rock outfits that are making waves in today’s music industry.
When: Wednesday, February 21
Where: Emirates Airline Dubai Jazz Festival, Media City Amphitheatre, Dubai Media City
Price: From Dhs325

John Legend

Who: Ten-time Grammy Award-winning singer and songwriter, John Legend. The American superstar is no stranger to Dubai Jazz Festival, having performed both in 2012 and 2015 at the show. 
When: Thursday, February 22
Where: Emirates Airline Dubai Jazz Festival, Media City Amphitheatre, Dubai Media City
Price: From Dhs375

Ricky Martin

Who: Latin pop icon Ricky Martin is credited with bringing Latin music to the forefront of mainstream pop in the 1990s, and when he takes to the stage in Dubai for the first time, fans can expect to hear the Puerto Rican star’s iconic hits such as Living La Vida Loca and She Bangs.
When: Friday, February 23
Where: Emirates Airline Dubai Jazz Festival, Media City Amphitheatre, Dubai Media City
Price: From Dhs375

Rag’n’Bone man

Who: His stirring single Human is the perfect blend of pop and blues – which is why it’s gained 411 million views on YouTube – and Rag’n’Bone Man, aka Rory Graham, will play a one-night-only show at Dubai Opera this year. Graham won two BRIT Awards this year – he won Critics’ Choice and the Best British Breakthrough Act –  and his Dubai Opera performance will be part of his European tour.
When: Friday, March 23
Where: Dubai Opera, Downtown Dubai
Price: From Dhs195

Steps

Who: As part of their 20-year celebration, iconic 90s pop band Steps are bringing their anniversary tour to Dubai Opera. The British five-piece will perform a single-date gig on April 27, with the venue transforming into a flat-floor gig space for the occasion.
When: Friday, April 27
Where: Dubai Opera, Downtown Dubai
Price: From Dhs275

Plus 3 stars we’d love to see…

Taylor Swift

She’s arguably one of the biggest pop stars on the planet, and we’d love to see a Dubai date for her fifth world tour this year. The country singer turned pop megastar has just released Reputation (the American singer-songwriter’s sixth studio album) which went straight to number one across the globe and has sold more than two million copies worldwide. We’d love to see her catchy hits performed at one of Dubai’s venues this year.

Sam Smith

He released music again in 2017 after spending two years working on his second studio album, The Thrill of It All, and we’d love to see British singer songwriter Sam Smith come to Dubai to perform it live. Rising to fame as the vocalist on Disclosure’s Latch in 2012, Sam Smith went on to see his 2014 debut album, In The Lonely Hour win him four Grammy’s and five top ten singles in the UK chart. His soulful sound and heartfelt hits have seen him become one of pop’s most recognised voices of the moment.

The Foo Fighters

This isn’t the first time we’ve wished for The Foo Fighters to come to the city. In fact, we had them in our predictions for the 2017 artists performing at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. And although they didn’t deliver a UAE performance in 2017, we’ve still got our hopes set for 2018. Arguably the biggest rock band on the planet, they rose from the ashes of the 90s grunge scene to transform into the kind of act that packs out stadiums and headlines festivals the world over.

Culled From What's On Dubai