Just hold on, Drake’s coming to Dubai. Marking his only Middle Eastern concert of his third headlining tour — cheekily dubbed the Would You Like a Tour? tour — the Grammy-winning rapper will perform on March 14 at the Dubai International Stadium.
Speaking to tabloid! about the show, organisers Louder Entertainment said that they have been working on the Drake gig for close to six months, which covers the entirety of their time as an events company in Dubai.
Managing director Amy Wilkinson-Lough said that her team, who organised for Gary Barlow, MasterJam NYE and Michael Buble to come to town, have 15 to 20 years of industry experience as individuals. She called the upcoming Drake show “gigantic”.
“He has possibly, if not, the biggest production around the world. It’s just gigantic. To give you an idea of that, we’re having to sea freight more than 34 tonnes of production from the UK. There’s 17 tonnes of just lighting fixtures alone,” she said.
Drake, a Torontonian who got his start as a young actor on Canadian teen drama Degrassi, broke out in the international hip-hop scene in 2009 with one of his very first commercial hits, Best I Ever Had.
Taken on tour by fellow rapper Lil Wayne, he gained wide popularity before even signing to a major label.
The Find Your Love and The Motto singer released his debut album Thank Me Later in 2010, followed by the ultra-successful sophomore album Take Care, featuring collaborations with Nicki Minaj and Rihanna.
In 2012, he co-founded his own label, OVO Sound (October’s Very Own Sound), and a year later released his third album, Nothing Was the Same. His upcoming effort, Views From the 6, has yet to be recorded.
*Tickets to see Drake on March 14 at the Dubai International Stadium will range between Dh320 and Dh950, on sale from 10am on Wednesday, January 21. Ticket vendors will be announced soon.
