R&B star Ne-Yo will finally be making an appearance in Dubai this month, after over a year of rumours that he would perform in the city, a spokesperson for Ne-Yo confirmed by telephone from Atlanta on Tuesday night, saying he is "all set for Dubai".
The 31-year-old singer, songwriter, record producer and actor is currently holed up in a recording studio in the US city, but will make a one-off visit to the UAE to perform at Chi @ The Lodge on May 29.
The show is organised by Dubai-based King Entertainment, who have also done shows with the star in Amsterdam at the end of 2010.
After more than three months of planning, managing director Khalid Al Suwaidi said he is "very pleased to have finally managed to tie down a star "everybody has been waiting so long for".
"We are so happy Ne-Yo has finally found the time to come to Dubai," he said. "He is such a fantastic performer and the show is sure to be impressive."
Ne-Yo boasts an impressive catalogue of songs, including So Sick, Because of You, Closer and Miss Independent, as well as a string of chart-topping songs he has written for Whitney Houston, Celine Dion, Anastacia, Ciara, Corbin Bleu, Enrique Iglesias and Leona Lewis.
It's not surprising it's taken the singer so long to find the time to perform in the Middle East as the star is in demand.
This week he sang live on America's popular television show Dancing With The Stars, took part in an hour-long The Fresh Beat Band special for Nickelodeon, enjoyed a trip to the south of France and even squeezed in a gig in Kuwait last month.
Billboard also managed to pin the singer down to join a live line-up with Jennifer Lopez, Rihanna, Cee Lo Green, Ke$ha and Nicki Minaj for this Sunday's Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas.
On top of all that, late last year the singer became a father for the first time. His girlfriend Monyetta Shaw gave birth to a baby girl, Madilyn Grace, on November 12.
"I've been in love before but this feels like nothing I've ever felt," the new dad said. "Like I'm in love for the first time."
The arrival came as a bit of a shock as the little one wasn't due until January this year but Shaw went into labour early in Atlanta. The Beautiful Monster singer was at a charity event at the time but rushed to her side and made it just in time for the birth.
The proud father announced the happy news on Twitter saying "As my life transforms due to the new life that sprung up on me last night, it's good to know my folks support. Luv y'all," he wrote. "Welcoming that lil' girl to the world last night defined for me what ‘willing to kill and die for' truly means. My world, my life, all hers."
Ne-Yo will perform hits from his latest album Libra Scale, released last November, as well as hits from the past decade.
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King Entertainment says Ne-Yo will perform at Chi @ The Lodge on May 29, with tickets, priced Dh250 and Dh350 for VIP, expected to go on sale on Sunday.
