Dubai: Organisers of an upcoming Eid event in Dubai have announced three more artists after two of the star performers cancelled.
Jamaican pop and reggae star Sean Paul, American singer and former Destiny’s Child member Kelly Rowland and rapper T-Pain have been confirmed, said Radhesh Menon, director for the five-day Shoppiesta to be held at Meydan from August 31.
“We want to make fans of international music happy since we have other artists for all the themed nights,” he added.
The announcement follows cancellation by Indian superstar Shah Rukh Khan and American rapper 50 Cent, who were two of the biggest names in the line-up of stars scheduled to perform at the event, billed as a consumer fair with shopping and a host of attractions planned around the concerts.
While Khan dropped out due to the unavailability of his co-star Kareena Kapoor, who also features in his upcoming superhero flick Ra.One, 50 Cent’s unavailability was due to a “communication breakdown”, said Menon.
“Ever since we signed the contract and announced the event, various agents have been in touch with us claiming to officially represent the artist,” he told tabloid! earlier. “Because of the confusion, we have decided to cancel the contract and claim back the money we’ve already paid for the artist.”
Each day of the five-day festival is themed with Arabic, Filipino, Indian and other international artists performing every night.
Bollywood stars Priyanka Chopra, Deepika Padukone, Shahid Kapoor, Jacqueline Fernandez and Malaika Arora Khan have been roped in to replace Khan and his entourage while Paul, Rowland and T-Pain will perform in place of 50 Cent on the final night.
Other performers still on the roster include Lebanese singers Nancy Ajram and Melheim Zein, Filipino pop and R&B band South Border, girl band Mocha Girls, Iranian diva Googoosh and Indian singers Hariharan and Shankar Mahadevan.
Menon said tickets will go on sale on Wednesday.
- For more information, go to www.shoppiesta.com
