Without a doubt, the entire world has come together to make the Expo 2020 Dubai dream a reality, and this includes your favourite celebrities. Whether they are event organisers, pavilion representatives or simply there to perform, here’s a rundown of some of the artists (listed below in alphabetical order) who have made their mark on the World's Greatest Show to date.
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AR Rahman: A renowned Indian film composer, record producer, singer and songwriter, Rahman joined hands with Expo in March 2020 to create the Firdaus Women’s Orchestra. The orchestra will be a women’s ensemble, mentored and creatively led by Rahman himself, as he composes all the music for their performances. Not only this, but the orchestra’s base would be the ‘Firdaus Studio by AR Rahman,’ a world-class centre that will become a permanent part of District 2020, a human-centred global community to emerge from the Expo site.
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Chris Hemsworth: In a global campaign with the airline Emirates, powerhouse celebrity Chris Hemsworth tours the colourful and vibrant Expo 2020 site along with a crowd of awestruck visitors. The video ad was filmed in 2019 when the world exposition was still under construction. Hemsworth commented on the partnership: "At Expo 2020 Dubai, the world will come together in the spirit of collaboration to provide real life solutions that will benefit future generations. If you’re able to travel and you feel it’s safe, I sincerely hope you can make it."
Image Credit: Emirates airlines
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Hussain Al Jassmi: An Emirati sensation, Al Jassmi is a pianist, composer, musician and singer, as well as an Expo 2020 Dubai Ambassador, the title appointed to him in the year 2019. Through his musical prowess and household presence, the once-in-a-lifetime event seeks to highlight Emirati culture for the world. On October 20, 2019, he performed at the ‘One Year to Go’ milestone concert at Burj Park, Dubai (pictured), alongside American pop singer Mariah Carey.
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Lionel Messi: The captain of Argentina’s national football team, Messi is a professional player with a streak of historic records on the green pitch. He became one of the first international faces of Expo 2020 Dubai, as he was appointed Global Ambassador back in 2016. With less than three months to go for the exposition’s official opening, Messi was featured in a countdown video released on July 1, 2021, where he was seen effortlessly shooting a football into the skylight of Al Wasl Plaza.
Image Credit: Screenshot/Expo 2020 Dubai
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Ludovico Einaudi: Acclaimed Italian pianist and composer, Einaudi will be one of the musical highlights for Expo 2020 Dubai. The composer has written music for cinema hits ‘Black Swan’ and had his compositions feature in the film ‘Insidious’ and TV series ‘Derek’. In collaboration with Greenpeace, Einaudi took his grand piano to the icy Arctic in 2016, where on a floating platform surrounded by melting icebergs, he performed his ‘Elegy for the Arctic’ - a cry for the world to protect the planet.
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Mahela Jayawerdene and Kumar Sangakkara: Both Jayawerdene and Sangakkara, lauded for their batting skills, captained the Sri Lankan cricket team. Sangakkara also became the first non-British president of the Marylebone Cricket Club. Back in October 2019, the Sri Lanka Export Development Board (EDB) appointed both cricket legends as Brand Ambassadors for the Sri Lanka Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai.
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Mariah Carey: An international superstar praised for her melisma singing style and signature whistle note, Carey hails the titles of ‘Songbird Supreme’ and ‘Queen of Christmas.’ She performed at the ‘One Year to Go’ Expo 2020 Dubai countdown concert (pictured) alongside Emirati singer Hussain Al Jassmi in October 2019, which coincided with celebrations across all seven emirates.
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Mélanie Laurent: French actress, filmmaker and singer, Laurent is best known globally for her roles in ‘Now You See Me’ and ‘6 Underground.’ Laurent will curate the exhibition content for the Women’s Pavilion, where on its second floor she will showcase her photography and other selected works to paint the universal link between women and their ecosystems. A film, sculpture and even an audio-visual art piece are in store for the visitors on this level.
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Mohammed Fairouz: An Emirati composer hailed by The New York Times as “an important new artistic voice”, Fairouz was commissioned by Expo to compose the nation’s first opera ‘Al Wasl’, meaning ‘the connection’. The opera will bring to life more than 4,000 years of the UAE’s history, narrating how the country’s rich heritage continues to influence its fast-paced presence in the world today. The two-hour production will be put together by more than 100 artists and musicians and a production team of 70 professionals.
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Nadine Labaki: Labaki is a Lebanese actress, Oscar-nominated director for movie ‘Capernaum’ and an activist. She is set to direct the thematic short film for the Women’s Pavilion at the world fair, conveying the message that ‘When women thrive, humanity thrives.’ She will be a member of the diverse community of powerful female figures that the pavilion is bringing in to encourage progressive dialogue on women from around the world throughout history.
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PARRI$: Parris Goebel, otherwise known as PARRI$, is a New Zealand choreographer, dancer, singer, director and actress, pictured here next to Jacinda Ardern, Prime Minister of New Zealand (right). She is famed for choreographing global hits like Justin Bieber’s ‘Sorry’ and Sam Smith’s ‘How Do You Sleep?’ At the Expo, she will curate New Zealand’s cultural and entertainment programmes and put together works that will serve as reminders of the country’s talent and creativity. The Royal Family, a group under Goebel's founded dance school ‘The Palace Dance Studio’, is also slated for the line-up, bringing its moves worthy of a three-time World Hip Hop Dance Championship title to Dubai.
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Ragheb Alama: Lebanese sensation, Ragheb Alama, has been enchanting Arab audiences since the 1980s with more than 18 albums under his belt. Part of Expo 2020's entertainment line-up, the singer recently serenaded Dubai in a live concert at Dubai Opera on July 15 and 16.
Image Credit: Diana Farroukh/Flickr
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Richard Curtis: The British screenwriter, producer, film director – most notably the mind behind ‘Love Actually’ and ‘Notting Hill’ – participated in ‘Expo Talks: Global Goals’, a virtual conference held from March 9 to 10, 2021, in association with the United Nations (UN). Global Goals was a call to action on how missing the targets set by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) can affect the world’s most vulnerable nations over the next decade. At this talk, Curtis promoted the SDGs through his non-profit creative communications agency, Project Everyone.
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Shekhar Kapur: An Indian film director, producer and actor, Kapur is best known for his films ‘Bandit Queen’ and Oscar-winner ‘Elizabeth.’ He is a content advisor for Expo 2020 and had visited back in 2019 to see the site for himself, including Al Wasl Plaza while it was still under construction. On July 2, 2021, Kapur announced his collaboration with AR Rahman and how a live musical show is in the works for Expo to be staged within Al Wasl Plaza, a story that narrates human endeavours.
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Six60: New Zealand's five-piece band is coming to Expo 2020 Dubai. On their countrywide tour finale, Six60 played to 50,000 fans in what was known as the biggest concert since the pandemic hit the world in April 2021. With 1.8 million monthly listeners on the music streaming site Spotify, Six60 have won multiple accolades at the New Zealand Music Awards.
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Sonam Kapoor: According to an Expo media briefing on July 1, 2021, Bollywood star Sonam Kapoor is all set to be part of the world fair's entertainment line-up. Earlier in the year, the actress wrapped up the shooting for her new action-thriller ‘Blind’ in Scotland, a Hindi remake of the Korean movie of the same name.
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Stray Kids: A South Korean boy group, Stray Kids debuted under JYP Entertainment in 2018 with ‘District 9,’ an electrifying mesh of hip-hop, rock and EDM. The group consists of eight members: Bang Chan, Lee Know, Han, Changbin, Seungmin, Hyunjin, Felix and I.N. In June 2021, the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) and South Korean Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, appointed Stray Kids as the ambassadors for the Korea Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai. Stray Kids have won more than 25 rookie and best performance awards over a three year period.
Image Credit: Twitter/@Stray_Kids_JP
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will.i.am: Rapper and lead member of American hip-hop group Black Eyed Peas, will.i.am became the voice of an Expo 2020 advertisement (pictured) in 2019. In this cinematic trailer, he recalls the accomplishments of man, from the invention of the wheel and paper to creating algebra and building the pyramids of Giza. He invites the viewer to visit the Greatest Show and “witness new acts of human genius.”
Image Credit: Screenshot/YouTube
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