JEDDAH WORLD FEST - A TRIUMPH FOR SAUDI’S NEW GENERATION

A TRIUMPH FOR SAUDI’S NEW GENERATION - UNITING ALL

INTERNATIONAL MUSIC FESTIVAL, FIRST OF ITS KIND IN SAUDI ARABIA

40,000 MUSIC FANS CELEBRATING TOGETHER LIKE NEVER BEFORE

FIRST MUSIC EVENT IN SAUDI PRODUCED FOR GLOBAL TV BROADCAST

STAR LINE-UP HEADLINED BY:

JANET JACKSON

CHRIS BROWN

LIAM PAYNE

50 CENT

FUTURE

TYGA

STEVE AOKI

R3WIRE & VARSKI

DOWNLOAD MEDIA FILES HERE

www.JeddahWorldFest.com

#MusicUnitesUs

#JeddahWorldFest

International music festival Jeddah World Fest wowed a lucky audience of 40,000 adoring fans in Saudi Arabia last night. The incredible 7-hour event, the first of its kind in Saudi, featured stunning performances from star talent including Janet Jackson, Liam Payne, Chris Brown, 50 Cent, Tyga, Future, Steve Aoki and R3WIRE & Varski. This inclusive festival was created to unite and inspire young music fans of all backgrounds and persuasions through live music experiences. The spectacular event, produced especially for global TV, took place on the largest outdoor festival stage ever built in the Middle East and its premiere will be broadcast around the world in August 2019.

Jeddah World Fest was set up and operated in full by Irish company ROQU Media International, who design bespoke world-changing music events to create positive social change. Today, in Jeddah, ROQU Media president Robert Quirke told us: ‘I have never before in my life seen an audience so excited and responsive. This project is something truly special. It absolutely represents a wave of positivity for the young people in Saudi Arabia and unites all people together. Ultimately, this is about inspiring youth through live music experiences and connecting people. The heart of this project is built on bringing positivity to the world. It’s about the fans, it’s about the performers, it’s about positive energy and shared experiences. Together, 40,000 young men and women enjoyed the live show, many saying it was the greatest night of their life. At the show, our event teams were flooded with thanks from the crowd who genuinely see this as a new beginning. It is testament to the hunger and desire of the young people here to connect and enjoy these moments as one, regardless of their background.’

First out on stage at 9pm, welcomed with a roar of appreciation by the excited crowd, were R3WIRE & Varski, who remixed songs such as Queen’s ‘We Will Rock You’ and The White Stripes’ ‘Seven Nation Army’ before mixing ‘One Kiss’ by Dua Lipa and Calvin Harris. Their first ever Saudi ‘Viking Clap’ went down an absolute storm. R3WIRE later posted on Facebook: ‘Jeddah World Fest in Saudi Arabia was so special! Words cannot describe the love in the air.’

After the super-duo had set the mood for the night, iconic singer Janet Jackson leapt onto the stage, singing and dancing to hits including ‘All For You’ and her latest, ‘Made for Now’, winning the audience’s hearts with every kiss she blew. ‘I love you Jeddah!’ were the star’s parting words.

Next up was Liam Payne, who showed his fantastic vocal range across a mix of songs and inspired the crowd to dance with him to ‘Drag Me Down’ and a cover of ‘Shape of You’ by Ed Sheeran.
‘The crowd here in Jeddah is amazing!’ said Payne. ‘I want to say something really important: MUSIC UNITES US, and it’s good to be here with you tonight.’

After Liam’s thrilling performance, the crowd could no longer resist chanting ‘Tyga, Tyga, Tyga’ – and they weren’t disappointed. Many of them had been waiting especially for him and didn’t hesitate to show the rapper all their love when he appeared on stage. Tyga performed a number of fan favourites including ‘Ice Cream Man’, ‘Taste’, ‘Rock City’ and ‘Hookah’. It was an electric performance, followed by another supercharged rapper, Future, who whipped the crowd up again with tracks such as ‘Jumpman’, ‘Low Life’ and ‘Mask Off’. Beaming widely, Future seemed stunned as the crowd rapped along with him, reciting his hits word for word.

The energy hit yet another level then as 50 Cent took to the stage. At one point, he asked the crowd to chant his name, then told them to call him 50 Halala instead, the Saudi equivalent to cent. He tweeted later: ‘My new name is 50 Halala, so get with the program. I might move out here, I like it!’

American star Chris Brown strutted onto the stage next, opening to the cheering crowd with ‘Beautiful People’, reflecting the positive energy all around. Fans danced non-stop through his fast-paced set, which included ‘Loyal’ featuring Lil Wayne and Tyga.

Closing the festival was American DJ Steve Aoki with a truly breathtaking and inspirational set. Proving they still had lots of energy in reserve, the Jeddah World Fest crowd responded to every hit before being stunned by a VERY special surprise Aoki had created for them – a brand new track with female Saudi singer Dalia Mubarak, who joined him on stage.

‘I’m very grateful to be here, I have a feeling I have a lot of fans here in Saudi Arabia,’ Aoki told the crowd who had waited until the early hours of the morning to see him.

He made sure to return the love by remixing two special new tracks, one by Egypt’s beloved singer Abdel Halim Hafez and the other a BTS mix of ‘MIC Drop’. After such a successful first year of Jeddah World Fest, the plan is to continue it annually for the next five years. Anyone aged over 16 can attend and there are no restrictions or any segregation based on gender. Music Unites Us.

DOWNLOAD MEDIA FILES HERE

www.JeddahWorldFest.com

https://www.instagram.com/jeddahworldfest/

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