DUBAI: Here are the biggest stars performing on the Big Beast stage at next weekend’s SOUNDSTORM festival in Riyadh. From Post Malone to Balqees, the event promises a diverse line-up who will hit the stage in Saudi Arabia.
Post Malone
Who: US rapper and singer who has most recently reinvented himself by going country — joining a booming and lucrative trend kickstarted by Beyoncé’s “Cowboy Carter.” Post Malone has the laidback charm to make that transition seem less cynical than it may be.
Critics say: “He’s a genre-blind shark, hunting hooks and anthemic moments wherever he finds them.” (The Guardian)
He says: “I’ve always just tried to make music that’s true to who I am — no matter. I make what makes me happy.” (USA Today)
Performing: Dec. 11
The US rapper and singer most recently reinvented himself by going country. (AFP)
Cardi B
Who: Record-breaking, multi-award-winning US rap star and a genuine cultural phenomenon — named in Time magazine’s list of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2018. Her second album, “Am I The Drama?” dropped in September, and debuted at number one in the US.
Critics say: “What she has mastered, as a rapper and elsewhere, is locating an idea, seizing it, and transmuting it into something her own: a style of rap that is both outrageous and easily digestible, designed to travel well.” (Pitchfork)
She says: “To me, music is art and fashion is art. But fame? Fame isn’t art, but the person you become when you’re famous — your alter ego — that’s art.” (Elle)
Performing: Dec. 13
Multi-award-winning US rap star Cardi B will perform in Saudi Arabia. (AFP)
Swedish House Mafia
Who: EDM’s first ‘supergroup’ — Axwell, Steve Angello, and Sebastian Ingrosso (pictured) — widely credited with bringing progressive house music into the mainstream in the early 2010s. Having split in 2012, they reformed in 2018 and continue to be regularly cited as inspirations by their peers.
Critics say: “Swedish House Mafia are the rockstars of the dance music world … (they) changed the world of popular music forever … inspiring a generation of teenagers to abandon the moshpit in favor of raves.” (NME)
They say: (Angello) “When we came back together again, it was like we had to rediscover what this was. (But then) Seb shows me something, or Ax shows me something I’ve never seen or heard, and it becomes this magic again.” (Billboard)
Performing: Dec. 11
EDM’s first ‘supergroup’ — Axwell, Steve Angello, and Sebastian Ingrosso (pictured) are widely credited with bringing progressive house music into the mainstream in the early 2010s. (AFP)
DJ Snake
Who: French-Algerian DJ-producer who first gained attention for his work on other people’s tracks — including Pitbull and Lady Gaga — before his iconic 2013 debut single “Turn Down for What,” the video for which has over 1.2 billion views on YouTube.
Critics say: “One of the most unique architects of electronic music today … A defining force in global music.” (Scene Noise)
He says: “I take pride in being innovative at all times. I never want to be behind the curve. I want to create that curve and make it extremely difficult to duplicate.” (Life and Times)
Performing: Dec. 12 (back-to-back with Metro Boomin)
French-Algerian DJ-producer DJ Snake. (AFP)
Pitbull
Who: US singer-songwriter and rapper of Cuban descent — aka Mr. Worldwide — whose debut album dropped 21 years ago. It was his fourth LP, in 2009, that saw him break into the mainstream, and since then he’s won numerous awards, including a Grammy.
Critics say: “Pitbull deals in the kind of platitudes that would be catnip to the live-laugh-love crowd, but he delivers them with a level of sincerity that means you find yourself oddly going along with it.” (Rolling Stone UK)
He says: “(My music is) there for when you’re feeling a certain way in life. It can help pick you up or it can take you to the next level.” (AP)
Performing: Dec. 12
Rapper Pitbull will take to the SOUNDSTORM stage. (AFP)
Halsey
Who: US singer-songwriter and actress who first gained attention with her original music on social media. Her 2018 song “Without Me” was her first US number one, and made her a confirmed star internationally. Her latest album, 2024’s “The Great Impersonator” was inspired by her health crises and made, she has said, “in the space between life and death.”
Critics say: “Her songs illuminate the anxiety of fame, questioning her own narcissism and neediness with unusually brutal detail.” (The Guardian)
She says: “I’m pretty regular. I’ll sometimes look at other artists who seem so larger-than-life and wonder: ‘Am I not supposed to be here?’” (Cosmopolitan)
Performing: Dec. 13
US singer-songwriter and actress Halsey first gained attention with her original music on social media. (AFP)
Young Thug
Who: US mumble-rap pioneer who rose to prominence in 2014 with the singles “Stoner” and “Danny Glover.” His debut album, 2019’s “So Much Fun” hit number one in the US, and that same year he picked up a Song of the Year Grammy for his contributions to Childish Gambino’s “This Is America.”
Critics say: “For all the commercial speculation that’s run parallel to what Young Thug has actually been doing on his records, the truth has always been in the scraps, on the fringes.” (Pitchfork)
He says: “I feel like I’m one of the biggest stars. I did a lot: founding this culture and the new rap game that’s happening right now. I just feel like I’m out of this world.” (GQ)
Performing: Dec. 13
US mumble-rap pioneer Young Thug. (AFP)
Balqees
Who: Yemeni-Emirati singer, and daughter of the famed oudist Ahmed Fathi. Her breakthrough hit was “Masaa’la Sahla.” She’s performed opera songs in several different languages, and has dueted with Andrea Bocelli.
Critics say: “Balqees has never rested on her laurels. She has remained dedicated to serving as a voice for today’s youth, especially women.” (Arab News)
She says: “I really would love to maintain my image in the eyes of the audience by not letting them down, by just being myself. They love how genuine Balqees is, they love how true and faithful Balqees is on stage and off stage.” (Harper’s Bazaar Arabia)
Performing: Dec. 12
Yemeni-Emirati singer Balqees. (AFP)
Benson Boone
Who: US singer-songwriter famed for withdrawing from “American Idol” in 2021 “to focus on his career” — a move either brave, or a smart way to milk maximum publicity from the show. His 2024 hit “Beautiful Things” was reportedly the most streamed song in the world last year.
Critics say: “You should believe in Benson Boone, because even though the packaging is derivative, the raw talent is undeniable.” (GQ)
He says: “I’m getting to the point where I just want people to know that there’s more (to me) than just (‘Beautiful Things’). But I still love the song. I’m still proud of it.” (Rolling Stone)
Performing: Dec. 11
The US singer-songwriter is famous for withdrawing from “American Idol” in 2021 “to focus on his career.” (AFP)
Anyma
Who: Solo project of Italian-American DJ-producer Matteo Milleri, who made his name as one half of EDM duo Tale of Us. Last year he was the first electronic artist booked at Sphere in Las Vegas and this year he cracked the top 10 of DJ Mag’s prestigious Top 100 DJs list.
Critics say: “(His Sphere residency) revolutionized expectations for electronic music performances.” (Earmilk)
He says: “I started this project basically to explore possibilities beyond what’s physical. But I never had in mind to have it be dissociative, like in a VR. It was more about extended reality.” (Variety)
Performing: Dec. 12
Italian-American DJ-producer Matteo Milleri. (AFP)
Don Toliver
Who: US singer-songwriter and rapper whose big break came in 2018 when he featured on Travis Scott’s “Can’t Say.” His latest album, last year’s “Hardstone Psycho” charted high across much of the world.
Critics say: “(‘Hardstone Psycho is) fun, and for the most part is executed perfectly, underlining his position in the upper echelons of the new rap generation.” (Clash)
He says: “I want people to listen to my music and think it’s timeless.” (GQ UK)
Performing: Dec. 11
US singer-songwriter and rapper Don Toliver. (AFP)
