What new songs will Beyonce perform in Dubai, her first live show since 2018?

Beyonce's show at Atlantis The Royal on Saturday is almost as momentous as the opening of the exclusive resort itself.

The invite-only show, the pop star's first since 2018, also kicks off her preparation for a planned world tour beginning in the summer.

Beyonce confirmed the news in October through a presentation at the Wearable Art Gala in the US through a slide stating the Renaissance Tour will begin "in the summer of 2023" with "national and international destinations."

Considering the intense preparations going into each of her tours, painstakingly captured in the 2019 Netflix documentary Homecoming, chances are that work has already begun well in advance of the Dubai gig.

This would mean there is a fair chance she would use the gala event to perform songs from Renaissance for the first time.

As for the number of songs from the record that could receive the live treatment in her coming world tour, the magic number seems to be seven.

The last three solo world tours, stretching back to 2009's I Am... World Tour, has featured seven tracks from what was then her latest album.

With that said, here is our pick of seven tracks from Renaissance that could feature in both Dubai and beyond.

1. Break My Soul

The monster lead single could serve as an exuberant concert opener.

Built on the prominent sampling of Big Freedia's bounce track Explode (2014) and Robin S's pop-dance hit Show Me Love (1993), Beyonce hasn’t sounded this carefree since her days with Destiny’s Child.

The four-on-the-floor rhythm is laced with the throbbing keyboard lines of Show Me Love, while her vocals are confident and uncharacteristically unassuming.

2. Cuff It

The most accessible track on Renaissance, the funky guitar riffs could inspire some scintillating dance choreography on stage.

Backed by the soulful horns and Beyonce’s lustful vocals, Cuff It should have the crowd at their feet.

Beyonce would probably use the track’s key lyrics to ask the crowd: “Have you ever had fun like this?”

Cue the bedlam in response.

3. Virgo’s Groove

Beyonce's tours are high-octane affairs and feature strategically placed slower numbers segueing to the next part of the multi-act show.

In that regard, the blissful Virgo’s Groove is the ideal placeholder.

Carried by a luscious electronic groove, a live version would have Beyonce trading vocals with her backing singers.

The song should act as an ideal moment to catch our breath before the energy ramps up again.

4. Move

Beyonce concerts have no shortage of powerful feminist anthems and Move could fit in nicely into the mix.

A strident amalgam of hip-hop, dance and house music and recorded with Grace Jones and Tems, it is defined by a walloping chorus that declares: "Move out the way, I'm with my girls and we all need space / When the queen's come through, don't try like the rest say.”

Those at the show experiencing the trio performing the track live should consider themselves lucky.

5. Alien Superstar

A track to make use of the cutting-edge visual elements Beyonce incorporates into her shows.

Beginning with a disorienting avalanche of rapid-fire beats, the recorded version of a spoken word performance mixes electro-tinged crooning.

Dark and sleek, Alien Superstar should serve as a fine moment to savour Beyonce's artistry.

6. Heated

A surefire crowd favourite, fans on social media have been calling for this song to feature on Beyonce’s new tour as soon as Renaissance was released.

It's not hard to understand why, considering it's one of Renaissance's central songs.

Featuring percolating house music rhythms and ethereal synths, Heated is one of Beyonce's most personal tracks as it is an ode to her late uncle.

The only aspect that could make her think twice about this song is that its steady arrangements may not be dynamic enough to warrant the stage treatment.

Then again, Beyonce and her creative team will surely find a way to make it work.

7. Cozy

Cozy should also go down a treat live.

With lyrics being a pointed celebration of self-love and independence and a crowd more than ready to sing along, the song should mark one of the concert’s most powerful moments.

40 facts about Beyonce — in pictures

Atlantis The Royal is opening with an invite-only grand reveal on the weekend of January 20, Beyonce is performing on January 21

North Pole stats

Distance covered: 160km

Temperature: -40°C

Weight of equipment: 45kg

Altitude (metres above sea level): 0

Terrain: Ice rock

South Pole stats

Distance covered: 130km

Temperature: -50°C

Weight of equipment: 50kg

Altitude (metres above sea level): 3,300

Terrain: Flat ice

Indoor cricket in a nutshell

Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup - Sept 16-20, Insportz, Dubai

16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership

Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.

Zones

A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full

Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”

Packages which the US Secret Service said contained possible explosive devices were sent to:

Former first lady Hillary Clinton
Former US president Barack Obama
Philanthropist and businessman George Soros
Former CIA director John Brennan at CNN's New York bureau
Former Attorney General Eric Holder (delivered to former DNC chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz)
California Congresswoman Maxine Waters (two devices)

FFP EXPLAINED

What is Financial Fair Play?
Introduced in 2011 by Uefa, European football’s governing body, it demands that clubs live within their means. Chiefly, spend within their income and not make substantial losses.

What the rules dictate?
The second phase of its implementation limits losses to €30 million (Dh136m) over three seasons. Extra expenditure is permitted for investment in sustainable areas (youth academies, stadium development, etc). Money provided by owners is not viewed as income. Revenue from “related parties” to those owners is assessed by Uefa's “financial control body” to be sure it is a fair value, or in line with market prices.

What are the penalties?
There are a number of punishments, including fines, a loss of prize money or having to reduce squad size for European competition – as happened to PSG in 2014. There is even the threat of a competition ban, which could in theory lead to PSG’s suspension from the Uefa Champions League.