Untold Dubai: The big stars lined up to perform, from Bebe Rexha to Psy

G-Eazy, Ellie Goulding and Tiesto also part of the main stage line-up

Ellie Goulding, Armin van Buuren and Psy are coming to Dubai. Photos: AFP, Expo 2020 Dubai and AFP

Only a couple of weeks remain before Untold, one of Europe's biggest musical festivals, hits Expo City Dubai with its star-studded line-up.

Originating from Romania, the festival is making its Middle East debut from February 15 to 18. The event was first announced in June last year by prominent Dutch DJ Armin van Buuren, who is one of the headline acts.

In typical Untold-style, the Dubai affair has dozens of artists lined up to perform on different stages set up across the sprawling venue. The main stage will host the headline acts, while the rest – time, alchemy and galaxy – will see more niche artists and genres.

Twelve artists have been announced for the main stage so far, including Don Diablo, G-Eazy, Hardwell, Major Lazer, Paul Kalkbrenner, Sebastian Ingrosso and Timmy Trumpet.

Armin van Buuren

Armin van Buuren returns to headline Untold. Photo: Untold Dubai

The Dutch artist is one of the today's most successful and influential DJs. He holds the record for most entries on Billboard's dance/electronic albums chart. He's a festival favourite, performing in other big music events including Tomorrowland in Belgium and Sunburn Festival in India.

His tracks include Lose This Feeling, One More Time and This Is What It Feels Like, for which he received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Dance Recording in 2014.

Bebe Rexha

Know for her musical versatility, the American singer first gained success as a songwriter, with credits for songs performed by Eminem, Selena Gomez and Nick Jonas among others.

She eventually released hits under her name, including I'm Good, I'm A Mess and Me, Myself and I.

Ellie Goulding

Ellie Goulding has renowned for her big pop hits. Photo: AFP

The British singer-songwriter has produced many a great pop hits, including those used in popular films such as Divergent and the Fifty Shades series. Her discography also includes Burn, Lights and How Long Will I Love You.

Psy

The K-pop artist first garnered international fame in 2012, when his song Gangnam Style became a viral hit. Its music video on YouTube is one of the most watched of all time with five billion views. He's continued his career momentum outside of South Korea with his catchy songs Gentleman and New Face.

Tiesto

Tiesto is renowned for his work with other famous artists. Photo: AFP

The Dutch DJ and record producer has a number of hits under his belt, including The Business, The Motto and the 2023 remix of Barbie Girl. He has collaborated with other famous artists including Katy Perry, Coldplay and Rita Ora. He last performed in the UAE at the 2023 Abu Dhabi F1 after-race concert.

What is Untold?

Untold is a music festival that takes place annually in Romania, the first held in 2015. Since then, it has attracted more than 375,000 concertgoers each year.

Most of the acts are in the electronic music and pop genres, with big names including David Guetta, Major Lazer, Martin Garrix, Steve Aoki, Tiesto, Marshmello, Imagine Dragons, Ellie Goulding, The Script and the Black Eyed Peas performing for previous events.