British rapper MIA to join Travis Scott and Lil Uzi Vert at Wireless Festival in Abu Dhabi

British rapper MIA has been announced as the latest headliner to play at the Wireless Festival Middle East in Abu Dhabi.

She joins a stellar line-up that already features Travis Scott, Lil Uzi Vert, Egyptian star Wegz and Iraqi rapper Ali Gatie for the one-day event, which will take place at Etihad Park on March 11.

The London-born rapper has collaborated with some of hip-hop’s biggest names, including Kanye West, Jay-Z and Lil Wayne, and will perform a set of hits such as Paper Planes, Bad Girls, Borders and XXXO.

Pakistani hip-hop group Young Stunners will also be at Wireless Festival Middle East. A decade into their career, the Karachi duo are credited as pioneers of Urdu rap and also performed at last year's Coke Studio Live in Dubai concert.

Rapper Raja Kumari, best known for her collaboration with the likes of Gwen Stefani, Iggy Azalea, Fifth Harmony, Knife Party and Fall Out Boy, rounds out the line-up.

Also newly announced is UK drill artist K-Trap, who will perform hits such as Big Mood, Off White and Warm.

Travis Scott's return to the big stage

Wireless Festival Middle East will mark one of Scott’s biggest appearances since the Astroworld Festival tragedy in 2021, when 10 people were killed and more than 300 injured during his headline performance.

With 50,000 people in attendance, authorities confirmed the fatal incident occurred due to a "crowd surge", which forced organisers to stop the show.

Scott reportedly settled one of the lawsuits relating to the event in October, and the artist has been making a gradual comeback to the stage since then.

Last year, he played a series of club shows and performed at the Billboard Music Awards, before playing two sold-out concerts at London's O2 Arena.

In a three-star review of the gig, The Guardian hailed Scott's "impressive energy" and declared it "a stunning show aesthetically".

Scott finished the year with his first pair of festival performances, headlining sets at Primavera Sound in Argentina and Chile in November.

Scott's last regional concert was in Abu Dhabi as part of the 2016 Beats on the Beach festival.

What is Wireless?

First held in 2005 in London, Wireless Festival’s debut had New Order, Basement Jaxx, Keane and Kasabian headlining the four-day concert at Hyde Park.

As well as moving to London’s Finsbury Park, the festival evolved from its electronic indie-rock roots to focus on hip-hop, grime and Afrobeat genres.

Attracting about 50,000 fans, the event's previous headliners include Cardi B, Drake, Nicki Minaj, Rihanna, Kanye West and Stormzy.

This year's Wireless Festival returns to Finsbury Park from July 7 to 9.

Tickets for the Wireless Festival Middle East cost from Dh295 and are available at ticketmaster.ae