The first acts for K-Fest Abu Dhabi have been announced.
The line-up includes Woogie, Peakboy, Sik-K, Jay B, P1Harmony and The Rose, all of whom will be making their Middle East debut when they play at Etihad Arena on September 10.
Hyperound, the company behind the festival, launched in the UAE earlier this year with promises of bringing top acts from South Korea to the region.
“Not only do we know there are a number of fans waiting for K-pop concerts in the Middle East, having seen fans cheering and enjoying previous K-pop concerts, but also the number of fans in the region keeps increasing drastically,” a representative for Hyperound tells The National.
“Fans’ interests, passion, and love for K-pop inspired us to establish Hyperound to hold this festival.”
Ahead of the gig, a number of musical acts expressed their excitement about coming to Abu Dhabi.
“This is very new to me and I was very excited by the fact that there are a lot of K-pop fans. I would like to express my gratitude to all the fans who love and support our music and culture,” says producer and rapper Woogie.

P1Harmony, who are one of the first acts to be announced, said they are slightly nervous, especially when it comes to meeting fans.
“I'm really looking forward to how everyone will react to our performance. I'm not that nervous yet, but I think I'll be nervous if I meet everyone in person. We promise to show you an exciting performance,” says member Jiung, who is a rapper for the group.
Fellow P1Harmony member Keeho also expressed his excitement about meeting fans, who call themselves P1ece, in the region. “I'm already looking forward to meeting P1ece from afar" he says. "I hope P1ece likes it as much as we do as we worked hard on it.”
Meanwhile rapper Sik-K, whose songs include Abu Dhabi and Habibi from his album Flip, is eager for fans to hear his music live.
When it comes to new songs and albums, however Jay B, who is also the leader of K-pop boy band Got7, said he was planning on releasing an album in August.
“I'm working hard to prepare a new album as soon as possible and perform in front of everyone," he says.
Jay B, also performs in the duo Jus2 with Yugyeom, will be performing solo.
“I heard so many people waited for Jus2 to the point that I thought it would have been nice if I could have gone as Jus2. Next time, I'll try my best to return as Jus2,” says Jay B, who also hinted he could return as JJ, referring to a Got7 sub-unit.
“Since I'm going alone this time around, I want to be able to leave my fans with as many great memories as possible. And, next time I promise I'll return even better than this time.”
After announcing the line-up, Hyperound said they appreciated hearing all the positive feedback about the event. “We hope everyone knows that we are considering all the comments or messages from the fans for the next festival line-up in near future. It will be highly appreciated if fans keep giving us their huge support,” says the representative.
Tickets for the seated concert tickets go on sale on August 10.
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Engine 3.8-litre, twin-turbo V8
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 582bhp (542bhp in GTS model)
Torque: 730Nm
Price: Dh649,000 (Dh549,000 for GTS)
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Farage on Muslim Brotherhood
Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.
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Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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Gran Gala del Calcio 2019 winners
Best Player: Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus)
Best Coach: Gian Piero Gasperini (Atalanta)
Best Referee: Gianluca Rocchi
Best Goal: Fabio Quagliarella (Sampdoria vs Napoli)
Best Team: Atalanta
Best XI: Samir Handanovic (Inter); Aleksandar Kolarov (Roma), Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus), Kalidou Koulibaly (Napoli), Joao Cancelo (Juventus*); Miralem Pjanic (Juventus), Josip Ilicic (Atalanta), Nicolo Barella (Cagliari*); Fabio Quagliarella (Sampdoria), Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus), Duvan Zapata (Atalanta)
Serie B Best Young Player: Sandro Tonali (Brescia)
Best Women’s Goal: Thaisa (Milan vs Juventus)
Best Women’s Player: Manuela Giugliano (Milan)
Best Women’s XI: Laura Giuliani (Milan); Alia Guagni (Fiorentina), Sara Gama (Juventus), Cecilia Salvai (Juventus), Elisa Bartoli (Roma); Aurora Galli (Juventus), Manuela Giugliano (Roma), Valentina Cernoia (Juventus); Valentina Giacinti (Milan), Ilaria Mauro (Fiorentina), Barbara Bonansea (Juventus)
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The BIO
Favourite piece of music: Verdi’s Requiem. It’s awe-inspiring.
Biggest inspiration: My father, as I grew up in a house where music was constantly played on a wind-up gramophone. I had amazing music teachers in primary and secondary school who inspired me to take my music further. They encouraged me to take up music as a profession and I follow in their footsteps, encouraging others to do the same.
Favourite book: Ian McEwan’s Atonement – the ending alone knocked me for six.
Favourite holiday destination: Italy - music and opera is so much part of the life there. I love it.
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Kalra's feat
- Becomes fifth batsman to score century in U19 final
- Becomes second Indian to score century in U19 final after Unmukt Chand in 2012
- Scored 122 in youth Test on tour of England
- Bought by Delhi Daredevils for base price of two million Indian rupees (Dh115,000) in 2018 IPL auction
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
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- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
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Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
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Mina Al Oraibi: Air strike casts a long shadow over the decade ahead
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Damien McElroy: A CEO tasked with spreading Iran's influence
Hussein Ibish: Trump's order on solid constitutional ground
Simon Waldman: Cautious Israel keeping a low profile
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The five new places of worship
Church of South Indian Parish
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Damien McElroy: A CEO tasked with spreading Iran's influence
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