The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Pop star Rita Ora to perform in Tayside.
Chart-topping star to perform at Dundee’s waterfront on Saturday July 28
Music superstar Rita Ora is coming to Dundee this summer, it has been revealed.
The Number One-selling star will play at Slessor Gardens on Saturday July 28 with fans across Scotland expected to snap up tickets when they go on sale tomorrow.
The 27-year-old’s hits include Body on Me (featuring Chris Brown), Anywhere, Your Song and RIP (featuring Tinie Tempah).
She broke on to the world stage in 2012 after appearing on DJ Fresh’s single, Hot Right Now.
She has since bagged 4 UK No 1 hit singles and 12 top 10 tracks. She has now joined Shirley Bassey and Petula Clark as the British females with the most top 10 singles.
Her latest track, For You, featuring former One Direction singer Liam Payne, is included in the new film Fifty Shades Freed.
The gig will be put on by the Liz Hobbs Group, who organised all last summer’s gigs as well as this summer’s other two events – Simple Minds and The Pretenders, and Steps.
Ora’s first UK tour for five years had sold out but the surprise Dundee announcement gives her millions of fans another chance to see her live.
Lynne Short, convener of Dundee City Council’s city development committee, said the announcement shows the city is a “must-play” destination for artists.
She said: “Slessor Gardens has proved itself to be a great place to host major outdoor concerts from some of the top performers in the world right now.
“Adding Rita Ora to the name of a A-list artists that have played or will play in the city cements our position on the map as a must-play place, and a must-see location for music fans.”
Born as Rita Sahatçiu in the former Yugoslavia (now Kosovo) to Albanian parents, her family took her to London as a baby, where she was raised.
The superstar reportedly dated Scottish DJ phenomenon Calvin Harris several years ago with the pair collaborating on the hit single I Will Never Let You Down, released in 2014. She was also one of the celebrities featured in ITV’S reality TV programme, The Voice, as well as X Factor.
One more summer gig may still be revealed for Slessor Gardens with no events yet scheduled for the venue in August.
The support act for Rita Ora has yet to be announced.
Tickets for the concert start at £39.50 plus booking fee. Children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult, with all tickets classed as standing.
jkeith@thecourier.co.uk
Pop princess Rita Ora is just the latest in a long line of stars to announce plans to play at Dundee’s Slessor Gardens. The waterfront venue is proving to be quite a draw, with bands including Little Mix and UB40 among those to have strutted their stuff on its makeshift stage.
There was a time when the big acts of the age flocked to Dundee — after a fallow few decades, the tradition is making a very welcome comeback.