Speculation about Madonna s high-priced performance in the oil-rich Gulf was put to rest on Sunday when a managing company for music industry s biggest stars announced that it will be Kylie Minogue singing for a hefty sum in the Material Girl s place in November.
Minogue will perform twice in Dubai this November, said Thomas Ovesen, managing director of Middle East AEG Live, the regional arm of an international company that produces live events worldwide and is bringing the 40-year-old singer to Dubai.
On Nov. 20 the Australian pop-diva, known for her dance moves, extravagant wardrobe on stage and singles like Can t Get You Out of My Head, will perform at a private party for 2,000 celebrities by the managers of a new luxury hotel opening later this month on Dubai s Palm island.
A day later, the award-wining singer and a breast cancer survivor, will have a concert on the grounds of a sprawling shopping mall for up to 20,000 fans from all over the region, Ovesen said.
It s the private gig and its price tag that is creating the buzz these days in Dubai, rather than Minogue s Arab world debut or her world tour promoting her latest album X.
Local newspapers, like the daily tabloid 7Days, have reported that Minogue would be getting a whopping $4 million for her performance in front of select audience of internationally known artists, musicians, politicians and members of Dubai s ruling Maktoum family.
The gala opening of the Atlantis Palm hotel is priced at $35 million, 7Days said. In its report on Sunday, the paper added that the astounding bill for the evening s entertainment will be settled by Kerzner International, the management company of the five-star hotel set to open later in September on Dubai s artificial island shaped like a palm tree.
Although Minogue s paycheck is not close to the reported $20 million Madonna was allegedly negotiating earlier this year for a similar two-concert arrangement, Ovesen admitted that the Australian singer was getting an awful lot of money for two appearances in Dubai.
The representatives of the Atlantis hotel did not reply to phone and e-mail requests from The Associated Press on Sunday seeking confirmation of the November party and its price tag.
Ovesen declined to confirm the reported amount of $4 million for Minogue appearance at the private party because he is under contractual obligation not to reveal the fees of performers his company manages on tours around the world.
He firmly believes though, that it is fair for Kylie to ask for a lot of money to sing and dance here.
She is a top singer and a fantastic performer, Ovesen said.
Minogue began her career in the 1980s and has sold more than 40 million albums worldwide.
The singer has made a career comeback since beating breast cancer diagnosed in 2005. She has performed in front of half a million fans during her latest world tour she kicked off with a Paris concert in May.
The tour, titled X2008, will conclude in her native Australia just before Christmas. She will perform in South America before coming to Dubai in November.
Along with the Emirates capital Abu Dhabi, Dubai has been trying to boost its prestige as Mideast s business and tourist hub by pouring money in to entertainment.
In the past year, music industry s biggest stars have been lured into performing in the oil-rich Gulf, singing in front of small audiences in luxury hotels for twice as much money as they would normally get at European and American stadiums.
Christina Aguilera will have a live concert in Abu Dhabi s Emirates Palace hotel in October. Jon Bon Jovi performed for hundreds of fans there in May and Santana s February concert in Dubai was sold out.
Over the past year, Justin Timberlake, Aerosmith, Destiny s Child and the Gypsy Kings have all entertained Western, Asian and Arab expatriates in the two semiautonomous states in the Persian Gulf.
