Abu Dhabi F1 2010 line up

The headliners at this year’s Yasalam event, which leads up to and runs alongside the F1 weekend in Abu Dhabi, were announced by local promoters Flash this morning. While Linkin Park had already been revealed several weeks ago, Kanye West and – more surprisingly – Prince were both new revelations. See the full line up here

The prospect of seeing Prince, ‘the Purple One’, here in the UAE already has Time Out salivating, and we hope he won’t be required to tone down his notorious stage show. That said, the legendary funkster is now in his early fifties (52, to be precise), so the risk of him popping a hip may be more on the minds of his bookers than the risk of him wilfully staging a wardrobe malfunction. Age aside, the prospect of hearing him hammer out ‘When Doves Cry’, ‘Sexy MF’, ‘Raspberry Beret’ and ‘Kiss’ is surely worth any potential controversy he may or may not be able to think up.

Younger members of the audience will be keen to see Kanye West, the 33 year old producer, rapper, singer and musician, currently recognised as one of the leading hip hop artists on the scene. With hits like ‘Stronger’ and ‘Heartless’, his arrival in the capital will echo last year’s Timbaland appearance, coupled with the star power of Beyonce. Expect a huge turnout.

Elsewhere on the bill, highlights include Easy Star All-Stars (known for their reggae reworking of classic albums like Sgt Pepper and Dark Side of the Moon), Kelis, Fares Karam, Sean Paul, The Beat, Sophie Ellis Bexter and Beat Antenna.

For the full line-up and exclusive artist interviews, keep an eye on Time Out Abu Dhabi, available from all good bookshops, supermarkets and filling stations every Thursday.