It’s not easy to bring together some of the biggest names in music, but somehow Soundstorm does it. For its fifth edition, taking place from December 12 to 14 in Riyadh, the festival has headliners like Tyler, the Creator, Muse, Eminem, Richie Hawtin, Akon, Linkin Park, and G-Eazy, among many others. Bridging hip-hop, techno, pop, house music, rock, and other genres, the Saudi event looks better, louder, and hotter than ever. Here’s what you need to know.
Organised by MDLBeast, Soundstorm has been making waves in recent years positioning itself as the go-to festival in the MENA region. In the past they’ve brought acts like Metallica, 50 Cent, Wizkid, deadmau5, J Balvin, Travis Scott, or The Chainsmokers, to name a few. As years have passed, their focus on electronic music (from Tiësto to Afrojack, to Steve Aoki and Benny Benassi) has broadened and given more spaces to other genres, making it one of the most relevant multi-genre music festivals in the region.
The 2024 edition comes with guns ablaze. On Thursday, the festival kicks off with a strong mid-200s renaissance, spearheaded by Detroit rapper Eminem and Grammy Award-winning rock band Linkin Park. None of them need much presentation if you grew up in the late 1990s and early 2000s; they were the moment, and they’ll take to Soundstorm’s stage to prove that they’ve still got it. Other remarkable acts that day include Tems, who’s launched her debut album this year to much acclaim, Drake producer Gordo, rappers Latto, Akon, and Tul8te, as well as renowned DJs like David Guetta (doing a b2b with Morten), Black Coffee, Folamour, Fleur Shore, and Agents of Time.
On Friday, we’ll get the party started with legendary British band Muse, bringing songs as emblematic as Hysteria, Plug in Baby or Bliss to Riyadh. Another of the main highlights is the uber-charismatic Tyler, the Creator, who’ll be presenting live his new album, Chromakopia. Another A-list rapper, G-Eazy, will be performing at the DWN Beast stage that night. For the electronic acts, we can’t wait to see what’s in store for Calvin Harris, Richie Hawtin, DJ Snake, Miss Monique, Husa & Zeyada, or Jeremy Sylvester, to name a few.
Even if we’re tired after two days of festival, Saturday promises to be just as strong with a blend of genres. Loush and Seera will be some of the main stars of the evening, together with Jared Leto’s band, Thirty Seconds to Mars. Pther highlights include American rapper Russ and hip-hop duo The Roots. To close things off, the roster of DJs and producers includes a b2b between Habibeats and Nooriyah, duo Adriatique, Kitty Amor, veteran Paco Osuna (he’s celebrating thirty years behind the decks!), and Chelina Manuhutu.
With this lineup in mind, it’s clear that Soundstorm is rapidly becoming one of the leading festivals in the region, being able to combine local talent with international superstars that allow festival-goers to enjoy hits from decades past, as well as getting to know new names to look out for.
