It’s Jason Derulo. The international singer was the headlining act at the jam-packed Azimuth 2022 music festival in AlUla, and brought his signature style to the Kingdom on Saudi National Day no less. “Whatcha Say” to that? Jason Derulo has previously performed in Riyadh and Jeddah, but his Azimuth performance marked his first time taking to the stage in the astonishing landscapes of AlUla.
After wowing the crowd with his Azimuth show, Jason Derulo talked exclusively to Time Out and his experiences performing at Azimuth, and across the Kingdom.
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Time Out: How did it feel to perform your Azimuth set in the amazing background of AlUla?
Jason Derulo: It was incredible. I now take experiences like this and really cherish them. During the pandemic, it was a couple years where I wasn’t performing at all, and I was reminiscing about all my past experiences.
It’s crazy how not performing can put things into perspective and sometimes you have these once in a lifetime moments where they become memories that you cherish so every show that I think is special, I keep it in the back of my mind.
And every time that I have performed in Saudi has been very special, but this is special in a different way because it was just such a unique experience. Coming through the rock, the crazy alleys, it was just like “what is that?” It’s like straight out a film. And it was just totally different, and you can’t really get that kind of experience everywhere.
I was saying earlier how this [the AlUla landscape] looks like we’re underwater – the bottom of the ocean kind of vibe. I really had a good time.
What stands out for you here compared to your previous performances?
Jason Derulo: The setting. The setting really is quite different. We’re in the middle of the desert and we created the most luxurious experience imaginable. It’s like a piece of two different worlds.
What is your favourite thing about Saudi as well as the GCC?
Jason Derulo: Being able to watch the growth. I remember when I used to go to Dubai about 12 years and how different Dubai is now compared to when I first started my career. It’s just an entirely different experience going there now, and I can just imagine what Saudi will be 12 years from now. It will probably be the premier place in the world with all the plans that they have.
AlUla, experiencealula.com.
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