International singing star and former Destiny’s Child member Kelly Rowland is headed to Sydney for the world’s richest turf race event to perform at The Everest.
The Grammy Award-winning artist will perform for ticketholders following the final race of the day in the Theatre of the Hore at Royal Randwick.
She follows in the footsteps of Liam Payne from One Direction who performed to a sell-out crowd of 40,000 last year, and R&B singer Jason Derulo the year before.
The US-based singer who has spent plenty of time already down under as a judge and mentor on reality show The Voice, joins popular local acts on the day including Sneaky Sound System and Furnace And The Fundamentals.
After soaring to success alongside Beyonce Knowles in Destiny’s Child, Rowland has gone on to find her own fame including her solo album Simply Deep in 2002, which featured the number one hit Dilemma with rapper Nelly.
The singer who has gone on to sell more than 30 million records as a solo artist said she was excited to be headlining the free concert for racegoers.
“I’m coming back Australia! I’m really excited to be returning down under to perform at the Tab Everest!” Rowland said in a statement.
The announcement follows the Melbourne Cup’s recent entertainment hiccup after Taylor Swift pulled out from performing two of her hits citing scheduling problems.
Animal activists who rallied hard against the pop sensation taking to the stage have taken credit for the last-minute move.
The Cox Plate at The Valley has also lost Daryl Braithwaite as a race day attraction.
Braithwaite has become a cult figure, leading the crowd singing Horses before the main event.
The Moonee Valley Racing Club says the crowd singalong will still be a major part of the build-up.
