In an exciting moment for 2000’s R&B and dancehall fans, Sean Paul and Ashanti have announced UK and Ireland dates for their ‘Bring It’ arena tour kicking off in spring 2025. The tour will feature some solo dates from Sean, some more accompanied by Ashanti, and Fat Joe joining as support.
In press statements, both Paul and Ashanti shared their excitement to return to the UK:
Paul said “I can’t wait to Bring It to the UK for something special with Ashanti and Fat Joe. I love my British fans. This will be my biggest UK tour yet, and my first time in Ireland, it’s gonna be fire, you know what to do, come through!”
Ashanti added “I’m so excited to come back to perform again for my fans at my biggest ever tour in the UK and Ireland. No lie, y’all show me so much love!
The Jamaican star is a household name in dancehall, with smash hits like “Gimme the Light”, “Get Busy” and “Temperature” helping him crossover from the Caribbean to the rest of the globe. His recognisable deep voice has featured in collaborations with Beyonce, Dua Lipa and Migos to name a few. He’s one of the best selling dancehall artists in history, with his second album Dutty Rock going double-platinum in the US. Recently his work has been sampled by both Kehlani and Ice Spice for singles from their recent albums.
Ashanti has had an acclaimed run in the music game. First featuring on hits with Ja Rule and Fat Joe, she released her debut record Ashanti in 2002. Hosting hit singles like “Foolish”, “Happy” and “Baby”, she earned a Grammy award for Best R&B Album, among many other accolades. At the time, she set a new record by having three top ten singles on the Billboard Hot 100 simultaneously.
Sean last travelled through the UK with his Scorcha Tour in 2023, promoting his 8th studio album of the same name. Speaking to NME after his Wireless set this year, he said at his age “it does get harder to be jumping up” on stage, but he believes it keeps him “youthful”, joking that he “read that if you go to two concerts or two festivals every month, you gon’ gain nine years on your life – so, I’m gon’ live forever!”
After a decorated career that’s seen her score multiple hit albums as well as branching out into acting and stage musicals, she’s recently been seen settling into family life with husband and 2000’s R&B peer Nelly, tying the knot in December 2023, and welcoming their first child in August 2024.
The couple recently appeared for Nelly’s annual Black and White Charity Ball in his hometown of St. Louis, Missouri. In a sweet moment, they performed together, remixing the lyrics of her classic “Baby” to celebrate the birth of their newborn son, Kareem Kenkaide Haynes, or KK.
There’s excitement for the “Bring It” tour to visit the UK – Rob Wicks, Managing Director of Aberdeen’s P&J Live said on behalf of the venue that “Sean Paul is a completely different genre for our venue, set to bring a mixture of his unique music style – reggae, dancehall and rap – to the Northeast of Scotland. We continuously strive to provide a varied programme of events to the city, and so we hope fans will get behind this show and welcome the artist with open arms.”
The British leg will start in Dublin on April 8, moving through venues in Leeds, Glasgow, London and more, before a final show on April 20 at Manchester’s AO Arena. General ticket sales will open on Friday (December 20) at 10am local time. Click here to purchase tickets and check the dates below.
