His most recent album had a saviour-inspired name.
So
it's perhaps fitting that Kanye West has been revealed as the
last-minute addition to the BRIT Awards line-up - after Rihanna suddenly
pulled out.
The
Yeezus star was formally announced as the ceremony's headline act on
Wednesday morning, just hours before the show is scheduled to take place
in central London.
The
surprise move comes after the annual awards bash was plunged into chaos
following the S&M singer's random no-show at rehearsals on Monday.
Fortunately,
music industry bosses were able to thrash out a desperate deal with
Kanye, 37, after it was revealed he was already in the country and
available.
Now,
insiders say he will deliver an elaborate, high-tech performance
complete with a huge ensemble of professional dancers to fill the void.
A backstage
source told MailOnline: 'BRIT bosses were understandably disappointed
that Rihanna was a no-show, but - after some initial panic - they're
delighted to have found a solution in Kanye.
'In
fact, they know he's a huge star and won't simply just fill her shoes -
but he'll own the stage and stun fans with one of the biggest
performances of the year.
'Now, more than ever, everyone's determined to make the event exceed industry expectations.'
Specifically,
the rapper is expected to debut a brand new track - as opposed to his
recent hit Only One, and - of course - will be joined by wife Kim
Kardashian as his special guest.
Other
acts who will perform include Madonna, Taylor Swift, Sam Smith, Ed
Sheeran, Paloma Faith, George Ezra, Royal Blood and Take That.
In
a statement released by show organisers, BRIT officials said: 'With
eight BRITs nominations, and three BRIT Awards for International Male
Artist to his name, Kanye’s performance is guaranteed to be truly epic.
'This
will be his second BRIT Awards performance: in 2006 Kanye was joined by
77 dancers spray-painted in gold for a medley of ‘Diamonds from Sierra
Leone’, ‘Gold Digger’ and ‘Touch The Sky’.
The BRITs
will be streamed on YouTube across the world for the second consecutive
year and were the first awards show to live stream to a global audience
through YouTube.
Candice
Morrissey, Head of YouTube Music Partnerships across Europe said:
'Kanye West tops off an amazing set of performers at this year's BRIT
Awards with some of the biggest British and global stars taking the
stage.
'We're
excited to partner with the BRITs again this year so anyone outside of
the UK who can't tune in on TV can watch their favourite artists live on
the BRITs YouTube channel.'
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