Headline act Ke$ha has been forced to cancel her appearance at RedFestDXB on February 13. She has been replaced by British star Jessie J.

The Nashville singer-rapper, whose break arrived in 2009 when she appeared on Flo Rida’s number one single, ‘Right Round’, is under doctor’s orders to remain committed to her ongoing treatment.

Announcing the news on January 30, she said: “I was so looking forward to performing at RedFestDXB but I need to follow my doctor’s advice and get my health back on track.  Your support during this time has been so amazing and I look forward to coming back stronger than ever on the next tour.”

A spokesman for the event added: “We applaud Ke$ha and her dedication to getting better and we hope to see Ke$ha back on stage soon and hopefully performing with us in Dubai.”

In a series of tweets last week, it was made clear that the star was undoing rehabilitation therapy in the USA. She wrote: “hey It’s Kesha from treatment. I just wanted to say that this is really hard and necessary work. I’m grateful for all the love and support.” And added later: “I couldnt do this without you.”

Ke$ha’s debut album, ‘Animal’, reached number one in the US album charts, and the single ‘Tik Tok’ is one of the best-selling digital singles in history, selling over 14 million copies worldwide.

However disappointed fans will welcome the confirmation that Jessie J will fill the vacant slot in the two-day event, joining Conor Maynard, Tinie Tempah and Marvin Humes from JLS on opening night.

Reacting to her late call up, the Londoner, famed for tracks like ‘Price Tag’ and ‘Do It Like A Dude’, said: “Wow!  When I got the call, I said yes immediately, I love Dubai.  I cannot wait to perform a headline set at RedFestDXB for all my Middle East fans. I wish Ke$ha a speedy recovery.”

A spokesman for the promoters added: “Jessie J is one of our most requested artists on Virgin Radio, with a string of top ten hits,  so when we got the sad news about Ke$ha, there was no question who we wanted to secure.”

The Friday line-up, including The Lumineers, John Newman, Naughty Boy and A-Yo! (also known as Mark Ronson and Zane Lowe), remains unchanged. RedFestDXB will host more than 25 artists in total.

Dubai Media City Amphitheatre, Dubai, Feb 13, 6pm to 2am, Feb 14, 2pm to 2am, Dhs299. Metro: Nakheel. virginradiodubai.com/redfestdxb