Oscar-winning star announced for 2025 Capital Summertime Ball in an incredible lineup.

April 29, 2025 Luna Ray 204 Views

A huge US actor will be descending on the Capital Summertime Ball

The Capital Summertime Ball delivers every year – and 2025 promises to be special after the addition of a huge US superstar to the line-up.

Starting in 2009, the Capital Summertime Ball brings some of pop’s biggest names to Wembley Stadium for an all-day festival.

Sabrina Carpenter, Benson Boone, Natasha Bedingfield, Sugababes, and David Guetta were among the glamorous faces in the 2024 line-up.

And this year, the organizers went one better when it was confirmed that none other than Mariah Carey will be taking to the stage. Now they’ve officially gone two better by announcing Oscar-winner Will Smith will also be performing hits like “Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It” and “Miami.”

These two US megastars will be joining the likes of McFly vs Busted, Britain’s Got Talent star KSI, number one singer Lola Young, Zara Larsson, and Jessie J on Saturday, June 15.

Capital Breakfast radio hosts Jordan North, Chris Stark, and Siân Welby also announced on Tuesday that British singers Rita Ora and Jade Thirlwall – now JADE – will also feature on the line-up.

Will Smith will be taking to the stage, folks

This comes three years after Smith’s fall from grace, sparked by his famous incident with Chris Rock at the Oscars.

It’s also TIIIIIIIIME! For Mariah Carey to play the Summertime Ball…

Canadian star Tate McRae is also expected to feature alongside DJ James Hype, singer Myles Smith, and Eurovision 2025 hopefuls Remember Monday.

Smith has returned to the spotlight recently after his notorious Oscars appearance in 2022, but he is now on a musical comeback and will be performing at Wembley Stadium on June 15 with long-time collaborator Jazzy Jeff, in addition to the Capital slot.

Mariah’s appearance at the 2025 festival will be her very first, and it’ll be her first UK gig of any kind since her three-night run at the Royal Albert Hall in 2019. She is also set to headline Brighton Pride in August.

Capital FM confirmed the news in a statement on Monday morning: “Yep, you read that right. Actual Mariah Carey is performing at Capital’s Summertime Ball 2025! The pop icon defined a whole era with her unmistakable vocals and is one of the most successful singer-songwriters in history! We’ll be in the presence of a true legend.”

It’s Mariah’s first UK show for six years

Mariah posted a message on X to confirm the news: “Hey UK! I’ll be performing at Capital’s Summertime Ball at Wembley Stadium on Sunday 15th June 2025! Can’t wait to see you all there.”

Fans expressed their excitement on social media, with one saying, “The queen is taking over the UK this summer,” while another wondered, “How did they manage to book her?”

The Summertime Ball began in 2009

Across her 35-year career, Mariah, 56, has landed three UK number ones – “Without You” in 1994, “Against All Odds” with Westlife in 2000, and “All I Want for Christmas Is You” in 2021 and 2023.

In addition to her three number ones, she’s scored 21 further top 10 hits and two UK number one albums, selling an estimated 220 million records worldwide. In America, she has achieved an impressive 19 number one singles over her 35-year career and was finally inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2020.

Before her announcement, CapitalFM’s Jordan North teased that bigger names would be coming: “We are absolutely buzzing to be back at Capital’s Summertime Ball this year. We’ve just announced the first half of the incredible line-up on-air, but make sure to tune in for even more names that will be playing.”