British singer and songwriter Jess Glynne is the first artist to be named as part of the line-up of this year’s edition of Isle of MTV. The annual open-air concert, now in its tenth edition, will be held in Floriana on 28 June.

The pop superstar had been scheduled to perform in last year’s edition of the concert but had to back out because of surgery.

The announcement was made this afternoon by Viacom’s Russel Samuel. Viacom is the media network behind MTV.

Mr Russel said the Grammy winning singer was thrilled to be performing in Malta. Her upcoming tour was one of the most hotly anticipated ones this year, he said.

Speaking about the annual event which attracts tens of thousands to the granaries in Floriana, Mr Samuel said the past decade had been a ‘wonderful’ one for MTV. Malta was an ideal location because of its consistencies – its beauty, the excellent relationship between MTA and the MTA and the fans.

The rest of the line-up will be announced at a later stage but MTV was “all about championing the hottest talent of the year,” Mr Samuel said.

As has become custom, Isle of MTV will be accompanied by the Malta Music Week, organised by G7 events. Director Owen Spiteri said the idea was to provide youths travelling to Malta a wider package of activities, which stretched beyond the night of the concert. “Travellers want to explore as much as they can in a short span of time.” Noting that Malta Music Weeks has through the years brought some of the biggest names in music to Malta, Mr Spiteri said the event was not all about clubbing. “Malta has a lot to offer and we want visitors to see and experience as much as possible.”

Tourism Minister Edward Zammit Lewis lauded the recently published tourism figures for 2015, noting that tourist expenditure had increased by €115 million. The Isle of MTV concert, he said,  was important to Malta for four main reasons. The event attracts over 55,000 people to Floriana and the benefits for the business community in the area are evident. The aim, Dr Zammit Lewis said, was to extend those benefits beyond the night of the concert. The second reason was visibility, he said, insisting that marketing targeted at youths, especially on the social media, would be stepped up. The event also carried logistical and social benefits.

MTA CEO Paul Bugeja said: “The concert was a mega-event that required a mega-expenditure so we try to get as much out of it as possible.” Isle of MTV formed part of an ever increasing list of activities held throughout the year around Malta and Gozo. Mr Bugeja said more than 250 activities that suit the likes of everyone will be held this year.