After All-Male Year, Glastonbury Promises Female Headliners in 2024 – Rolling Stone

Following criticism that the 2023 Glastonbury Pageant options all-male headliners, the co-organizer of the famed British music fest has pledged that subsequent 12 months’s lineup may have two girls with prime billing.

On Friday, Glastonbury introduced half of its 2023 lineup, and whereas the preliminary 52 artists billed are nearly evenly break up between female and male acts, the three major headliners — Weapons N’ Roses, Arctic Monkeys, and Elton John — are predominately male artists; GN’R’s lineup at the moment options keyboardist Melissa Reese.

Talking to the Guardian in regards to the lack of feminine artists on the prime of the lineup, Glastonbury co-organizer Emily Eavis mentioned, “We’re attempting our greatest so the pipeline must be developed. This begins manner again with the file firms, radio. I can shout as loud as I like however we have to get everybody on board.”

Eavis added that the preliminary plans for the 2023 pageant had a feminine headliner, however that unnamed artist — presumed to be Taylor Swift, who was booked to play the Covid-canceled 2020 Glastonbury — pulled out after she “modified her touring plans”; the Minneapolis dates on Swift’s The Eras Tour (June 23 and 24) coincide with Glastonbury (June 21-25). Weapons N’ Roses had been recruited to exchange the unnamed headliner.

Each Lizzo and Lana Del Rey, who’ve headlined festivals up to now, have outstanding however not major stage headlining slots; Lizzo will carry out earlier than GNR’s set, whereas Del Rey will headline the pageant’s Different Stage. 

Nevertheless, Del Rey expressed dissatisfied about how Glastonbury marketed her look, together with her identify buried alphabetically underneath the principle headliners (and Lizzo) on Friday’s lineup. “Nicely I’m truly headlining the 2nd stage. However since there was no consideration for asserting that. We’ll see,” she wrote on Instagram.

Eavis additionally promised that subsequent 12 months’s Glastonbury will possible have two girls headliners, one among which is already booked and one other who’s “shut,” and each of whom have by no means performed Glastonbury earlier than; The Guardian notes that neither Madonna nor Rihanna have carried out on the fest.

As for this 12 months’s fest, the lineup additionally to this point contains Blondie, Rina Sawayama, Christine and the Queens, Alison Goldfrapp, Carly Rae Jensen, the Chicks, Warpaint, Weyes Blood, Maggie Rogers and extra.

“It’s not nearly gender, it’s about each facet of range,” Eavis added, happening to disclose that 43 p.c of these 55 names are non-white, or function non-white members. Afrobeats star Wizkid will headline the Different stage on Friday. “We’re in all probability one of many solely massive exhibits that’s actually centered on this,” Eavis mentioned.