Dua Lipa performs during the Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm in Somerset, England, Friday, June 28, 2024 | Photo credit: Scott A. Garfitt
Pop star Dua Lipa lit up Glastonbury’s chilly evening on Friday, turning its famous Pyramid Stage venue into an open-air nightclub as thousands danced to hits such as “Levitating” and “Houdini.”
Headlining the prestigious music festival held in southern England for the first time, Lipa delivered a flamboyant, energetic performance complete with fireworks, five different costumes and a troupe of break dancers and musicians.
The 28-year-old British-Albanian singer told the crowd it was a dream of hers to sing on Glastonbury’s Pyramid Stage, where artists such as Paul McCartney, Beyoncé and David Bowie have performed over the festival’s more than 50-year history.
Dua Lipa at day three of Glastonbury Festival 2024 at Worthy Farm, Pilton on June 28, 2024 in Glastonbury, England | Photo credit: Joe Maher
“The younger me would have been so beside myself at this point,” she said. “I honestly couldn’t believe it. I feel so grateful.”
Born in London to Kosovo Albanian parents, Lipa began covering songs by other pop artists and uploading them to YouTube as a teenager, which led to a record deal in 2014 when she was 18. In 2019, she won two Grammy Awards, including best new artist.
The sea of ​​humanity at Glastonbury burst into dance during hits like “New Rules” and “Love Again.”
“We are obsessed. Dua was on a whole other level,” said Sophie Page, a 30-year-old fan from London who was in the crowd. “I knew she would do well, but the energy she brought … her emotions really came through.”
Lipa also invited Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker, her collaborator on her latest album, to the stage and the two performed “The Less I Know the Better”.
She joins Coldplay, R&B singer SZA and country music icon Shania Twain as lead vocalists, marking a strong female talent lineup for the group following criticism of last year’s male-dominated line-up.
Earlier on Friday, Seventeen made history as the first K-pop group to appear at Glastonbury.
