GLASTONBURY, March 13 — The Pulitzer-winning rapper has been announced as the Friday night headliner for the 50th-anniversary edition of Glastonbury, which is still scheduled to take place from June 24 to 28.
Lamar will notably be the fourth rapper to ever headline the renowned British festival, following in the footsteps of Jay-Z, Kanye West and Stormzy.
Lamar will perform on the storied Pyramid Stage alongside Taylor Swift, Paul McCartney and Diana Ross, who were announced as headliners in recent months.
The former Beatle will return to Glastonbury six years after his first headlining slot, while Swift and Ross will make their debut in the British festival’s usual home of Worthy Farm, Somerset.
Organizers of Glastonbury have also revealed that Pet Shop Boys, Dua Lipa and Fatboy Slim will headline The Other Stage, although their respective dates still have to be announced.
Additional musicians set to perform during the 50th-anniversary edition of Glastonbury include Camila Cabello, Mabel, Burna Boy, Charli XCX, Clairo, FKA Twigs, Robyn, Thom Yorke and Noel Gallagher with his band High Flying Birds.
Brazilian singer-songwriter Gilberto Gil will return to Worthy Farm nearly 50 years after his first set at Glastonbury for an exclusive performance with four generations of his family.
The line-up for the 50th-anniversary instalment of Glastonbury was announced at a time when the music industry is facing billions of dollars in lost income in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
Earlier this March, Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival was postponed to October, while Live Nation Entertainment suspended all tour engagements in North America.
“As things stand, we are still working hard to deliver our 50th anniversary Festival in June and we are very proud of the bill that we have put together over the last year or so. No one has a crystal ball to see exactly where we will all be 15 weeks from now, but we are keeping our fingers firmly crossed that it will be here at Worthy Farm for the greatest show on Earth!,” Emily Eavis, who heads Glastonbury festival along with her father Michael, said in a statement.
In other news, Lamar recently launched the company pgLang, which his business partner Dave Free described as “focused on cultivating raw expression from grassroots partnerships.”
The Compton rapper is also rumored to be working on working on his much-anticipated fifth studio album.
Details about the follow-up to 2017’s Pulitzer Prize-winning DAMN are scant, although Billboard’s former editorial director Bill Werde recently tweeted that the full-length will include more “rock sounds.” — AFP-Relaxnews
