LONDON – Whatever the weather, the 200,000 or so music fans heading down to this year's Glastonbury Festival are going to get something different.
For the first time since the festival started in 1970, two female acts will be performing the headline spots on the main stage on two of the three nights. British singer Dua Lipa will play the headline spot on the Pyramid Stage on Friday night and American artist SZA will close it out on Sunday.
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Festival organizers announced Thursday the lineup so far for arguably the world's most famous music festival, which takes place at Worthy Farm in the southwest of England from June 26 to June 30.
British rock ‘n’ roll band Coldplay will headline the main stage on Saturday, their first appearance since 2016. Coldplay will become the first act to headline Glastonbury five times, one ahead of The Cure.
News of Dua Lipa's first appearance on the Pyramid Stage comes a day after she revealed that her first album in four years, to be released in May, would be titled “Radical Optimism.”
She seems to be excited about the prospect, if her post on Instagram is anything to go by.
“I have dreamt of this moment all my life. Something that lived only in my wildest dreams and highest manifestations!!! I am so excited to see you all in my favourite place on earth and make it a night to remember!" she wrote.
Another major female performer will be Canadian singer Shania Twain, who will play the legends slot on Sunday afternoon. The five-time Grammy winner has sold more than 100 million records.
“It’s going to be gorgeous, at sunset time, it is stunning. I’ve watched some of the other performances and I’m already planning what I’m going to wear. You know, all that exciting stuff,” she told the BBC.
It's quite a comeback for Twain, who for 15 years did not release new music following a bout of Lyme disease that caused her to lose her voice. She returned in 2017 with the album “Now.” The following year, she underwent open throat surgery after her voice was damaged by the effects of the debilitating illness. This year will also kick off her third Las Vegas residency.
Other planned acts are U.S. rock band LCD Soundsystem, British rapper Little Simz, Nigerian singer Burna Boy, 1980s chart-topper singer Cyndi Lauper, and British soul star Olivia Dean.
There are plenty more to be named over the coming weeks. The festival is already sold out, but canceled or returned tickets — which cost 365 pounds ($465) — will go on resale in April.
Everyone turning up will be hoping this year's Glastonbury will be one of the searingly hot ones rather than the mud baths that have dampened some in the past.