Following criticism that the 2023 Glastonbury Festival features all-male headliners, the co-organizer of the renowned British music fest has actually vowed that next year’s lineup will have 2 ladies with prominence.
On Friday, Glastonbury revealed half of its 2023 lineup, and while the preliminary 52 artists billed are practically uniformly split in between female and male acts, the 3 primary headliners — Guns N’ Roses, Arctic Monkeys, and Elton John — are predominately male artists; GN’R’s lineup presently includes keyboardist Melissa Reese.
Speaking to the Guardian about the absence of female artists at the top of the lineup, Glastonbury co-organizer Emily Eavis stated, “We’re attempting our finest so the pipeline requires to be established. This begins method back with the record business, radio. I can yell as loud as I like however we require to get everybody on board.”
Eavis included that the preliminary prepare for the 2023 celebration had a female headliner, however that unnamed artist — presumed to be Taylor Swift, who was booked to play the Covid-canceled 2020 Glastonbury — took out after she “altered her touring prepares”; the Minneapolis dates on Swift’s The Eras Tour (June 23 and 24) accompany Glastonbury (June 21-25). Guns N’ Roses were hired to change the unnamed headliner.
Both Lizzo and Lana Del Rey, who have actually headlined celebrations in the past, have popular however not primary stage headlining slots; Lizzo will perform before GNR’s set, while Del Rey will headline the festival’s Other Stage.
However, Del Rey expressed disappointed about how Glastonbury marketed her appearance, with her name buried alphabetically under the primary headliners (and Lizzo) on Friday’s lineup. “Well I’m actually headlining the 2nd phase. But since there was no consideration for announcing that. We’ll see,” she wrote on Instagram.
Eavis also promised that next year’s Glastonbury will likely have two women headliners, one of which is already booked and another who is “close,” and both of whom have never played Glastonbury prior to; The Guardian notes that neither Madonna nor Rihanna have performed at the fest.
As for this year’s fest, the lineup also so far includes Blondie, Rina Sawayama, Christine and the Queens, Alison Goldfrapp, Carly Rae Jensen, the Chicks, Warpaint, Weyes Blood, Maggie Rogers and more.
“It’s not just about gender, it’s about every aspect of diversity,” Eavis added, going on to reveal that 43 percent of those 55 names are non-white, or feature non-white members. Afrobeats star Wizkid will heading the Other phase on Friday. “We’re probably among the just huge programs that’s actually concentrated on this,” Eavis stated.