Pop star Dua Lipa lit up a chilly Glastonbury evening on Friday, transforming its famous Pyramid stage venue into an open-air nightclub where thousands grooved to hits such as Levitating and Houdini.
Headlining the iconic music festival in southern England for the first time, Lipa delivered a glittery, energetic performance featuring firework displays, five different outfits and an ensemble of break dancers and musicians.
The 28-year-old British-Albanian singer told the crowd how it had been a dream for her 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.
“Little me would just be so beside herself right now,” she said. “Honestly, I couldn’t believe it. I feel so grateful.”
Born in London to Kosovo Albanian parents, Lipa began covering songs by other pop artists as a teenager and uploading them to YouTube, which led to a record deal in 2014 when she was 18. In 2019, she won two Grammy Awards including Best New Artist.
“We’re obsessed. Dua was on another level,” said Sophie Page, 30, a fan from London who was in the crowd. “I knew she was going to be good but the energy she brought … her emotion really came through.”
Lipa also brought Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker – a collaborator on her latest album – on stage and the duo performed The Less I Know the Better together.
She joined Coldplay, R&B singer SZA and country music singer Shania Twain as headliners – a grouping with much more female talent after criticism over last year’s male-dominated line-up.
Earlier on Friday, Seventeen made history as the first K-Pop group to appear at Glastonbury.