American singer SZA to close out Glastonbury 2024 as final headliner
By PA Reporters
American soul singer SZA will close out this year’s Glastonbury Festival when she headlines the Pyramid Stage on Sunday.
The 34-year-old, whose real name is Solana Rowe and is known for songs including PSA, Snooze, All The Stars and Shirt, is one of two female headliners at the Worthy Farm event this year alongside Dua Lipa, who filled the Friday night headline slot.
SZA’s Glastonbury headline slot follows on from her Saturday night show at BST Hyde Park after which she posted on Instagram writing: “Thank you for vibing w me Hyde park. SEE YA TOMORROW GLASTONBURY!!!!”.
A post shared by SZA (@sza)
SZA rose to prominence with early EPs See.SZA.Run and S, which were released in 2011 and 2012 respectively, but fans had to wait five more years for a full-length album in 2017’s Ctrl.
It was the single Kill Bill, from second album SOS, which would fire her to superstardom in 2022, reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and number three on the UK Singles Chart.
Her rapid rise has seen her become the most nominated act at the 2024 Grammys, as she was placed in the running for nine gongs.
British rock band Coldplay headlined the Pyramid Stage on Saturday night for the fifth time, cementing their performance in the musical history books of Glastonbury by becoming the first act to headline the festival five times.
Their performance featured guest appearances from Little Simz, just hours after she made her Pyramid Stage debut, and also included a heartfelt moment with Back To the Future star Michael J. Fox who played the guitar on stage during their song Fix You.
In 2023 he starred in the Apple+ documentary Still: A Michael J Fox Movie, exploring how Parkinson’s impacted his life after being diagnosed with young-onset Parkinson’s disease a year after Back To The Future Part III was released in 1990.
Coldplay thrilled audiences with hits like Yellow, Clocks, The Scientist and Higher Power, and closed out the night with their new single feelslikeimfallinginlove, from their upcoming album Moon Music, which is set to be released on October 4.
It follows 2021’s Music Of The Spheres, which went to number one in the UK charts and was nominated for album of the year and best pop vocal album at the Grammy Awards.
Also on the music bill for Sunday is Canadian country star Shania Twain, who will play the coveted Legends slot, following in the footsteps of singers like Yusuf/Cat Stevens, Diana Ross, Kylie Minogue and Dame Shirley Bassey who have all filled the prestigious slot.
Nigerian singer Burna Boy, who previously collaborated with Chris Martin on the song Monsters You Made, performs on the Pyramid Stage on Sunday, as does American singer and rapper Janelle Monae.
Singer Paloma Faith, who had to cancel her gig at Southampton’s Guildhall Square on Friday, is also listed as performing on the Pyramid Stage on Sunday.
In an Instagram post, which appears to have been deleted, she said of having to cancel Friday’s show: “After suffering from exhaustion and catching various illnesses from my kids, my voice has been severely affected and my range is compromised.
“I have sought advice from medical professionals, they have advised that I need to rest my voice and that means I’ve had to cancel tonight’s show”.
Also performing on Sunday, on the Other Stage are The National, Two Door Cinema Club and Canadian singer Avril Lavigne, famous for hits such as Complicated and Sk8er Boi.
Elsewhere James Blake plays on the Woodsies stage, while London Grammar and Ghetts perform on The Park Stage.