SZA is set to follow in the steps of her former Top Dawg Entertainment labelmate Kendrick Lamar as she has been announced as a headliner of Glastonbury Festival.
The prestigious music festival in the UK has previously welcomed the likes of Kendrick, JAY-Z, Kanye West, Beyoncé and Stormzy as headliners as it has evolved beyond its rock and pop roots.
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SZA will headline this year alongside pop superstar Dua Lipa and British rockers Coldplay who have topped the festival five times, more than any other act.
A number of other acts have also been announced for the festival including Danny Brown, Janelle Monáe, Burna Boy, Little Simz, Sampha, James Blake, Headie One, Ghetts and D-Block Europe.
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“This bout to be insane,” SZA wrote on her Instagram Stories of the festival.
In response to a social media post pointing out that she’s just the second solo black female artist to headline Glastonbury, the SOS singer added: “She’s the first thing I thought of when I found out [face holding back tears emoji].”
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More artists will be announced closer to the festival, which takes place between June 26 and 30 in Pilton, Somerset.
“Tickets for this year’s Festival are sold out, but our prize draw for 20 pairs is raising emergency funds to support people affected by conflict,” the festival said on Instagram.
Kendrick Lamar headlined Glastonbury in 2022, becoming just the third American rapper to do so after Hov and Kanye.
The performance received wide acclaim for its theatricality as the Compton native closed out the performance wearing a crown of thorns that began to bleed down his forehead.
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He also made an impassioned plea for women’s rights just days after the United States Supreme Court overturned Roe vs Wade, stripping women of their constitutional right to abortion.
JAY-Z previously revealed that Coldplay frontman Chris Martin was a big factor in him agreeing to headline the festival in 2008.
The announcement that Jay would headline the festival received a mixed reaction and many rockstars such as Oasis’ Noel Gallagher disapproved of a rapper taking the main slot.
Talking to Gayle King last year about the momentous moment, the Roc Nation mogul said: “At one point, I was like, ‘Why am I going there? If they don’t want me there, I don’t want to go.’
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“And Chris from Coldplay was instrumental on [convincing me to play]. He was like, ‘Jay, they love you. It’s just the old guard, they don’t know. It’s always been a rock festival.’
“They didn’t have anything against me personally, it was just like, this is a rock festival, this is what it is. The world was changing.”
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Jay then recalled learning how to play Oasis’ hit “Wonderwall” on guitar shortly before taking the stage, which he famously opened his set with as a dig at Gallagher.
