Dua Lipa lit up the Glastonbury Festival on Friday night, not just with the many fireworks that went off during her set.
The pop star surprised the crowd by bringing out Kevin Parker of Tame Impala fame — who produced her latest album, “Radical Optimism” — for a duet of the band’s hit “The Less I Know the Better.”
Before bringing out Parker, Lipa played a mix of new songs and her biggest hits, including “Training Season,” “One Kiss” and “Levitating.”
Addressing the crowd, Lipa said she had manifested this moment. “I have written this moment down, I’ve wished for it, I’ve dreamt it,” she said. “When I wrote it down, I said I really want to headline the Pyramid stage on a Friday night so I can party the next two days at the best place on earth.”
Dua Lipa brings out Kevin Parker — who produced her latest album, "Radical Optimism" — for a duet of his song "The Less I Know the Better" at #Glastonbury. https://t.co/GLFY5LKMgs pic.twitter.com/0x7D4Y16hb
— Variety (@Variety) June 28, 2024
Lipa’s set was a full-blown production, complete with throngs of dancers and a live band. Though she was clearly well rehearsed and had much of the crowd dancing, plenty of festivalgoers left before its end, likely due to its clash with sets from Fontaines DC, Jamie xx and Jungle.
Lipa is headlining the U.K. festival this year alongside Coldplay and SZA. The pop star released her third album, “Radical Optimism,” in May, which debuted atop the U.K. Albums chart with the biggest opening weekend for a British woman in three years.
In an interview with Radio Times before the festival, the London native said the “barometer for any music I’ve ever made” has been “What is this going to sound like at Glastonbury?”
“That is the pinnacle for me,” she added.
Lipa revealed that she got the offer to headline in November 2022. “I’m very good at keeping secrets, and it’s also been the best secret, so I’ve kept it very happily,” she said. “For ages I was just a complete puddle… like, jet lag delusion in the moment. That was at the end of my ‘Future Nostalgia’ tour, and then I was still writing my new record, so I had in the back of my mind, ‘Oh my God, I’m going to be performing some of these songs at Glastonbury!’”
Lipa became a pandemic-era breakout with the release of 2020’s “Future Nostalgia,” which won a Grammy for best pop vocal album. In 2021, she collaborated with Elton John on his remix “Cold Heart,” and in 2023 she contributed the song “Dance the Night” to the “Barbie” soundtrack in addition to appearing in the film.
“The one thing I can tell you is that this will be a one-off — it will only ever happen at Glastonbury and that will be it,” Lipa further teased of her set. “I think that’s what makes shows at Glastonbury so special.”