Emily Eavis comments as all-male Glastonbury headliners are announced: "We’re trying our best"
3 March 2023, 15:58 | Updated: 6 March 2023, 17:25
The festival organiser has talked about the representation of female artists at topping the bill at the festival, calling it an industry "pipeline" problem.
Listen to this article
Emily Eavis has commented on the gender disparity on the Glastonbury Festival line-up.
The Somerset Festival confirmed Arctic Monkeys and Guns N'Roses would be joining Elton John as bill-toppers, giving Glastonbury 2023 all-male headliners.
“We’re trying our best so the pipeline needs to be developed," the festival organiser told The Guardian. "This starts way back with the record companies, radio. I can shout as loud as I like but we need to get everyone on board.”
The daughter of festival founder Michael Eavis went on to explain that they had intended for a woman to feature at the top of the bill this year and GNR took over her slot due to the artist's touring schedule.
While it's not been confirmed who the mystery artist is, Taylor Swift has been mooted as a suggestion, because Eavis said it was a star they'd be hoping to book for the last few years.
The Anti-Hero singer was originally set to perform at Glastonbury 2020 just before the coronavirus pandemic hit and the festival was cancelled two years in a row.
READ MORE: Who has played the Glastonbury legends slot over the years?
According to the outlet, Eavis teased that next year should see two women headline with one confirmed and one close to confirming.
She added that both are Glastonbury first-timers, which brings Swift back into the mix while potentially throwing the likes of Rihanna and Madonna into the hat.
Eavis added that while she could keep her "head down" over the women issue, she sees it more as a personal issue, which makes it even more important.
“It’s top of our agenda, and it probably makes it a bit harder because we’ve decided to make that important to us. To be honest, sometimes it’s easier to keep your head down.”
Glastonbury included 54 new names for the festival on their first line-up poster, which included the likes of Royal Blood, Lizzo, Alt-J, Chvrches, Blondie, Fatboy Slim, Fred Again..., Hot Chip, Lana Del Rey and more.
Here is the first Glastonbury Festival 2023 line-up poster, which includes our final two Pyramid Stage headliners: @ArcticMonkeys (Friday) and @gunsnroses (Saturday).
— Glastonbury Festival (@glastonbury) March 3, 2023
Many more acts and attractions still to be announced. pic.twitter.com/dMnppdSf1U
See the full list of artist confirmed for Glastonbury 2023 so far:
- Arctic Monkeys
- Guns N’ Roses
- Elton John
- Lizzo
- Aitch
- Alison Goldfrapp
- Alt-J
- Amadou and Mariam
- Becky Hill
- Blondie
- Candi Staton
- Carly Rae Jepsen
- Cat Burns
- Central Cee
- Christine And The Queens
- Chvrches
- Ezra Collective
- Fatboy Slim
- Fever Ray
- Flo
- Fred Again
- Hot Chip
- Joey Bada$$
- Kelis
- Lana Del Rey
- Leftfield
- Lewis Capaldi
- Lil Nas X
- Loyle Carner
- Maggie Rogers
- Mahalia
- Måneskin
- Manic Street Preachers
- Nova Twins
- Phoenix
- Queens of the Stone Age
- Raye
- Rina Sawayama
- Royal Blood
- Rudimental
- Shygirl
- Slowthai
- Sparks
- Stefflon Don
- Sudan Archives
- Texas
- The Chicks
- The War on Drugs
- Thundercat
- Tinariwen
- Warpaint
- Weyes Blood
- Wizkid
- Young Fathers
- Yusuf/Cat Stevens