Burna Boy, Ayra Starr, and Tems Take Afrobeats to Glastonbury
Burna Boy and Ayra Starr performed on the Pyramid Stage, while Tems performed on the Other Stage. This year, it marked Burna Boy’s third time performing at Glastonbury, and it was Starr’s first time. Tems returned to the festival after performing for the first time in 2022.
The Glastonbury Festival has a history of featuring African artists such as Senegalese master Youssou N’Dour, Angelique Kidjo, Seun Kuti and his Egypt 80 band, and Zambian rapper Sampa The Great.
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The African Giant took over the stage with songs like “Tested, Approved & Trusted,” “For My Hand,” “On the Low,” “Sittin’ On Top Of The World,” “Big 7,” “Talibans II,” “It’s Plenty,” “Gbona,” “Tshwala Bam,” “City Boys” and “Ye.”
The singer also did covers of Dave’s “Location,” Skales’ “Temper,” YG Marley’s “Praise Jah in the Moonlight,” Master KG & Nomcebo Zikode’s “Jersalema” and DJ Tarico’s “Yaba Buluku. He closed out his hour-slot with “Last Last.” You can watch his performance of “Last Last” below.
Starr performed monster hits like “Rush,” “Bloody Samaritan,” and “Sability” along with songs like “Control,” “Lagos Love Story,” “Goodbye (Warm Up),” “Woman Commando,” and “Commas” from her recent sophomore album, The Year I Turned 21. The singer also covered Libianca’s “People” and her song “Away.”
Ayra Starr shuts down Glastonbury Fest with ‘Sability’ on the Pyramid stage#ayraatglasto pic.twitter.com/EkjsOG8cN0
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The “Sability” singer also gave fans a behind-the-scenes look on her Instagram.
Tems proved her vocalist status by performing hits like “Higher” and “Free Mind.” The singer also performed “Turn Me Up,” “Wickedest,” “Burning,” “Love Me JeJe,” and “Me & U,” which are songs from her debut album, Born in the Wild. She also performed “Crazy Tings,” “Avoid Things,” “Damages,” “Replay,” “Found,” “Ice T,” and “Not an Angel.” You can watch her performance of “Love Me JeJe” below.
Burna Boy and Ayra Starr made history as the first Afrobeats artists to play the Pyramid Stage. Starr expressed, “It’s our time. We’ve been waiting for the globalisation of Afrobeats, and it’s happening now. But it’s not just what you’re seeing today. It’s years and generations of musicians and hard work that’s made it what it is.”
The Nigerian songstress is right. Afrobeats has taken over playlists and radio in recent years. The genre comes from Nigeria and Ghana and became popular in the 2010s from artists like Fuse ODG and D’banj. The movement towards Afrobeats being mainstream has been driven by social media and young people spreading the sound. Collaborations with prominent artists such as Beyoncé, Drake, and Justin Bieber also helped propel Afrobeats into pop music.
You can catch more Glastonbury performances here.
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