Hitting a sweet spot between chilled out early afternoon R&B and bouncy Afrobeats.
Words: Abigail Firth.
Photos: Patrick Gunning.
Making her Glastonbury debut on the Pyramid stage, Ayra Starr is perfection from the get go. Effortless but never lacklustre, her silky Afrobeats style combined with the full pop production of the show shake all the Saturday morning cobwebs off.
The first of three Nigerian artists with major placings this weekend (and the first Afrobeats artist to play on the Pyramid stage EVER!!), it’s so clear she’s the next of the country’s exports to go global. Viral tracks, stellar performance style and the personality to complete the package, it’s quite unbelievable she’s only 22.
A Saturday afternoon double bill is rounded out by the reigning queen of the alternative R&B, Tems. Fresh off the release of debut(? check) album ‘Born In The Wild’, her slow but impactful rise has taken her worldwide in the last year.
While the co-signs from major players like Drake and Wizkid are nice, she stands stronger solo, owning the Other stage with expert calmness and candor. Putting her own spin on the diaristic style that’s taken over pop in recent years, a quick call to change up the setlist to add in ‘Not An Angel’ proves the right move, as that along with older singles like ‘Damages’ clearly resonate with women across the audience.
Hitting a sweet spot between chilled out early afternoon R&B and bouncy Afrobeats, Tems and Ayra Starr’s huge slots are proof that diversifying Glastonbury is always worth it.
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