Dua Lipa electrifies Glastonbury in glittery Pyramid stage debut

By Sachin Ravikumar

GLASTONBURY, England (Reuters) - Pop star Dua Lipa lit up a chilly Glastonbury evening on Friday, transforming its famous Pyramid stage venue into an open-air nightclub where thousands grooved to hits such as "Levitating" and "Houdini".

Headlining the iconic music festival in southern England for the first time, Lipa delivered a glittery, energetic performance featuring firework displays, five different outfits and an ensemble of break dancers and musicians.

The 28-year-old British-Albanian singer told the crowd how it had been a dream for her to sing on Glastonbury's Pyramid stage, where artists such as Paul McCartney, Beyoncé and David Bowie have performed over the festival's more than 50-year history.

"Little me would just be so beside herself right now," she said. "Honestly I couldn't believe it. I feel so grateful."

Born in London to Kosovo Albanian parents, Lipa began covering songs by other pop artists as a teenager and uploading them to YouTube, which led to a record deal in 2014 when she was 18. In 2019, she won two Grammy Awards including Best New Artist.

The sea of humanity at Glastonbury erupted into dance during hits including "New Rules" and "Love Again".

"We're obsessed. Dua was on another level," said Sophie Page, 30, a fan from London who was in the crowd. "I knew she was going to be good but the energy she brought … her emotion really came through."

Lipa also brought Tame Impala's Kevin Parker - a collaborator on her latest album - on stage and the duo performed "The Less I Know the Better" together.

She joined Coldplay, R&B singer SZA and country music singer Shania Twain as headliners - a grouping with much more female talent after criticism over last year's male-dominated line-up.

Earlier on Friday, Seventeen made history as the first K-Pop group to appear at Glastonbury.

(Reporting by Sachin Ravikumar in Glastonbury; Editing by Edwina Gibbs)