It was announced today, via a poster in the window of an Oxfam shop no less, that i-D coverstar Stormzy will headline the 2019 edition of Glastonbury. “Stormzy Friday! First Glastonbury headliner revealed,” read the poster, which shop staff confirmed was a reliable source of information. The news is refreshing given that i will be the first grime star to ever headline the festival’s iconic Pyramid stage, and the decision to celebrate one of the most important young British musical talents does not go unnoticed.
It’s been a huge year for Stormzy, who followed up his 2017 debut album, Gang Signs & Prayer, with the release of his memoir Rise Up: The #Merky Story So Far; the launch of #Merky Books via which he aims to discover and publish a new generation of writers; and a scholarship designed to support black students from underprivileged backgrounds during their studies at Cambridge University.
The announcement — yet to be commented on by Glastonbury themselves — is proving divisive, with people taking issue with the fact that Stormzy has just the one album out while the headline slot is usually reserved for ‘bigger’ acts. We’ll take this opportunity to remind you that in 2017 (2018 was a fallow year) headliners of the Pyramid stage were Radiohead, Foo Fighters and Ed Sheeran. So, you know, things are already looking up. Haters will surely eat their words when they’re swaying and singing along to Blinded By Your Grace with the rest of Worthy Farm. Well deserved, Stormz.