SZA helps rescue fans while dressed as a fairy during Glastonbury headline set

The Grammy-winning R&B star directed security to help people struggling in the crowd

Lydia Spencer-Elliott
Sunday 30 June 2024 23:24 BST
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SZA performs at Glastonbury 2024

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SZA made sure to take care of fans who needed help in the crowd at her Glastonbury set on the festival’s Pyramid Stage.

The R&B star, 34, closed the festival at Worthy Farm in Somerset on Sunday night (30 June), following headline sets from Dua Lipa and Coldplay on Friday and Saturday.

During her performance, SZA noticed festival goers who were in distress in the crowd and paused her set to check in on them.

Dressed in a fairy costume, she went down to the barrier and made sure festival security workers knew where to go to help the people in need.

“They’re on their way,” she reassuringly told fans who were looking for staff.

The “Kill Bill” hitmaker continued her set with a smile once she knew any problems in the audience were resolved and told festival goers, “Happy Pride”.

SZA’s Glastonbury debut clashed with other big artists on the lineup, including Justice on the West Holts stage, James Blake on Woodsies, London Grammar on Park Stage and The National on Other Stage.

SZA closed Glastonbury 2024 with a headline set on the Pyramid Stage
SZA closed Glastonbury 2024 with a headline set on the Pyramid Stage (Joel C Ryan/Invision/AP)

Amid compact crowds at the Pyramid Stage’s barrier during SZA’s performance, The Independent’s Louis Chilton reported a “surprising number of people” leaving the Worthy farm festival site ahead of her set, presumably in an attempt to beat traffic.

Some festival-goers even questioned the decision to make her a headline artist, with many claiming they had never heard of her before she was announced on the line up.

One person on X/Twitter voiced their confusion, saying, “I’ve looked up SZA on Spotify, she’s got 70.5 mill followers and one of her songs has been streamed 1.9 billion times, I am clearly in a minority, I’ve never heard her or even of her.”

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SZA began her music career in 2011, after co-writing hits including “Consideration” for Rihanna’s 2016 album Anti.

The musician gained further recognition in 2017 for her critically adored debut studio album Ctrl. Her next album, SOS, topped the Billboard 200 chart and won the 2024 Grammy for Best Progressive R&B Album, also leading to four sold-out shows at the O2 Arena in London last year.

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