Glastonbury attempting more durable than most to deal with gender steadiness, says organiser
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lastonbury is “trying harder than most” to deal with the gender steadiness of acts in its line-up, the competition’s co-organiser has stated.
In an interview with Cosmopolitan UK, Emily Eavis, who organises the annual occasion together with her husband, Nick Dewey, spoke overtly concerning the occasion having come beneath fireplace on account of all the headliners for this 12 months’s present being males.
Ms Eavis stated she had tried to e book a feminine headliner for this 12 months however that the act had needed to pull out on account of calendar clashes.
“I think everyone knows that we’re trying harder than most, certainly extremely hard to address (the gender balance of acts), and I’ve been very vocal about it,” she advised the journal.
“Progress isn’t linear. I’m trying my best and, believe me, it’s a real, passionate subject of mine,” she continued. “I’ve been trying to raise the flag around gender and festivals for a long time. But we can only do so much.”
Glastonbury’s all-male headline set got here beneath fireplace when it was introduced in March, shortly after the Brit Awards put ahead an all-male shortlist for finest artist in February.
There was additionally controversy when American singer-songwriter Lana del Rey reportedly hinted she may pull out of this 12 months’s occasion when a poster listed her identify beneath these of much less well-recognised acts.
More current posters checklist del Rey’s identify on the second tier, beneath headliners Sir Elton John, Guns N’ Roses and Arctic Monkeys, with Lizzo – who is ready to play on the Pyramid Stage earlier than Guns N’ Roses – sharing joint billing with the three acts.
Ms Eavis stated that previously she has confronted a backlash for reserving “too many” feminine artists.
“I’ve had criticisms of booking too many female headlines, criticisms for booking old people, young people, rap music,” she stated.
“I mean, we’ve had it all. To be honest, I just want to tune into the festival and tune out the noise.”
In her interview, Ms Eavis additionally emphasised her dedication to creating positive that ladies really feel protected attending Glastonbury.
“We need to provide those (safe) spaces, especially for women,” she stated. “It might not be something that happened over the weekend – it might be something that happened before, but you can go and talk to a professional about it.”
She additionally stated that subsequent 12 months’s line-up will characteristic two feminine headliners, one among whom has already been confirmed.
– Read the total interview with Emily Eavis on the Cosmopolitan UK web site.