British grime superstar Stormzy has issued an apology after mistakenly claiming he was the first black British artist to headline Glastonbury music festival on Friday.
The apology comes after Skin, the lead singer of British rock quartet Skunk Anansie, pointed out that it was, in fact, her and her band that were first to headline the famous event 20 years prior in 1999.
Upon realising his faux pas, Stormzy, real name Michael Omari, took to Twitter to apologise to Skin, writing: “No disrespect intended and MASSIVE salute to you – my apologies!”
The initial confusion emerged when, prior to his explosive set performance on the festival’s iconic Pyramid Stage, Stormzy had tweeted the following: “At 25 years old, I am the second youngest solo act to ever headline Glastonbury, the youngest being a 24 year-old David Bowie in 1971. I’m overwhelmed with emotions. This is the most surreal feeling I’ve ever experienced. I feel my entire life has to this moment.”
Skin, real name Deborah Anne Dyer rebutted the claim in an Instagram post, writing: “Sorry Stormzy but we beat you to it in 1999! 20 years ago!”
Keen to show there were no hard feelings over the gaffe, she added: “Wishing you an awesome nite tho, Kill it! You’re amazing and we’re all very proud. PS: Real question is why it took 20 years.”
Skin also took time to tag Beyoncé in the post as a reference to her performance at Glastonbury in 2011.
Skunk Anansie, most noted for their hits that include ‘Hedonism (Just Because You Feel Good)’, ‘Weak’ and ‘Weep (Brazen)’, were headliners for Glastonbury in 1999, alongside REM and Manic Street Preachers.
The band formed in 1994 and disbanded in 2001, before reforming in 2009. They are currently on tour in Europe.
