DUBAI: British band Coldplay seemed to make a strong political statement when they brought out Palestinian Chilean singer Elyanna during their headlining set at the UK’s Glastonbury Festival on Saturday.
The band performed the track “We Pray” from their unreleased album “Moon Music” and were joined on stage by rapper Little Simz and vocalist Elyanna to cheers from the audience.
The song features the lyrics “we pray that we make it ‘til the end of the day.”
Later in the show, lead singer Chris Martin said it was important they could show a “beacon of togetherness.”
At a Coldplay concert in Tokyo in November, Martin appeared to speak out against the Israel-Gaza war.
He told the audience that there were “so many terrible things happening,” and that he believed “most people on Earth are full of love and full of kindness, compassion.”
He added: “We don’t believe in oppression, or occupation, terrorism or genocide, nothing like that.”
In May, Elyanna made her television debut on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” and in 2023, Elyanna became the first artist to perform a full set in Arabic at California’s Coachella music festival — she has also been vocal about the ongoing conflict on social media.
Meanwhile, 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, Reuters reported.
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.”
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 lineup.
