Chaka Khan explains her Glastonbury 2024 snub
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Legendary R&B star Chaka Khan has revealed that she turned down the chance to play at Glastonbury 2024. The ‘Like Sugar’ singer was invited to play the world’s leading festival’s lucrative ‘Legends Slot’, but she snubbed the offer.
Shania Twain eventually picked up the position despite heavy rumours that Stevie Wonder was in the running throughout the build-up to the line-up announcement. Last year, the slot was held by folk musician Yusuf / Cat Stevens.
The famed ‘Legend Slot’ has steadily become an iconic fixture of the festival’s final day, but Chaka Khan is a woman in demand and has explained that she had to turn it down owing to her existing commitments curating this year’s Meltdown Festival.
“They did approach me but I can’t because of this,” she said in reference to Meltdown in an interview with The Sun. However, she did add that with her existing commitments out of the way at the end of this summer, she would love to return to the Glastonbury stage in 2025.
The news that she was offered the role is further evidence that Glastonbury organisers have heeded calls for greater equality on the bill. Last year’s line-up was male-dominated, and Glastonbury’s inclusive ethos came under fire.
In 2023, the gathering at Worthy Farm saw 182 male artists and groups, while there were only 100 female acts represented and ten with an equal gender split. However, Statista estimates that 61% of summer festival attendees are female.
Glastonbury 2024 is set to take place from June 26 until June 30th. The headliners are Dua Lipa, Coldplay and SZA.