Stormzy apologises to Skunk Anansie for erroneous Glastonbury claim

Stormzy has issued a touching apology after claiming he was the first black British artist to headline Glastonbury. 

The 25-year-old grime star, who performed an explosive show on the Pyramid Stage on Friday night, later apologised after Skunk Anansie’s lead singer Skin noted she had headlined the world-famous festival with the band in 1999.

“Sorry Stormzy but we beat you to it in 1999!” Skin, whose real name is Deborah Ann Dyer, wrote in an Instagram post, adding: “You’re amazing and we’re all very proud.”

She noted that she was also the first black woman to headline, before Beyonce performed on the Pyramid Stage in 2011.

In the moving exchange, Stormzy tweeted: “No disrespect intended I’m very sorry my apologies! Thank you for paving the way – love (and) respect.”

Stormzy is still the first British rapper to headline the festival, as well as the second youngest artist, after a 24-year-old David Bowie headlined in 1971

He received near-unanimous praise for his performance on the Pyramid Stage, with The Independent’s critic Jazz Monroe commenting: “It’s immediately clear that Stormzy has something his American counterparts lacked: an urgent, nothing-to-lose velocity.”