PinkPantheress didn’t think she’d be able to “get over” her “fear” of performing live before her triumphant Glastonbury set.
The Boy’s a liar singer was among the artists who went viral amid the COVID-19 pandemic and were not able to play live due to the lockdowns.
With no early gigs to ease into the spotlight, she had to build her confidence from scratch. And, when she stepped onto the Woodsies Stage at the world-renowned festival in June, she wasn’t just battling nerves – she was confronting the pressure of her own “high standards.”
Speaking to Variety after being crowned the publication’s Music Innovator of the Year, she said of the challenging aspect of her career: “That’s why I always say in interviews that people are watching me become a performer in real time.
“I set high standards for myself and I just don’t do things that I’m not good at, so I’ve had to basically go against my nature and just jump into things that I know I need to work on. For me it’s more of a confidence thing — like when [her first performance at England’s massive Glastonbury festival] was coming up, my fear was, ‘Well, I can’t do this to a high enough standard, so should I just not do it?’”
The Princess Diana hitmaker was taken aback by just how “confident” she looked when she replayed footage from Glasto.
She added: “But it’s gotten better as time has gone on, and I was shocked watching the video back from Glastonbury and realising how confident I looked, and how nice I looked. I didn’t know if I was gonna be able to get over my fear, and I’m pleased that I did.”
PinkPantheress was originally scheduled to play two concerts at Glastonbury.
However, the other set on the Levels stage in Silver Hayes was axed at the last minute.
Although no reason was given, a spokesperson for the festival insisted it had nothing to do with fears of “overcrowding”.
They told The Sun: “This change was absolutely not as a result of overcrowding fears; the artist was simply no longer able to make this performance.”