When did Beyoncé headline Glastonbury? Singer became first woman in 20 years to perform on the Pyramid Stage

Fifteen years ago, on June 26, 2011, Beyoncé became the first solo Black woman to headline the Glastonbury Festival, joining Chris Martin and U2. At that time, she was also the first woman to headline the event in two decades. The last solo woman to headline the Pyramid Stage was Sinead O'Connor in 1990. Kylie Minogue was set to headline in 2004 but had to cancel due to a breast cancer diagnosis.

Wearing a sparkling gold blazer by Alexandre Vauthier, Beyoncé delivered a memorable performance at Glastonbury, winning over more than 100,000 cheering fans. Initially, some Glastonbury purists doubted her as a pop star headliner, but her performance quickly earned widespread praise, with many calling it a career-defining moment.

Her husband, Jay Z, also faced the same resistance when he was slated to headline the Glastonbury in 2008. Stars like Noel Gallagher infamously protested against his inclusion as he belonged to the hip-hop genre.

In a 2008 interview with BBC, Gallagher commented:

“I’m sorry, but Jay-Z? No chance. Glastonbury has the tradition of guitar music … I’m not having hip-hop at Glastonbury. It’s wrong.”

However, Jay-Z proved all the naysayers wrong and set the stage on fire by performing chartbusters such as Smack My B**** Up, 99 Problems, and others.

In fact, Jay-Z's performance reportedly inspired Queen Bey to follow suit three years later.

“This really is the biggest festival in the world and I cannot wait to perform there. Everyone who attends is really appreciative of music and is in such a good mood that entire weekend... I’m pumped just thinking about that huge audience and soaking up their energy,” said Beyoncé in an interview with Billboard in 2011.

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"I felt like a rock star"— Beyoncé talked about her Glastonbury headlining performance right after coming off stage

After setting the stage on fire with her 90-minute performance, Queen Bey was interviewed by Lauren Laverne and Jo Whiley of BBC and the first thing she said was that it was a dream come true.

"I felt like a rock star. I am just so honoured. This is a highlight of my career," raved Beyoncé.

Beyoncé credited her husband Jay-Z and Coldplay's Chris Martin for inspiring and helping her come up with the setlist for the act.

"I sent Chris my set list and made sure he approved it," she recalled. "He's the master of this and of course, Jay. They all just told me to relax and be myself."

Her performance also helped the singer promote her album, 4, and all her pre-released musical numbers found their place in the setlist. These included Run The World (Girls), 1+1, Best Thing I Never Had, and End of Time.

According to her, Jay-Z's act triggered the Renaissance artist to come up and headline the Glastonbury in front of a hundred-and-seventy-five-thousand people.

"I was able to see my husband perform here a couple of years ago and it was one of the most exciting nights for me. I don't know if I would have been asked to come if he didn't do the performance," she commented.

Beyoncé also shared that she was extremely nervous before stepping onto the pyramid stage.