Carly Rae Jepsen set to make her Glastonbury debut: ‘This is in the elite class’

Jepsen, 37, is headed to Worthy Farm for her inaugural show on Friday 23 June

Carly Rae Jepsen has described performing at Glastonbury as a “bucket list” experience ahead of her debut on Friday 23 June.

The “Loneliest Time” singer, 37, is headed to Worthy Farm, Somerset, for an inaugural performance at the festival’s Other Stage this afternoon.

Her new single – the summer anthem “Shy Boy” – was released ahead of her set on Friday.

Speaking to the BBC, Jepsen said the opportunity to perform at Glastonbury is “one of those bucket list, lifetime experiences”.

“If you are a lover of festivals at all, this is in the elite class,” the “Call Me Maybe” hitmaker added.

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Jepsen also said she was “heartbroken to be in and out” of the festival, missing the opportunity to watch Cat Stevens’s performance. She is starting a six-date tour in Japan on Wednesday 28 June.

“I heard Cat Stevens is playing on Sunday (25 June) and he’s someone I grew up listening to,” she said. “So if I was allowed to stay, you’d catch me backstage, jumping on with him and trying to do the backing vocals to ‘Moonshadow’.”

Jepsen told the publication she’s going to make the most of her time at the festival, which began on Wednesday 21 June, nonetheless.

“My bandmates and I are like, ‘All right, let’s just pack in everything we can. [Pop band] Chvrches are coming on after we play, so we’ll check them out, then go and explore,’” she said.

Festivalgoers at Worthy Farm in Somerset (Ben Birchall/PA) (PA Wire)

However, Jepsen said she might need a “friend holding my hand” because she’s a people-watcher and might “get lost like a child”.

“I’ll be distracted by bubbles and then gone forever,” she added.

Other performances on Friday included a mystery act billed TheChurnUps, rumoured to be US rock band The Foo Fighters, as well as Royal Blood and Arctic Monkeys – all on the Pyramid Stage.

Fans of the Sheffield rock band are rejoicing over possible clues Arctic Monkeys will play at Glastonbury as planned, after frontman Alex Turner was diagnosed with acute laryngitis earlier this week.

His illness forced the band to cancel their show in Dublin, just days before the start of the festival.

This year’s headlining acts also include Guns N’ Roses and Sir Elton John, who will be joined by “four collaborators” at his final Glastonbury show.

Fans are speculating these guests might include Lil Nas X, Dua Lipa, or even Britney Spears.

John spoke about his forthcoming set in another interview earlier this week, saying: “When you put a setlist together, I always say it’s a bit like having sex. You start off really well, then you chill out a little bit, then towards the end of the show all hell breaks loose.”