Kanye West puts the ego aside and admits 'messed up' Glastonbury performance left him 'depressed'

The rapper restarted 'Black Skinhead' and forgot the lyrics to 'Bohemian Rhapsody'

Kanye headlined Glastonbury in 2015 despite a petition calling for organisers to 'get a rock band instead' (Getty Images)

Kanye West has put his notoriously huge ego aside and admitted that headlining Glastonbury left him feeling “depressed”.

The rapper took the top slot at last year’s Worthy Farm festival but found the nerves getting to him after the music “messed up” and he forgot some lyrics. Reviews were mixed but many fans found the scrappy performance disappointing after high expectations.

“It was incredible. I started off the show and I completely messed up the music,” West told BBC Radio One’s Annie Mac. “I’m a bit of a perfectionist so it really put me into a slightly depressed state.

“It put me back in the position of when I was in high school and I got fired from my job, or when I played my music for R Kelly and he told me he was going to sign me, and then three months later I didn't have any money, I couldn't afford a haircut, I couldn't take my girlfriend to the movies and I'm still in my momma's bedroom, working on beats and I was that close to being signed by R Kelly.”

West was quick to add that he “doesn’t usually get nervous” after so much preparation, but the early errors during put him on edge. He decided to restart “Black Skinhead” after comedian Lee Nelson crashed the stage wearing a “Leezus” T-shirt and disrupted his flow, before later forgetting the words when covering Queen’s iconic “Bohemian Rhapsody”. “When that music messed up in the beginning, it tapped into my nerves and when you’re nervous or vulnerable, something special and something different can happen,” he said.

Prior to Kanye taking to the Pyramid Stage, a petition to stop him headlining had reached 55,000 signatures. Neil Lonsdale from Norfolk, who on a sidenote had never actually been to Glastonbury, demanded that the Eavises reverse their decision to book an “egotistical, maniacal disgrace” and “get a rock band” instead.

Over the weekend, Kanye argued that “beef” between Jay Z’s streaming service Tidal and Apple Music is “f**king up the music game” and released a new video for “Wolves” featuring both himself and reality TV star wife Kim Kardashian crying.

The full interview airs on BBC Radio One tonight from 7-9pm