Billie Eilish Protests Abortion Decision At Glastonbury
Billie Eilish Protests Supreme Court's Abortion Decision With Glastonbury Performance
Billie Eilish made history at Glastonbury Festival on 24 June, when she became the event's youngest ever solo headliner at the age of 20. But her set got off to a sombre start in light of the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark case that guaranteed women the right to an abortion. The singer used her performance to protest the decision, which included dedicating her performance of "Your Power," a song about older men exerting their power over young women, to everyone affected by the ruling.
"Today is a really, really dark day for women in the US," Eilish said, according to BBC. "I'm just going to say that because I can't bear to think about it any longer."
In addition to using her history-making performance as a platform to voice her disappointment in the Supreme Court, Eilish also served up a stripped down set which included performances of "NDA" and "I Didn't Change My Number." As reported by the BBC, she also led the crowd in breathing exercises, before wrapping up her set with "When the Party's Over." As the night wound down, she said, "This is such an honour to be here, right now. Thank you for letting me do this. This is such a trip and a dream."
Eilish wasn't alone in using the Glastonbury stage to protest the decision. Her fellow Friday night performer Phoebe Bridgers also spoke out against the ruling before leading a "f*ck the Supreme Court" chant. "I'm having the sh*ttiest day," she said to the crowd, according to CNN. "F*ck that sh*t, f*ck America. Like all these irrelevant motherf*ckers trying to tell us what to do with our f*cking bodies."
Bridgers then asked, "Are there any Americans here? Who wants to say f*ck the Supreme Court?" The folk singer then led the crowd in chanting "f*ck the Supreme Court."
Even as they performed in front of thousands, it was clear that Eilish and Bridgers's thoughts were on the devastating blow that was dealt to women's rights by the Supreme Court back in America.
