Entertainment

Billie Eilish to become youngest solo Glastonbury headliner

Billie Eilish will be the youngest solo artist ever to headline Glastonbury festival when she tops the bill on Friday night next year.

The 19-year-old pop icon teased the news on her Instagram, posting a photograph of herself grinning in a Glastonbury hoodie, captioned “2022”.

The festival co-organiser Emily Eavis said she “couldn’t be happier” to confirm the news: “This feels like the perfect way for us to return and I cannot wait!”

Eilish made her Glastonbury debut in 2019, performing to a jam-packed Other stage on the Sunday afternoon after her set was upgraded from a slot on the John Peel stage. During her set, she lamented that she would never be able to experience the festival as a punter: “This looks fun to go to – I would love to go to this shit, my God.”

Earlier this year she released her second album, Happier Than Ever, to widespread acclaim. Eilish’s lyrics commented on the difficulties of her extreme fame, including maintaining personal and romantic relationships and trusting others, and frequently explored a softer, more classic sound indebted to Peggy Lee and Frank Sinatra than her frequently abrasive debut album, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?, released in 2019.

Eilish will be 20 years and six months old when she headlines the festival. The youngest performer ever to headline Glastonbury was Mark Hamilton of UK band Ash, who was approximately 20 years and three months old when the group replaced Steve Winwood as headliner in 1997. Ash frontman Tim Wheeler was 20 years and five months.

Eilish is the first headliner to be announced for the 2022 festival – which Glastonbury organisers are counting on being a successful comeback after Covid led to the cancellation of the 2020 and 2021 events. Equinox, a mooted one-day event for September 2020, was also pulled. Instead, the festival ran a family campsite on Worthy Farm.

Billie Eilish: Bury a Friend (live at Glastonbury 2019) – video
In August, festival founder Michael Eavis said he was confident that some acts from the planned 2020 lineup would return. Taylor Swift, Paul McCartney and Kendrick Lamar were due to headline.

The festival remains sold out, with 2020 tickets rolled over to the next viable event. The organisers recently put on sale slots for campervans and pre-erected tents, auguring a hopeful outcome for next year.

After the government’s test event scheme permitted festivals including Latitude and Download to go ahead earlier this summer, large-scale music events were allowed to resume – assuming they could afford the risk of proceeding without a government-backed insurance scheme.

Such a scheme was finally implemented in August, pronounced by many in the live music sector to be “too late”. The Association of Independent Festivals (AIF) had estimated that a quarter of festivals with a capacity of more than 5,000 people had already been cancelled because of government inaction on event insurance.

More than 5,000 Covid cases were linked to Boardmasters, a music and extreme sports festival taking place in Newquay; there were no such reports of a surge following the Reading and Leeds festivals in August.

Eilish also made headlines this weekend for a performance in Texas, at which she protested the state’s near-total abortion laws, which bans terminations at six weeks once embryonic cardiac activity is detected.

“I’m sick and tired of old men,” Eilish told the crowd at Austin City Limits on 2 October. “Shut the fuck up about our bodies.

“When they made that shit a law, I almost didn’t want to do the show, because I wanted to punish this fucking place for allowing that to happen here. But then, I remembered that it’s you guys that are the fucking victims, and you deserve everything in the world.”

She raised her middle finger and declared: “My body, my fucking choice.”

The Biden administration is legally challenging the bill.

Entertainment

Kano censorship board suspends 22 popular Hausa film series

The Kano State Censorship Board has suspended the airing of 22 popular Hausa series films for allegedly violating regulatory guidelines.

The board described the action as a strategic move aimed at enforcing compliance and promoting professionalism within Kannywood, the Hausa-language film industry.

In a statement issued by the board’s Information Officer, Abdullahi Sani Sulaiman, the affected titles include Labarina, Dadin Kowa, Manyan Mata, Garwashi, Jamilun Jidda, and Gidan Sarauta, among others.

The statement said the decision followed a management meeting and due consultation and was directed late Sunday by the Executive Secretary of the board, Abba El-Mustapha.

Other suspended series films are Dakin Amarya, Mashahuri, Wasiyya, Tawakkaltu, Mijina, Wani Zamani, Mallaka, Kudin Ruwa, Boka Ko Malam, Wayasan Gobe, Rana Dubu, Manyan Mata, Fatake, Gwarwashi, Jamilun Jiddan, Shahadar Nabila, Dadin Kowa, Tabarma, Kishiyata, and Rigar Aro.

The board emphasised that it is legally empowered to censor all films meant for production, marketing, streaming, or broadcast prior to their release, and to regulate all related stakeholders both within and outside the state.

“All producers or owners of the suspended films are hereby instructed to cease streaming or airing their content on television or the internet and to submit their productions to the board for censorship approval within one week, starting from Monday, 19th May 2025 to 25th May, 2025, to avoid legal consequences,” the statement said.

The Hausa film industry has, in recent years, shifted toward producing series films as a result of diminishing returns from traditional filmmaking. These series are typically uploaded on YouTube and aired on television, with most episodes released on a weekly basis.

Entertainment

Cubana Chief Priest’s Lekki Restaurant shut down by Lagos govt

The Lagos State Government has taken action against DONALD Restaurant, a popular establishment in Lekki owned by nightlife entrepreneur Pascal Okechukwu, widely known as Cubana Chief Priest.

The restaurant was shut down following an incident where two employees were caught illegally disposing of waste on the roadside.

Muyiwa Gbadegesin, the Managing Director and CEO of the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), announced the closure on his X handle.

He stated that the Chairman of the Lekki Estate Residents Association (LERA) had alerted LAWMA in the early hours of Saturday, May 18, 2025, about illegal dumping of waste along Durosimi-Etti Street in Lekki Phase 1.

According to Gbadegesin, “A white Ford van with Abuja registration plates GWA 136E was caught in the act of indiscriminately discharging waste.”

The vehicle was traced back to DONALD Restaurant, a nightlife establishment situated on Road 14 within the estate.

The suspects were apprehended on the scene by LERA’s Chief Security Officer and taken into custody at the LERA Secretariat.

Reports indicated that the individuals attempted to bribe the security team with ₦100,000, an offer that was firmly rejected.

LAWMA’s Monitoring and Compliance Team was immediately deployed to the location, where they took custody of the suspects and sealed the premises for gross environmental violations in breach of the Lagos State Environmental Management and Protection Law, 2017.

Gbadegesin added that the suspects would be prosecuted in line with the law.

“LAWMA remains resolute in its commitment to enforcing environmental regulations across Lagos and urges all residents and businesses to adhere strictly to proper waste management practices. A clean and livable city is everyone’s responsibility,” Gbadegesin stressed.

Entertainment

Daughter of actress, Jumoke George trafficked to Mali returns after four years

Adeola, the daughter of veteran Nigerian actress Jumoke George, who was reportedly trafficked to Mali and had been missing for four years, has finally returned home to Nigeria.

The emotional reunion was announced by Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Chairperson of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), via her verified X (formerly Twitter) account.

“Breaking! Adeola, daughter of popular actress, Jumoke George, who cried out that she had not heard from her daughter in four years, is back home from Mali where she was trafficked to. Just received her, with Biola Adebayo who broke the story and Niyi Johnson. Details later!” Dabiri-Erewa posted.

The post included images of a visibly emotional reception, showing the young woman with actress Biola Adebayo and actor Niyi Johnson, who both played instrumental roles in drawing attention to the case.

Jumoke George had previously gone public with her distress, lamenting her daughter’s disappearance and appealing to the public for any information.

The case gained momentum after Biola Adebayo highlighted the issue, prompting wider media attention and eventual rescue efforts.

Although full details of Adeola’s ordeal in Mali are yet to be disclosed, her return marks a major success in the fight against human trafficking and a moment of immense relief for her family.