Eurovision star Sam Ryder has said appearing at Glastonbury Festival is his chance to “put a flag in the ground and stand behind” what he has been working on.
The star has been spotted a number of times in the lead up to his set, from popping up on a train to giving an impromptu performance at “surprise shows”.
He will be playing the Avalon Stage at 19:50 BST and said: “There can’t be any kind of approach of any arrogance to this sort of thing.
“It’s about singing your heart out and finding the intention of what being here is, of what you’re trying to say and I’m stoked for that.”
Speaking to the BBC Somerset podcast Inside Glastonbury, the singer said: “I’ve been in the studio for the past year, kind of away from things and really putting the time in to kind of understand what it is that I want to put forward into the world of music, and what I want to say.”
Ryder revealed to the BBC that he finished his latest album just days ago, on his birthday.
“So for me, this is a time to kind of put your flag in the ground and stand behind what you’ve been working on,” he said.
“Today we get to share it outside the walls of my studio, which is really exciting.”
The 36-year-old added he had come across a video of himself from two years ago, chatting about “how much of a dream it would be to play the festival”.
“Where I come from in music, it’s quite far away from Glastonbury. You wouldn’t even think about it, it was almost unreachable,” he said.
“Now, the music I make, it can kind of work here, which is so cool, I mean this globally iconic festival.
“And like the size of it, the scale, unless you’re here – I’ve never been here before, I first stepped foot in this field three days ago – it’s overwhelming in the best way.”
He added he “couldn’t be more grateful” for the opportunity to open up his act people at the festival.
“You have to welcome with open arms people that are just passing by the tent, that just have heard your name and been like ‘I wanna see what this is all about’, or people that have been there for every single song.
“It’s your job to respect the time of every single individual that walks underneath that canvas.”
