Sam Ryder was the only star who showered while playing the 2014 Vans Warped Tour with his band Close Your Eyes.
The Eurovision singer previously fronted the Texan punk band before becoming a solo artist and he hit the road with them for a US tour with acts including Enter Shikari and Bowling for Soup – and Sam is adamant he was the only one who washed every day.
He told NME.com: “I was the only person on that tour who managed to shower every single day”
Sam called himself “the freshest kid on the Warped Tour” and insisted many just didn’t want to risk the “gross” showers on the road.
He explained: “The showers on that tour – they’re the grossest thing on earth, you don’t want to go near them. So instead, I’d walk the perimeter of the stadium [we were playing at] and try to find a little faucet or a tap. I’d be rooting up the sprinkler system if I had to!”
Sam eventually gave up on his dream of being a punk singer as he realised he felt “more comfortable being a fan of heavy metal and punk music than making it” and left the band in 2014.
He went on to work in the construction business with his dad before launching a vegan café with his girlfriend and taking on work as a wedding singer.
Sam eventually returned to the music business after building up a large following on TikTok with his singing. It led to him signing a deal with Parlophone and being scouted as a potential entry for the UK at the Eurovision Song Contest this year.
He added of his decision to take part in Eurovision: “The more I thought about it, the more I realised I was at the perfect point in my journey to throw all my chips on the table … I had to go for it”.
Sam came second to the Ukrainian entry and scored a huge hit with his track ‘Space Man’.