Sam Ryder – Annabel Kiki – Mountain Performer
There I was, on stage, with Sam Ryder and Roger Taylor from Queen, performing in front of 180 million people.
So, this happened:
February 2023, I receive a mysterious email, asking if I’d take part in a top secret Eurovision project. May 2023, I’m on stage with Sam Ryder and Roger Taylor from Queen, performing in front of 180 million people.
My new life with one leg is beyond crazy! But what a wonderful crazy it is.
I had to sign an NDA with the BBC stating I couldn’t say a word about anything to anyone, at all, ever, until midnight after the Grand Final performance on 13th May. I wasn’t allowed to post any pictures showing me in Liverpool, or any selfies with other members of the limb-loss community just in case the wonderful secret of Sam Ryder’s performance were to get out.
The secret didn’t get out, but here’s what went on in the background:
And for everyone asking, Sam Ryder honestly is as magnificent as he appears. The word genuine doesn’t do him justice. He truly truly cares. I always say that genuine people never seem to be in a rush. In their conversation they make the other person feel special. Sam made me feel so so special.
Genuine people never seem to be in a rush. In their conversation they make the other person feel special.
The song ‘Mountain’ is for anyone who has ever struggled in life. Mental health. Physical health. Worries with work, family or friends. Anxieties and nerves about anything and everything. Life is tough for so many in this often cruel world, and I honestly don’t think there’s anyone who won’t relate to the song in one way or another. “I am a mountain and down in the valley below is all that I’ve overcome.”
I am a mountain and down in the valley below is all that I’ve overcome.
What a mighty message. It’s more than empowering. It’s life changing. We are the mountains, and I certainly felt like one, banging my drum on stage on Saturday night. A year previously, I was in hospital trying to survive sepsis that I caught because my body was so weak from months of chemotherapy. I then had my leg amputation to look forward to on May 23rd. If I could have told that 13-year-old version of me, that in less than a year, I’d be performing on stage at the Eurovision grand final, happy, healthy and beyond proud of my prosthetic leg, I wouldn’t have believed it.
One of my core beliefs in life is that the good guys always win. Sam Ryder is one of the good guys and I am so honoured to call him my friend. Thank you Sam. You’re just the best.
Please watch the full performance here. It’s sensational:
