Nia Wyn recently released her new ‘Magical Thinking’ EP, that is very much about mental health and Nia’s own struggles with OCD. It also shows off her fantastic voice and knack for songwriting that takes from genres like folk, ska, hip hop and jazz but is still just Nia.
She’s also been supporting Paul Weller, who is a fan.She recently played Glastonbury Festival 2022 this year, having reached the finals of their emerging talent competition, she kindly sent us a diary of her time at the festival.
Just arrived and priorities are clear – grab a rewarding cold ice cream pudding as that was a long drive to the site. I’m wearing my 90s Wales shirt today(pictured) and quickly realise I’m not alone in bringing Cymru to Glastonbury – so many dragon flags. Weather is looking good at the moment but it’s forecast rain soon, praying that it holds off for my performance tomorrow. Currently feeling nervous but pretty excited about what’s to come. After the ice cream I’ll head over to the West Holts stage for a bit of TLC.
It’s Pride month so I was very happy to see this. I feel like I’m starting to properly settle in now, getting used to the crowds, the vastness of the site and the occasional smell… I’m trying to conserve some energy for tomorrow but there’s so much going on and I really want to see so much of it. I’ve got my factor 50 sun cream on and the weather is holding for now. After wandering around exploring the east side of the festival site, I opt for being sensible and turn in a decent time before my set tomorrow.
Showtime on the Avalon Stage on Saturday morning. People have come out with their coffees to start the day and I was there to start it for them. I’ve been given a 40 minute slot, the sun is shining and the sound engineers on the stage are fantastic. I start the set with a song from my previous record, Come Home To You, as it’s a good warm-up to grab people’s attention and get them moving a bit. I was initially worried the early time slot would mean a quieter crowd, but people have come inside the tent to watch, with more and more joining from around the Avalon area throughout the first couple songs. I ask the crowd if there’s any Welsh people here. Around 30% raise their hand. Nice.
I look down at my set list and see I’m two thirds through. I want to pause this moment to take it in a bit longer. I think this has been the most comfortable and most free I’ve felt performing, which surprised me as there had been so much nervous energy leading up to the festival. I’m trying to savour the moment, and in between songs when I’m supposed to speak, I can’t stop beaming. I tell the audience, as it’s Pride month, that the next two songs are going to be pretty gay. We start playing 10 Seconds, with a nice transition into Checkmate, one of my latest songs from my new EP Magical Thinking.
R.A.E joins me on stage for our track ‘Muzzle’ bringing her 90s influenced style and delivery. She won Glastonbury’s Emerging Talent Competition in 2020 (which is how I heard of her, and contacted her to collaborate), and I was a finalist of this year’s competition. R.A.E has a few sets across the weekend and came along to Avalon to jump on for our number, third song into the set. I give her a big hug after the track is up. A happy accident in that our outfits are colour coordinated. Before the set, she tells me she’s never done so much walking in her life.
One of my favourite show outfits I’ve worn in a while – really into flares and loafers as a combo at the moment. After the set, I’m wondering if the Sugababes had been in this dressing room the previous night. It’s a bit of a rush to pack up the gear and get it onto transport as turnarounds are tight for festival stages and the next artist is ready to set up and line check as soon as we are off. Before leaving backstage, a few familiar faces I didn’t expect to see wandered over to congratulate me, which was lovely. That’s a wrap. I’d do it all again a hundred times. I won’t be coming down from that high in a hurry. Now I can finally properly relax and I head off to catch some other sets – notably Joy Crookes, HAIM and in that exact order.
