Sam Ryder will represent the UK at this year’s Eurovision Song Contest in Turin, Italy.
He is one of the most followed British singers on TikTok with 12 million fans on the app and will perform his song Space Man at the grand finale in May.
“I love Eurovision. I think it’s such a privilege to be able to do that,” he told Radio 1 Newsbeat.
Last year’s competition in Rotterdam was won by the Italian rock group Måneskin.
Sam is taking part after two consecutive years in which the UK has finished bottom at Eurovision.
“I don’t want the stigma or fear of getting a certain seat at a table to keep me from doing and being part of something that I enjoy so much,” he says.
In 2021, James Newman’s entry Embers received the dreaded “zero points” and Michael Rice landed in last place in 2019 with the ballad Bigger Than Us.
The 2020 competition has been cancelled.
“As long as I can go to the Eurovision Song Contest and know in my heart that I’m going to do my best job, everything else is out of my control,” he says.
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- Italy wins Eurovision Song Contest, Great Britain comes last
- Måneskin: The Eurovision winners storm the UK charts
The last time Britain finished in the top ten in a Eurovision Song Contest final was in 2009 with the song “It’s My Time” by Jade Ewen.
Due to its invasion of Ukraine, Russia was banned from this year’s competition by the show’s producers, the European Broadcast Union (EBU).
- Russia banned from Eurovision Song Contest 2022
About singing in the Eurovision Song Contest against the backdrop of Europe’s conflicts, Sam says he’s trying to get back to the fact that “music is about sharing and connecting”.
“The only thing in my power is to remind myself of kindness, gratitude for the opportunity, and empathy.”
After last year’s poor charting in the UK, management company Tap Music came on board to find a new act for the UK.
It has been responsible for the careers of singers such as Ellie Goulding, Lana Del Rey and, until recently, Dua Lipa.
Sam was selected internally between Tap and the BBC and ahead of Sam’s selection, Tap’s Ben Mawson said: “We don’t want to see Eurovision as a boom or bust night for the artist. We want to see this as a platform for development for a career.”
During the first lockdown, Sam amassed a huge following on social media after performing snippets of songs on TikTok.
His covers have been noticed by the likes of Justin Bieber and Alicia Keys, and he became the platform’s most watched British artist of 2020.
He launched his solo career when he signed to the Parlophone record label in 2021.
Sam says his love for 2006 Finnish monster rock winner Lordi helped him decide to represent Britain in the Eurovision Song Contest.
“Lordi’s win was a big moment in my life because I loved her before they competed in Eurovision.
“Seeing them at the Eurovision Song Contest didn’t change my feelings for them and I was just thrilled that this band is going to represent their country and break it up.”
Analysis by Scott Mills, Radio 1 presenter and BBC Three Eurovision semi-final presenter
Eurovision has evolved into a whole new ballgame over the last five years and participants need to arrive as a whole package.
You can’t just have a good song. You need to engage with viewers as you look through the camera lens.
Sam Ryder already nailed this on TikTok.
Even a “good” performance is no longer enough. It has to blow people’s minds.
Think 2021’s techno-rave Go_A from Ukraine, or 2019’s fiery Spirit In The Sky from Norway.
Although neither won, they decisively got the public at home to vote for them.
It’s a slick televised event that brings people together, and memories of the competition from the mid-noughties (when it was still a bit cheesy) don’t exist in the minds of younger viewers who follow the construction of the competition via social media.
The grand finale of Eurovision will take place on May 14th, with 40 countries taking part.
“There’s something comforting about knowing that so many other people are seeing the exact same thing you are,” says Sam.
“It’s like the Super Bowl or the World Cup.”
So who will be Sam’s main competitor?
Folk-rap group Kalush Orchestra will currently represent Ukraine with their track Stefania.
They originally finished second in their national final but were upgraded for the competition when singer Alina Pash was forced to withdraw.
Given the conflict, if the group made it to Turin it would be an achievement in itself, as several members have reportedly helped with Ukraine’s war effort.
On the surface, Norwegian’s electronic wolf duo (yes, really) subwoolfer might seem like your stereotypical joke entry, but it’s a lot smarter than you might think.
Referred to simply as Jim and Keith, their identities remain a mystery, but the lyrics and vocals all seem to point to comedy duo Ylvis, who went viral with their 2013 song “What Does The Fox Say.”
Mahmood is no stranger to Eurovision, having finished second with Soldi in 2019.
This time he represents his home country together with the 19-year-old singer Blanco. The couple won Italy’s legendary Sanremo Music Festival. It’s a week-long TV extravaganza featuring dozens of songs and artists.
Finnish rock group The Rasmus, best known for their 2003 hit In The Shadows, represents their country with Jezebel.
The song was co-written by Desmond Child, who was also responsible for Ricky Martin’s Livin’ La Vida Loca and Bonnie Tyler’s 2013 Eurovision entry Believe In Me.
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