Sam Ryder (singer)
Sam Ryder | |
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 Sam Ryder in 2021 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | 25 June 1989 Maldon, Essex, England |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) |
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| Instrument(s) |
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| Years active | 2009–present |
| Labels | Parlophone |
| Website | www |
| TikTok information | |
| Followers | 13.0 million |
| Likes | 110.3 million |
Last updated: 24 July 2022 | |
Sam Ryder (born 25 June 1989)[1] is a British singer-songwriter.[2][3] Ryder rose to prominence through TikTok, after posting music covers during the first UK lockdown of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. He represented the United Kingdom at the Eurovision Song Contest 2022 with the song "Space Man" and finished first in the jury vote, and second overall.[4][5]
Early life[]
Sam Ryder was born on 25 June 1989, the youngest child of Keith Robinson, a carpenter, and his wife, Geraldine (née Costelloe), a dental assistant from Hackney, London. He has two elder sisters, Katie and Natalie, born in Newham, east London three years and one year before him respectively.[2] He was raised in Chelmsford, Essex and attended St John Payne Catholic School in Chelmsford between 2000 and 2007.[6]
Ryder began singing when he was a child and was inspired to pursue a career in music after seeing the Canadian rock band Sum 41 live in concert aged 11.[7]
Ryder is a big fan of Eurovision and has memories of watching the contest with his family while growing up in the Essex countryside.[8] His musical awakening occurred in his early teens when after a trip to a nunnery he discovered an album of British heavy metal band Iron Maiden.[9] His first job was delivering papers for The Essex Chronicle as a child.[10]
He has a sister who lives in Sydney.[11] He revealed that he was inspired to learn how to play the guitar after the Finnish rock band Lordi won the Eurovision Song Contest 2006.[12] In an interview for Capital in 2022, Ryder said that he previously once worked in construction with his dad and helped build the Wembley Stadium.[13]
Career[]
2006–2019: Career beginnings[]
Ryder made his debut as a singer and guitarist in the music industry in 2006 when he co-founded the band The Morning After,[14] with whom he released two studio albums.[15] Following his time with the band in 2010, he toured as a guitarist for the band Blessed by a Broken Heart. In 2012, he was announced as their new lead vocalist and contributed to their album Feel the Power. They split in 2013, and he began working as a frontman for the band Close Your Eyes. Ryder released one studio album with them called Line in the Sand, and left in 2014.[16][17]
Following his time working for other bands he spent some time working in construction for his father. He started to pursue a career as a solo artist and in 2016 recorded an album with producer Bryan Wilson in Nashville, Tennessee, although it was never released.[18] In 2017, he opened a vegan juice bar in Essex with his long term partner Lois before shutting it down in 2019. He spent some time busking, and performing at weddings and clubs all over the south-east of England before joining TikTok.[19]
2020–present: TikTok, Eurovision and There's Nothing but Space, Man![]
 | This section may contain an excessive amount of intricate detail that may interest only a particular audience. (October 2022) |
Ryder rose to prominence through TikTok where, starting with the first lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, he began posting his music covers. He caught the attention of musicians such as Sia, Justin Bieber, Alicia Keys and Elton John. By the end of the same year, he became the most-followed UK artist on the platform.[20] He later signed a record contract with Parlophone. In 2021, he released his debut EP, The Sun's Gonna Rise, which has received over 100 million global streams. It was followed up with a sold-out tour.[21]
Ryder wrote "Space Man" during the pandemic, and in January 2022, the song was sent to TaP Music and the BBC. In the same month, he accepted their offer to represent the country in the contest. On 10 March 2022, he was announced as the UK representative for the Eurovision Song Contest 2022 with "Space Man".[22][23] Ryder toured Europe between March and May 2022 to promote his entry.[24] In an interview for Sky News, he spoke about the injury he had sustained in Madrid during his tour after crashing into a metal bar.[25]
On 12 May 2022, the BBC aired a documentary on BBC iPlayer and YouTube which detailed Ryder's journey to Eurovision.[26] Ryder also won a Marcel Bezençon Press Award, becoming the first UK act to win a Bezençon Award.[27] At the Eurovision final in Turin, Italy, he finished in second place with 466 points, becoming the highest-scoring UK Eurovision entrant. He won the jury vote and also scored the UK its best result since 1998 and its first top three since 2002.[28][29] After the contest, "Space Man" peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart, becoming the highest-charting UK Eurovision entry since Gina G's "Ooh Aah... Just a Little Bit" in 1996.[30]
In June 2022, Ryder performed "Space Man" at the Queen's Platinum Jubilee concert, Platinum Party at the Palace, and at Capital's Summertime Ball.[31][32] In the same month, he was also featured on the British reality series Celebrity Gogglebox and a new Dutch entertainment show called, Hit It, in the Netherlands.[33][34] Ryder supported singers Paloma Faith, Lewis Capaldi, and Rag'n'Bone Man, during their shows in the summer.[35] He is scheduled to embark on a sold-out European tour between October and November 2022.[36]
In July 2022, he performed the British national anthem at the British Grand Prix at Silverstone.[37] Between July and August, Ryder performed at festivals and gigs across the summer, including in the US and South Korea.[38] It will be followed up with a UK and Ireland tour for 2023.[39][40] Ryder teased a collaboration with Ukrainian rap group Kalush, who won Eurovision 2022 ahead of him.[41] On 19 August, he released his follow-up single, "Somebody", which reached number 77 on the UK Singles Chart.[42][43] The music video for the song, released the same day, was shot in Šimanovci on the set of Serbian reality show Zadruga.[44] Ryder's debut studio album There's Nothing but Space, Man! is set for release on 18 November.[45]
On 2 September 2022, Ryder released "Living Without You", a collaboration with Sigala and David Guetta which will be included on the album.[46] On 3 September, he performed Queen's "Somebody to Love" alongside Queen members Brian May and Roger Taylor, at a tribute concert for Taylor Hawkins at London's Wembley Stadium.[47] On 26 September 2022, Ryder performed tracks from the album live at Lafayette in London for National Album Day, in partnership with the charity War Child.[48]
Personal life[]
Ryder has spent most of his adult life touring, writing, and performing for other bands and once resided in Hawaii. He is a vegan and once owned a vegan café in Coggeshall, England.[49] He likes to surf the coast of Great Britain in his free time, mediate travel, snowboard, drive around race tracks and skate.[50][51] He also once worked as a construction worker.[52]
Ryder is in a long-term relationship with his partner Lois Gaskin-Barber.[19] He cites David Bowie, Elton John, and Queen as his music influences.[10] Ryder believes in aliens, and once wanted to pursue a career as an astronaut. He said that he once saw a UFO while in Hawaii as a child.[53]
Discography[]
Studio albums[]
| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| There's Nothing but Space, Man! |
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Extended plays[]
| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| The Sun's Gonna Rise |
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| Apple Music Home Session |
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Singles[]
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK [56] |
BEL (FL) [57] |
IRE [58] |
LIT [59] |
NLD [60] |
SWE | NZ [61] |
WW [62] | |||||||||||||||
| "Space Man" | 2022 | 2 | 22 | 22 | 13 | 71 | 15 | — | 93 | There's Nothing but Space, Man! | ||||||||||||
| "Somebody"[64] | 77 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||||
| "Living Without You" (with Sigala and David Guetta)[65] |
48 | — | 88 | — | —[A] | —[B] | —[C] | — | ||||||||||||||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Promotional singles[]
| Title | Year | Album |
|---|---|---|
| "Set You Free"[69] | 2019 | Non-album single |
| "Whirlwind"[70] | 2021 | The Sun's Gonna Rise |
| "Tiny Riot"[71] | ||
| "July"[72] | ||
| "More"[73] | ||
| "The Sun's Gonna Rise" |
Filmography[]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Celebrity Gogglebox | Himself | Alongside Scott Mills | [74] |
Awards and nominations[]
Ryder won the Marcel Bezençon Press Award, and became the first UK act to win in this category.
On 22 May 2022 "Space Man" reached number-one on The Official Big Top 40.[75] Every time an act reaches number one they receive an award.[76]
| Year | Award ceremony | Category | Nominee(s)/work(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Marcel Bezençon Awards | Press Award | Himself | Won | [77] |
| The Official Big Top 40 | UK Number One | "Space Man" | Won | [78] | |
| ESC Radio Awards | Best Male Artist | Himself | Won | [79] | |
| ESC Radio Awards | Best Song | "Space Man" | Won | [80] | |
| Edinburgh International Television Festival | TV Moment of the Year | "Space Man" – Eurovision Performance | Nominated | [81] | |
| LOS40 Music Awards | Best International New Act | Himself | Pending | [82] |
Notes[]
- ^ "Living Without You" did not enter the Dutch Single Top 100, but peaked at number 23 on the Single Tip chart.[66]
- ^ "Living Without You" did not enter the Swedish Singellista Chart, but peaked at number 13 on the Swedish Heatseeker Chart.[67]
- ^ "Living Without You" did not enter the NZ Top 40 Singles Chart, but peaked at number 16 on the NZ Hot Singles Chart.[68]
References[]
- ^ "TikTok star from Maldon revealed as UK entry for this year's Eurovision". Braintree and Witham Times. 10 March 2022. Archived from the original on 10 March 2022. Retrieved 10 March 2022.
- ^ Jump up to: a b "Almost Nine Million Watch Sam Ryder Turn UK Fortunes at Eurovision". Bloomberg.com. 15 May 2022. Retrieved 15 May 2022.
- ^ "'We're in a negative thought pattern!' Can Sam Ryder bring Eurovision glory back to the UK?". the Guardian. 13 May 2022. Retrieved 15 May 2022.
- ^ "Sam Ryder: TikTok star to sing Space Man for UK at Eurovision 2022". BBC News. 10 March 2022. Archived from the original on 10 March 2022. Retrieved 10 March 2022.
- ^ "United Kingdom: Sam Ryder launches SPACE MAN for Eurovision 2022