Space Man Sam could be heading for the stars
SAM Ryder, with his song Space Man, is hoping to blast the UK into a new stratosphere tonight – or at least off the bottom of the leaderboard at Eurovision.
The 32-year-old worked in construction for eight years but found fame covering songs on TikTok during lockdown.
He quickly built up 12 million followers and caught the attention of global stars including Justin Bieber and Alicia Keys.
And now Sam insists he has done everything he can to make the UK proud. He said: “We have left no stone unturned.
“Our main goal, aside from the scoreboard, is to chip away at that negativity, that stigma that we carry when we torture ourselves in the UK. We play it on a loop in our heads that Europe doesn’t like us – and it is not true.”
Sam says being on the show is not about competition but instead Eurovision is about “expression, connection and emotion”.
He added: “Anything secondary to that, like where you come on a scoreboard, pales in comparison to that power and that magic.”
The Essex-born singer aims to end a dismal UK run, after we came last in 2021 with James Newman and in 2019 with Michael Rice.
But there is already a buzz surrounding the long-haired artist and his uplifting song – with some bookmakers saying he could win enough points to come third or fourth overall.
Sam joked: “I think if we get one point, watch us cheer. Not that it’s about that but because we would be doing the UK a disservice if we didn’t go nuts.
“I can’t express how much it’s not about the points or the expectation of a position at the end.
“If we come last, I’ll just be grateful that I got to experience it as a fan and as a singer.
“I’ll get home and have a curry with my family and a chat with my grandad.
“Life is too short not to enjoy something as bonkers as Eurovision.”