Ryder bids for top spot with Eurovision single

SAM Ryder’s Eurovision single Space Man could top the charts by the end of the week after his success at the contest in Turin.

The singer and Tiktok star, 32, came second behind Ukraine’s Kalush Orchestra on Saturday night, giving the UK its best result in more than 20 years and ending its dismal two-year run of zero points.

A special update issued by the Official Charts

Company yesterday indicated that Space Man is currently sitting at number three behind Cat Burns and last week’s chart-topper Harry Styles.

Only 340 chart sales separate Ryder and singer Burns.

Space Man would be the first Eurovision single to hit number one in the UK since Gina G’s Ooh Ahh (Just A Little Bit) in 1996.

Martin Talbot, chief executive of the Official Charts Company, said: “Let’s hope he can go one better than his second place in Turin and lead the field in the UK’S Official Singles Chart.”

Bookmakers Coral said its odds of Ryder reaching number one had continued to increase and were at 1/2.

Ryder landed at London’s Heathrow Airport on Sunday wearing a pink Kalush Orchestra hat, a celebratory nod to this year’s winners.

Speaking on BBC Radio 2, Ryder said: “I don’t know, I just felt so much, just encouragement and support and love from home.

“And not just home, but in the Eurovision community in general, because there’s so much love, sitting in that arena is like being in a church, it is just incredible.”

Asked about Ukraine coming first, he added: “They needed to win that. They were always going to win that. It’s so important that we use the platform of Eurovision to celebrate solidarity and to shine light into darkness.”

Ryder, from Essex, uploaded cover songs to Tiktok during lockdown and caught the attention of global stars including Justin Bieber and Alicia Keys.