Sam Ryder's Eurovision success and the 'diverse' acts that could represent the UK in 2023?

If you want to do well in the Eurovision Song Contest then write about love, as 69% of entries in the last decade have featured this theme. A man who bucked this trend was the UK's entry in 2022, Sam Ryder.

Sam wrote his own song called 'Space Man'. As you would expect, the song is concerned with space - both outer space and, it can also be argued, space in your own mind.

'I'm up in space, man, up in space, man, I've searched around the universe, been down some black holes. There's nothing but space, man, and I wanna go home.' As his chorus alludes, we are all surrounded by the infinite and ever-expanding possibilities of space - which is exhilarating and terrifying in equal measure. Or, he just likes astronomy.

He wrote the song during the Covid-19 lockdown in 2020 and found himself grounded, as we all did, in one place. Sam was used to travelling a lot when he was in bands or performing as a wedding singer.

At the 2022 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 scored the UK its best result since 1998 and its first top three since 2002. This was the UK's best Eurovision result for decades.

Ryder also won a Marcel Bezençon Press Award, becoming the first UK act to win a Bezençon Award. After the contest, 'Space Man' peaked at number one on the UK Singles Chart, becoming the highest-charting UK Eurovision entry since Gina G's 'Ooh Aah... Just a Little Bit' in 1996.

Who is Sam Ryder?

It would be remiss of me not to begin with the fact that Sam believes in aliens. Considering his Eurovision song deals with wider galaxy issues, it feels relevant to mention this at the start.

Sam is 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 and they were raised in Chelmsford, Essex. He attended St John Payne Catholic School in Chelmsford.

Ryder was inspired to pursue a career in music after seeing the Canadian rock band Sum 41 in concert at aged 11. He's a big fan of Eurovision and cites Finnish rock band Lordi, as being the inspiration for him learning how to play guitar after the rock band won the Eurovision Song Contest in 2006.

He has been in a few bands over the years, including The Morning After, Blessed by a Broken Heart and Close Your Eyes. He then helped his father in construction and helped to build Wembley Stadium in London.

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 Elton John, Sia, Justin Bieber and Alicia Keys. By the end of the same year, he was named the most- followed UK artist on the platform.

He later signed a record contract with Parlophone. In 2021, he released his debut EP, The Sun's Gonna Rise, which has accumulated over a 100 million global streams. It was followed up with a sold-out tour.

Ryder wrote 'Space Man' 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.

Sam is in a long-term relationship with his partner Lois Gaskin-Barber.

Who might represent the UK in 2023?

Our previous entry, Sam, has said he would like producers to take a more 'diverse' approach to picking this year's contestant.

"The UK has such a diverse plethora of talent and all I can hope is that what happened this year has encouraged more people from those diverse genres of and backgrounds to think ‘Eurovision isn’t a career killer’," Ryder said to The Sun last year. "I would love it to be a fan of Eurovision and its history."

There are a few names in the mix for 2023 and they include: Molly Rainford, Rina Sawayama and Fleur East.

Strictly Come Dancing 2022 star Molly Rainford could have another stage in her sights, with claims she’s been tipped to represent the UK at Eurovision 2023. Having found fame at 11 years old when she competed on Britain’s Got Talent, it’s been reported that she could be a strong contender to be the UK’s next Eurovision act.

BRIT-nominated pop songstress Rina Sawayama may have a go, based on speculation. Fans have noticed that she has a gaping hole in her busy schedule between February and June… exactly the period when she would be needed for Eurovision promo, rehearsal and competition duties. And her song 'Frankenstein' – released conveniently just after the September cut off date – lasts just over 3 minutes.

Her 2022 album ‘Hold The Girl’ reached #3 in the UK charts, and she enjoys over 4 million monthly listeners on Spotify. However, despite her being an excellent choice, a source has confirmed that the gap between March and June in the pop star's touring schedule is not to make space for Eurovision rehearsals and that any overlap with the song contest is purely coincidental.

It's not the first time Fleur East has been tipped to play Eurovision. In 2021 the singer denied rumours about her involvement with the UK entry after fans of the former X Factor star launched a campaign on social media.

After being asked about the rumours on Instagram she responded that "she would never say never and it maybe would be an honour to do it". And in response to a Eurovision campaign the previous year, she tweeted: "I'm ready to fly the flag wherever I go."

We should find out soon...