Sam Ryder (born 25 June 1989) is a British singer-songwriter. Ryder rose to prominence through

TikTok TikTok, known in China as Douyin (), is a short-form video hosting service owned by the Chinese company ByteDance. It hosts user-submitted videos, which can range in duration from 15 seconds to 10 minutes. TikTok is an international version ...

, after posting music covers during the first UK lockdown of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identified ...

in March 2020. His music has incorporated various genres such as

rock music Rock music is a broad genre of popular music that originated as "rock and roll" in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s, developing into a range of different styles in the mid-1960s and later, particularly in the United States and ...

pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop!, a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Albums * ''Pop'' (G ...

alternative rock Alternative rock (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s w ...

, and

metalcore Metalcore (also known as metallic hardcore) is a fusion music genre that combines elements of extreme metal and hardcore punk. As with other styles blending metal and hardcore, such as crust punk and grindcore, metalcore is noted for its use ...

, with praise given to his vocals and

falsetto ''Falsetto'' (, ; Italian diminutive of , "false") is the vocal register occupying the frequency range just above the modal voice register and overlapping with it by approximately one octave. It is produced by the vibration of the ligamentou ...

. In 2022, Ryder represented the at the

Eurovision Song Contest 2022 The Eurovision Song Contest 2022 was the 66th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Turin, Italy, following the country's victory at the with the song "" by Måneskin. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and ...

with the song "

Space Man "Space Man" is a song by the British singer and songwriter Sam Ryder, released as a single on 22 February 2022 through Parlophone Records. It represented the United Kingdom at the Eurovision Song Contest 2022 in Turin, Italy, after being in ...

" finishing first in the jury vote, and second overall with 466 points, becoming the highest-scoring UK Eurovision entry. In the same year he became the first UK act to win the Marcel Bezençon Press Award. His debut studio album, '' There's Nothing but Space, Man!'' (2022), was met with generally positive reviews, and debuted at number one on the

UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts ...

Early life

Sam Ryder was born on 25 June 1989, the youngest child of Keith Robinson, a

carpenter Carpentry is a skilled trade and a craft in which the primary work performed is the cutting, shaping and installation of building materials during the construction of buildings, ships, timber bridges, concrete formwork, etc. Carpenters tra ...

, and his wife, Geraldine (née Costelloe), a dental assistant from Hackney, London. He has two elder sisters, Katie and Natalie, born in

Newham The London Borough of Newham is a London borough created in 1965 by the London Government Act 1963. It covers an area previously administered by the Essex county boroughs of West Ham and East Ham, authorities that were both abolished by the ...

, east London three years and one year before him respectively. His one sister resides in

Sydney, Australia Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and List of cities in Oceania by population, Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metro ...

. Ryder was raised in

Chelmsford Chelmsford () is a city in the City of Chelmsford district in the county of Essex, England. It is the county town of Essex and one of three cities in the county, along with Southend-on-Sea and Colchester. It is located north-east of Lond ...

, Essex and attended St John Payne Catholic School in Chelmsford between 2000 and 2007. His first job was delivering papers for ''The Essex Chronicle'' as a child. 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 Sum 41 is a Canadian rock band from Ajax, Ontario. Originally called Kaspir, the band was formed in 1996 and currently consists of Deryck Whibley (lead vocals, guitars, keyboards), Dave Baksh (lead guitar, backing vocals), Jason "Cone" McC ...

live in concert aged 11. He is a big fan of Eurovision and has memories of watching the contest with his family while growing up in the Essex countryside. He also cites Finnish rock band

Lordi Lordi () is a Finnish hard rock/ heavy metal band, formed in 1992 by the band's lead singer, songwriter and costume maker, Mr Lordi (Tomi Petteri Putaansuu). In addition to their melodic metal music, Lordi are also known for wearing monster mask ...

, being the inspiration for him learning how to play the guitar after the rock band won the

Eurovision Song Contest 2006 The Eurovision Song Contest 2006 was the 51st edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Athens, Greece, following the country's victory at the with the song "My Number One" by Helena Paparizou. Organised by the European Broadcasti ...

Career

2006–2019: Career beginnings

Ryder made his debut as a singer and guitarist in the industry at age 16 when he co-founded the band The Morning After, with whom he released two studio albums. Following his time with them he spent some time touring for other bands including a three year stint with the Canadian rock band Blessed by a Broken Heart. He was later announced as their new lead vocalist and contributed to their album '' Feel the Power.'' After 'Blessed by a Broken Heart' split in 2013, Ryder began working as a frontman for the American band Close Your Eyes, later venturing into a

Hardcore punk Hardcore punk (also known as simply hardcore) is a punk rock music genre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots can be traced to earlier pu ...

sound. Ryder released one studio album with them called '' Line in the Sand'', and left in 2014. After his departure from the band, Ryder returned to the UK and spent time working in construction with his father, including helping to build the

Wembley Stadium Wembley Stadium (branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE for sponsorship reasons) is a football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Stadium, which was demolished from 200 ...

. He started to pursue a career as a solo artist and in 2016 recorded an album with producer Bryan Wilson in

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and t ...

, although it was never released. He later opened up a

vegan Veganism is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal product—particularly in diet—and an associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of animals. An individual who follows the diet or philosophy is known as a vegan. ...

café with his partner in

Coggeshall Coggeshall ( or ) is a small town in Essex, England, between Colchester and Braintree on the Roman road Stane Street and the River Blackwater. It has almost 300 listed buildings and a market whose charter was granted in 1256 by Henry III. ...

, England, before its closure in 2019. Following its closure, he spent time busking, and performing at weddings and clubs all over the south-east of England before joining

2020–present: TikTok, Eurovision and ''There's Nothing but Space, Man!''

Ryder rose to prominence through TikTok where, starting with the first lockdown during the

in March 2020, he began posting his music covers. He caught the attention of musicians such as

Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, pianist and composer. Commonly nicknamed the "Rocket Man" after his 1972 hit single of the same name, John has led a commercially successful career a ...

, Sia,

Justin Bieber Justin Drew Bieber ( ; born March 1, 1994) is a Canadian singer. Bieber is recognized for his genre-melding musicianship and has played an influential role in modern-day popular music. He was discovered by American record executive Scooter ...

and

Alicia Keys Alicia Augello Cook (born January 25, 1981), known professionally as Alicia Keys, is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. A classically trained pianist, Keys started composing songs when she was 12 and was signed at 15 years old by Colu ...

. By the end of the same year, he became the most-followed UK artist on the platform. He later signed a record contract with

Parlophone Parlophone Records Limited (also known as Parlophone Records and Parlophone) is a German–British record label founded in Germany in 1896 by the Carl Lindström Company as Parlophon. The British branch of the label was founded on 8 August 19 ...

. 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. Ryder wrote "

" during the pandemic, and in January 2022, the song was sent to TaP Music and the

BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...

. In the same month, he accepted their offer to represent the country in the contest. On 10 March 2022, he was announced as the for the

with "Space Man". Ryder toured Europe between March and May 2022 to promote his entry. In an interview for Sky News, he spoke about the injury he had sustained in

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), an ...

during his tour after crashing into a metal bar. On 12 May 2022, the BBC aired a documentary on BBC iPlayer and YouTube which detailed Ryder's journey to Eurovision. Ryder also won a Marcel Bezençon Press Award, becoming the first UK act to win a Bezençon Award. At the Eurovision final in

Turin Turin ( , Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. Th ...

, 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. After the contest, "Space Man" peaked at number two on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

, becoming the highest-charting UK Eurovision entry since

Gina G Gina G (born Gina Mary Gardiner, 3 August 1970) is an Australian singer who represented the United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest, United Kingdom at the Eurovision Song Contest in Eurovision Song Contest 1996, 1996, with the song "Ooh A ...

's " Ooh Aah... Just a Little Bit" in 1996. In June 2022, Ryder performed "Space Man" at the

Queen's Platinum Jubilee The Platinum Jubilee of Elizabeth II was the international celebration in 2022 marking the Platinum jubilee, 70th anniversary of the accession of Queen Elizabeth II on 6 February 1952, the first British monarch to ever celebrate one. In the Un ...

concert, Platinum Party at the Palace. In July 2022, he performed the British national anthem at the

British Grand Prix The British Grand Prix is a Grand Prix motor race organised in the United Kingdom by the Royal Automobile Club. First held in 1926, the British Grand Prix has been held annually since 1948 and has been a round of the FIA Formula One World C ...

Silverstone Silverstone is a village and civil parish in Northamptonshire, England. It is about from Towcester on the former A43 main road, from the M1 motorway junction 15A and about from the M40 motorway junction 10, Northampton, Milton Keynes and B ...

. On 19 August, he released his follow-up single, "Somebody", which reached number 77 on the UK Singles Chart. The music video for the song, released the same day, was shot in Šimanovci on the set of Serbian reality show '' Zadruga''. On 2 September 2022, Ryder released "Living Without You", a collaboration with

Sigala Bruce Fielder, known professionally as Sigala, is a British DJ and music producer. He has had eight songs peak within the top ten of the UK Singles Chart, including his 2015 debut single " Easy Love", which samples " ABC" by the Jackson 5. C ...

and

David Guetta Pierre David Guetta ( , ; born 7 November 1967) is a French DJ and music producer. He has over 10 million album and 65 million single sales globally, with more than 10 billion streams. In 2011, 2020 and 2021, Guetta was voted the number one D ...

. On 3 September, he performed

Queen Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...

's " Somebody to Love" alongside with Queen members

Brian May Brian Harold May (born 19 July 1947) is an English guitarist, singer, songwriter, and astrophysicist, who achieved worldwide fame as the lead guitarist of the rock band Queen. May was a co-founder of Queen with lead singer Freddie Mercury an ...

and Roger Taylor, at a tribute concert for

Taylor Hawkins Oliver Taylor Hawkins (February 17, 1972 – March 25, 2022) was an American musician, best known as the drummer of the rock band Foo Fighters, with whom he recorded eight studio albums between 1999 and 2021. Before joining the band in 1997, he ...

at London's

. On 26 September 2022, he performed tracks from his album live at Lafayette in London for National Album Day, in partnership with the charity War Child. On 13 October 2022, Ryder performed as one of the opening acts for the

National Television Awards The National Television Awards (often shortened to NTAs) is a British television awards ceremony, broadcast by the ITV network and initiated in 1995. The National Television Awards are the most prominent ceremony for which the results are vot ...

. On 9 December, his debut studio album '' There's Nothing but Space, Man!'' was released. The album debuted atop of the

, making Ryder the first British male solo artist to debut at number one with their first record in over three years, and the first solo artist to debut at number one with their first full-length release since

Olivia Rodrigo Olivia Isabel Rodrigo (born February 20, 2003) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. She gained recognition in the late 2010s with her lead roles on the Disney television programs '' Bizaardvark'' and '' High School Musical: The Musi ...

's ''

Sour The gustatory system or sense of taste is the sensory system that is partially responsible for the perception of taste (flavor). Taste is the perception produced or stimulated when a substance in the mouth reacts chemically with taste receptor ...

'' (2021). In the same month, Ryder also performed at the Royal Variety Show. On 22 November, he announced a special New Year’s Eve show, which aired on BBC One and iPlayer, titled ''Sam Ryder’s All Star New Year’s Eve,'' on 31 December 2022 and 1 January 2023. He was joined by guest musicians, including

Melanie C Melanie Jayne Chisholm (12 January 1974 - 25 December 2022), better known as Melanie C or Mel C, is an English singer-songwriter and media personality. She is best known as one of the five members of the Spice Girls, during which time she was ni ...

, Sigrid and

Justin Hawkins Justin David Hawkins (born 17 March 1975) is an English musician, singer, songwriter, and YouTube personality best known for being the founder, lead singer, and lead guitarist of The Darkness. He was influenced by rock bands of the 1970s and 1 ...

Personal life

Ryder started making music at age 13 and has spent most of his adult life touring, writing, and performing for other bands and once resided in

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only ...

. In 2018, he was involved in a surfing accident, which pushed him to wanting to put more effort into his music career. Ryder is a

and once owned a vegan café in

, England. He likes to surf the coast of Great Britain in his free time, meditate, travel, snowboard, drive around race tracks and skate. He is currently in a long-term relationship with his partner Lois Gaskin-Barber. He cites

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...

Freddie Mercury Freddie Mercury (born Farrokh Bulsara; 5 September 1946 – 24 November 1991) was a British singer and songwriter, who achieved worldwide fame as the lead vocalist of the rock band Queen. Regarded as one of the greatest singers in th ...

, and

as his music influences. Ryder believes in

aliens Alien primarily refers to: * Alien (law), a person in a country who is not a national of that country ** Enemy alien, the above in times of war * Extraterrestrial life, life which does not originate from Earth ** Specifically, intelligent extrat ...

, and once wanted to pursue a career as an

astronaut An astronaut (from the Ancient Greek (), meaning 'star', and (), meaning 'sailor') is a person trained, equipped, and deployed by a human spaceflight program to serve as a commander or crew member aboard a spacecraft. Although generally r ...

. He said that he once saw a UFO while in Hawaii as a child.

Discography

Studio albums

Extended plays

Singles

Promotional singles

Other charting songs

Other appearances

Filmography

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. Every time an act reaches number one they receive an award.

Notes

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ryder, Sam 1989 births Living people English male singers British TikTokers People from Maldon, Essex Musicians from Essex Eurovision Song Contest entrants for the United Kingdom Eurovision Song Contest entrants of 2022 Parlophone artists