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Liam O'Dell
Mar 10, 2022
Related video: James Newman represents the UK at Eurovision 2021
Eurovision Song Contest/BBC/Independent TV
The artist representing the UK at this year’s Eurovision Song Contest in Turin, Italy has been announced as Sam Ryder, a TikToker with more than 12 million followers on the platform.
Ryder - who found fame on the social media site after sharing covers of tracks by the likes of Sia, Hozier and Paramore – will perform his new track “Space Man” in the competition.
The song was co-written by Amy Wadge, who’s behind Ed Sheeran’s smash hit “Thinking Out Loud”.
Ryder said of the announcement: “Having been a fan of Eurovision since I was a kid, I am so honoured to have been presented with the opportunity to sing at an event alongside some of Europe’s most talented creatives, performers and songwriters.
“I hope to sing my head off in a way the UK can be proud of, and to showcase a song I wrote with my friends last summer makes the whole experience even more special. See you in Turin legends!”
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This year’s performer was unveiled on BBC Radio 1 on Thursday morning, during Greg James’ breakfast show.
Since then, the public have been sharing their thoughts, and it seems like the majority are behind Ryder and his vocals:
I am so pleased with this! I think this was the perfect direction for us to take given last year that I can\u2019t even sum up all my positivity in a tweet! Good luck Sam! #Eurovision— Vithun \ud83c\uddec\ud83c\udde7\ud83c\uddf1\ud83c\uddf0 (@Vithun \ud83c\uddec\ud83c\udde7\ud83c\uddf1\ud83c\uddf0) 1646904322
Love it! Brilliantly impassioned messaging from @scott_mills this morning - I do hope the UK gets behind Sam— Joanna Hayes (@Joanna Hayes) 1646904569
Good luck Sam!— Alfie Green (@Alfie Green) 1646904640
Let\u2019s go Sam! Beautiful song, incredible voice. Can\u2019t wait to see you on that stage!— Zoe London (@Zoe London) 1646905625
Whoever selected him, you're a genius!\n12 pts from Montenegro— Arvin R. Atienza (@Arvin R. Atienza) 1646904491
Good song. Continuing our improved efforts over last few years. Well produced, very strong vocals. If we keep sending songs of better quality we will start to get noticed. Who knows how it will score but at least we are entering something interesting and decent #eurovisionuk— mwrgeography (@mwrgeography) 1646907981
He's great but he won't make Europe hate us any less— OtteryKhaleesi (@OtteryKhaleesi) 1646904153
Top 3 finish send tweethttps://twitter.com/bbceurovision/status/1501850179011497987\u00a0\u2026— Liam Jackson \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6 (@Liam Jackson \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6) 1646908102
A shame we can't vote for ourselves, bc this guy would get all of Hackney Wick's voteshttps://twitter.com/bbceurovision/status/1501850179011497987\u00a0\u2026— Tufayel Ahmed \ud83d\udcda pre-order #ThisWayOut, out July 1 (@Tufayel Ahmed \ud83d\udcda pre-order #ThisWayOut, out July 1) 1646906280
think a lot depends on staging for how this does, but honestly having an actual seasoned performer with a good voice for once rather than someone from behind the scenes who never quite made it feels like it should make a lot of differencehttps://twitter.com/bbceurovision/status/1501850179011497987\u00a0\u2026— tyron (@tyron) 1646906205
Good luck @SamRyderMusic this is a great entry!https://twitter.com/bbceurovision/status/1501850179011497987\u00a0\u2026— Erron Gordon (@Erron Gordon) 1646905718
Just watched it on Facebook, totally our best song in years. Love it! And what an incredible singer Sam is too— Natalie Phillips (@Natalie Phillips) 1646905318
Jury top 5 probably— \u0110or\u0111e (@\u0110or\u0111e) 1646903983
This year’s Eurovision Song Contest gets underway with the semi-finals on 10 and 12 May, before the grand final on BBC One on Saturday 14 May, from 8pm.
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