TikTok star Sam Ryder has been confirmed to represent the UK at this year’s Eurovision Song Contest.
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Ryder will be entering with his track ‘Space Man’, which you can hear below.
“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,” said Ryder following the announcement.
“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!”
Ryder found viral acclaim after he started posting covers and at-home karaoke tracks at the beginning of lockdown in March 2020. By the end of the year, he was crowned TikTok’s most popular artist account.
With 7.7million followers and a range of famous fans including Justin Bieber and Alicia Keys, Ryder recently performed for an NME Home Sessions performance.
It was announced last year that TaP Music – the global music publishing and management company behind the likes of Dua Lipa and Lana Del Rey – will collaborate with the BBC to choose a track and artist to represent the UK at the Song Contest.
BBCEurovision to mission control…
@SamRyderMusic will represent the UK at #Eurovision 2022
https://t.co/BzUOOCNQ0v @bbcr1 | @bbcradio2 | @bbcsounds pic.twitter.com/85jwzKxX1n
— BBC Eurovision
TaP Music co-founder Ben Mawson said: “The search has taken many months and has presented us with lots of dilemmas and difficult decision making as to which direction to go in for our act. We had incredible interest from across the music industry, from unsigned talent through to established artists with number 1 albums, however we settled on Sam because of his combination of extraordinary vocals and a wonderful song that references so many classic British musical influences.”
TaP have also announced their plans to donate their entire consultancy fee to MOAS, the humanitarian charity designed to bring medical relief and first response services to those impacted by escalating violence and war – with a current focus across Ukraine.
As part of the #MOAS emergency relief fund for #Ukraine, we are deploying medics and mobile medical units to the field. Your donation can help the #MOASMissionUkraine and save lives. https://t.co/VngpvNIFZA pic.twitter.com/XnTc3xcuM1
— MOAS (@moas_eu) March 9, 2022
Meanwhile, Russia was recently banned from competing in this year’s Eurovision following backlash to an earlier statement from organisers saying the country would be allowed to compete despite launching a military assault on Ukraine.
Ukraine officially severed diplomatic ties with Russia, and declared martial law, after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered an attack on the neighbouring nation last month.
Ukraine’s entrant, Alina Pash, will also no longer represent her home country at this year’s event, the competition also recently announced.
Among those vying to compete are Iceland’s Daughters of Reykjavík and Scandinavian neighbours The Rasmus.
Eurovision 2022 will take place at the PalaOlimpico in Turin, Italy, with the Grand Final set for May 14. Last year’s Eurovision was won by the Italian band Måneskin.
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