Sam Ryder has revealed how a surfing accident made him re-evaluate his life.
The ‘Space Man’ singer was the runner-up for the United Kingdom at the Eurovision Song Contest this year but explained that he only committed to music after almost being drowning in Hawaii.
Sam told the BBC: “I was surfing in Hawaii and my board snapped. Then I got hit by a wave and I very nearly drowned.
“It pushed me down so far into the water. And the turbulence of the water, the power, is incredible. Fighting against it, you feel like you’ve been hit by a bus.”
The 33-year-old singer revealed that the accident gave him more clarity about his life as he went on to rise to prominence on TikTok during the coronavirus lockdown.
Sam said: “Obviously, the golden rule is surfing is ‘never underestimate the sea’, but until it goes wrong, you can’t fathom it. You’re like, ‘I am insignificant in this body of water.’
“But that day was important to me because I wanted to be very good at surfing and ride the big waves – but (the accident) put me back on my true purpose.
“I was like, ‘You can’t do the thing you love most, which is music and singing, if you’re at the bottom of the sea.'”
Ryder’s debut album ‘There’s Nothing but Space, Man!’ has been released and he said hope is a key theme of the album after his extraordinary year.
He said: “I wanted to focus on the tenets of hope and faith and how to retain those things.
“I’ve been making music since I was 13 years old, and it always foot on the gas, full belief, full faith – even though I was absolutely bombarded with failure.
“You start asking yourself, ‘What’s gonna happen? Maybe I’m finished?’ All these stupid thoughts that I know we all have.
“But now sitting here, looking back, I’m thinking, ‘Wow, you should have been so excited.’ I had no idea what was around the corner. And therein lies the lesson, I suppose. To remain hopeful over a long period of time.”