Sam Ryder has called for a more “diverse” act to represent the UK at Eurovision in 2023.
The 33-year-old singer shot to fame on TikTok in lockdown and ended up representing the UK during the annual singing contest with his song ‘Space Man’ – during which he placed second behind Ukraine’s Kalush Orchestra with their song ‘Stefania’ – but has insisted that it is time for an artist of more diverse background to step into the spotlight.
He told The Sun newspaper’s Bizarre column: “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 o think ‘Eurovision isn’t a career killer’. I would love it to be a fan of Eurovision and its history. “
The ‘Tiny Riot’ hitmaker worked in the construction business with his dad after initially giving up on his dreams of becoming a singing before launching a vegan café with his girlfriend and taking on work as a
wedding singer.
Sam eventually returned to the music business after building up a large
following on TikTok with his singing.
It led to him signing a deal with Parlophone and being scouted as a potential entry for the UK at the Eurovision Song Contest this year.
He said of his decision to take part in Eurovision – which is due to take place in Liverpool in 2023 because of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine – : “The more I thought about it, the more I realised I was at the perfect point in my journey to throw all my chips on the table … I had to go for it”.