Eurovision Song Contest runner-up Sam Ryder has offered his advice to Irish artists and songwriters who are hoping to follow their Euro dreams in Liverpool next May.
The 33-year-old Essex man came second to Ukraine's Kalush Orchestra’s in Turin with his song Spaceman earlier this year and he knows full well what it’s like to watch the best bit of Eurovision - that all-important scoreboard.
However, his advice is to ignore the countdown of doom and damn the nul or douze points and enjoy the ride.
Speaking to RTÉ Entertainment via Zoom from London, he says, "First of all, don’t worry about the scoreboard. I know that’s more easily said that done but I think I’m in a position to say it given the UK’s history in the contest with the scoring.
"Eurovision is bigger than the scoreboard but because we are human beings, that’s what we focus all our attention on. That scoreboard is watched by 200 million people but what about the months leading up to it?"
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He adds, "You’re doing promotion and you’re meeting all the artists, the songwriters, and the performers . . . that’s crucial time and almost way more important than that final time at the end. Only enter if you’re a big fan of the Eurovision because then it doesn’t matter what the scoreboard says.
"I’m a big fan of Formula 1, a massive fan of Mercedes and I went to watch the race at the Imola Grand Prix and Mercedes had the worse weekend ever, it was awful, but I still had a good time because I got to watch the race from the other side of the TV screen.
"I got to smell everything going on in the garages, the fuel, hear the engines been turned on and see the cars whizzing past. It didn’t matter about the result."
This is Sam Ryder all over. The man with the flaxen locks and the Tiggerish bounce is like a performer beamed in from a different era (a mid-seventies singing TV star to be exact). There’s a touch of Spinal Tap about him and his refreshing innocence is at odds with the wicked, wicked music industry.
It’s easy to see why he’s so upbeat. After years treading a noble path performing in pubs and clubs and singing in wedding bands, 2022 was the year Sam’s life changed.
As well as coming second at Eurovision, Spaceman became the UK’s highest charting Eurovision entry in 25 years, he performed on stage with his heroes Queen and, earlier this month, he released his debut album, There’s Nothing But Space, Man! It rocketed to No 1 in the UK charts.
"I hope to bring people along for the journey of all of the experiences and blessings that came my way and fell from the sky into my lap this year," he says.
"There are too many highlights to mention but the biggest were Eurovision and singing with Queen at Wembley Stadium for the first time they’d played there since the Freddie Mercury’s memorial concert with George Michael."
Sam is still processing it all. "To even be invited to cross the threshold to enjoy those moments, I think demands from the artist a redirection of the flow of energy," he says.
"I feel like I’ve been sat there, and blessings have come my way but the only thing you can do as an artist is to put music out there. I mean, I’m not going to release a range of shampoo."
With those luscious locks, he really should.
There’s Nothing But Space, Man! is a very solid pop, rock album bristling with future hits like Deep Blue Doubt and Whirlwind, which should really be his next single.
"We wanted to show what we could do. It would be a mistake to just think in terms of what will be played on radio and getting to No 1," Sam says.
"If you think back to the greats and some of my favourite artists like Megadeth and Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston . . . they were making music to bring the audience along and walk a little bit in their shoes and not make it about going to No 1.
"There were bangers on all those artists’ albums, of course there were, but banger and hit after hit on an album sounds great but that’s like eating McDonalds for a whole week rather than enjoying a nutritious home-cooked meal. I wanted this to push my boundaries as a singer."
Iron Maiden is his favourite band, but he says he wasn’t tempted to thrash out and get the spirit of Eddie going.
"I have known for a long time that I’m better off being a fan of that type of music rather than trying to make it myself," he says. "There are people out there who are so known for their style of music but if you sat down and spoke to them, you’d find out that they’re into music that extends far beyond what they do but they don’t necessarily make that kind of music.
"I’m a fan of saunas but I’m not going to start making saunas. Then again, maybe I’ll do a shampoo and sauna range." There’s that Spinal Tap influence again.
Liverpool, a city with a world-famous music pedigree, may be hosting next year’s Eurovision, but Sam is keen to emphasise that it will be very much Ukraine’s party.
"Absolutely. I think everyone is," he says. "I think there will be excitement in the air because it is exciting but we’re going to show up and throw the best party for Ukraine and celebrate on their behalf, their history, their arts and their culture."
Alan Corr @CorrAlan2
There’s Nothing But Space, Man! is out now. Sam Ryder plays 3Olympia, Dublin on 18 March 2023
