Sam Ryder (Space Man)

Sam Ryder Robinson (born 25 June 1989) is an English singer, songwriter, producer, composer and social media personality. He rose to prominence in 2020, after posting music covers on TikTok, during the first UK lockdown of the COVID-19 pandemic and signed to Parlophone Records before parting ways with them in 2023. His music has since incorporated various genres including rock music, pop, alternative rock, and metalcore, while his vocal range, and use of vibrato and falsetto, has garnered critical acclaim. Ryder's breakthrough came after he represented the United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest 2022 with "Space Man". He became the highest scoring UK entrant with 466 points, won the jury vote and came in second place in the contest. He became the first British act to win a Marcel Bezençon Award, and scored the UK its best result since 1998 and its first top three result since 2002. It peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart, becoming the highest-charting UK Eurovision entry since 1996. His participation has been credited for helping to change how the British public and press view the contest. It was followed by the release of his debut album There's Nothing but Space, Man! (2022), which debuted atop of the UK Albums Chart. In 2023, he was nominated for Best New Artist at the Brit Awards, becoming the first Eurovision act to be nominated in this category. As part of his career, he has released a string of singles including the Emmy nominated song "Fought & Lost," featuring Brian May, "Mountain" and "You're Christmas to Me" which also peaked at number two in the UK. His other accolades include five TikTok awards, a Big Top 40 award, and a Hollywood Music in Media Award. He has been nominated for a Los 40 Music Award, Global Award, Edinburgh International Television Festival and a MTV Video Music Award.