Stefania D’Alessandro via Getty Images
Eurovision 2022 – finally right for the UK? This Saturday, May 14, the final of the 66th edition of Eurovision will be held in Turin, Italy. If Ukraine is declared as the great favorites of the competition, the British can manage to pull out of the game for once.
They, who finished last in the last two editions (with 0 points last year), are presenting themselves this time with a candidate that might not be unknown to you, Sam Ryder. With his 12.4 million subscribers, the Englishman is a real star on TikTok, a platform he joined, like many artists, two years ago during his first imprisonment. The symbol of a flash success and a trajectory for the 32-year-old singer, who will be performing the title spaceman Saturday.
Passionate about music from an early age, Sam Ryder began his career in 2009 with the group he co-founded, the morning after, After working with various artists for several years, he decided to follow his own path, without succeeding in making his mark in 2016. It was in 2020 that the singer, especially seen by Alicia Keys for her cover on TikTok, exploded in the eyes of the world.
“An extraordinary voice and a wonderful song”
The box is such that the Maldon native becomes the most followed British artist on stage in a matter of months. A feat that allowed her to sign with the Parlophone label, but also with TAP Music Agency (of Lana Del Rey and Ellie Goulding). In 2021, the singer released several hit singles: set you free, tornado, tiny riot, july, Moretherefore spacemanWhich currently has about 5 million plays on Spotify.
A growing popularity that does not escape the BBC in charge of Eurovision across the channel. The British channel, which collaborated with TAP Music for this version, after “long months of research”, decided to make it representative of the United Kingdom. “We chose Sam for his exceptional voice and his wonderful lyrics, which reference so many British musical influences,” Ben Mawson, co-founder of the management agency, told the BBC.
“I look forward to making my country proud,” said the singer, delighted to be able to perform his song co-written with Grammy Award-winning songwriters Amy Wedge and Max Wolfgang.
calm mind
Remind that after the bitter failure of the British in 2019, candidates are no longer chosen in the same way. Exit the public vote, the selection, is now done internally, under the supervision of the audiovisual group. And if last year James Newman didn’t (exactly) bear fruit, observers place a lot of hope in Sam Ryder this time around. And with good reason because it is expected to be in the top 5 by bookmakers.
Not enough to shake the person concerned: “I don’t put any pressure on my shoulders. I just want to enjoy all the good times,” he recently gave Eurovision World,
While awaiting the Eurovision final, their first performance on the stage of the Pala Olimpico in Turin will be unveiled during the second semi-final this Thursday, 12 May. The United Kingdom, like four of its counterparts, automatically qualified for the big evening on Saturdays every year – with France, Italy, Spain and Germany being the biggest financial contributors to the competition.
Will Sam Ryder be able to save the honor of the British with his beautiful hatching? These, who haven’t won since 1997 (with Katrina and the Waves) and whose last Top 5 dates are 2009, can believe it in any case.
See also huffpost, Who is the Kalyush Orchestra, the group representing Ukraine at Eurovision 2022?