Sam Ryder

Sam Ryder Robinson (born 25 June 1989) is an English singer, songwriter, producer, composer and social media personality.

Sam Ryder Robinson was born on 25 June 1989 in Maldon, Essex, the youngest child of Keith Robinson, a carpenter, and his wife, Geraldine, a dental assistant from Hackney, London.

He has two elder sisters, Katie Joan and Natalie Ann, both born in Newham, east London, three years and one year before him respectively.

As of 2022, one of his sisters was resident in Sydney, Australia.

Ryder was raised in Chelmsford, Essex and attended the local St John Payne Catholic School.

His first job was delivering papers for The Essex Chronicle as a child.

Ryder was inspired to pursue a career in music after seeing the Canadian rock band Sum 41 in concert when he was 11.

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 preceded 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.

He became the first British act to win a Marcel Bezençon Award, and scored the UK their best result since 1998 and its first top three since 2002.

He won the jury vote and scored the UK its best result since 1998 and its first top three since 2002.

Ryder is a "big fan" of Eurovision and cites Finnish rock band Lordi as being the inspiration for him learning how to play guitar, after the rock band won the Eurovision Song Contest 2006.

Ryder made his debut as a singer and guitarist at age 16 when he co-founded the band The Morning After, with whom he released two studio albums.

Following The Morning After split he joined as a guitarist and new lead vocalist for the Canadian Rock band Blessed by a Broken Heart and contributed to their album Feel the Power. He parted ways with the band in 2013, and auditioned to become the new lead vocalist for the American Rock band Close Your Eyes, and contributed to their album Line in the Sand and left in 2014.

After his departure from Close Your Eyes, Ryder returned to Britain and spent time working in construction with his father, including helping to build the Wembley Stadium.

In 2016, Ryder recorded an album with producer Bryan Wilson in Nashville, Tennessee, although it was never released.

He later opened up a vegan café with his partner in Coggeshall, England, before its closure in 2019.

He was a wedding singer in the south-east of England until the COVID-19 pandemic.

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 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.

Ryder rose to prominence through TikTok where, starting with the first lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, he began posting his music covers.

He caught the attention of musicians such as Elton John, Sia, Justin Bieber and Alicia Keys.

By the end of the same year, he was named the most- followed UK artist on the platform.

He later signed a record contract with Parlophone.

In 2021, he released his debut EP, The Sun's Gonna Rise, which has accumulated over 100 million global streams.

It was followed up with a sold-out tour.

Ryder wrote "Space Man" during the pandemic, and in January 2022, the song was sent to TaP Music and the BBC.

In the same month, he accepted their offer to represent the country in the contest.

On 10 March 2022, he was announced as the for the Eurovision Song Contest 2022 with "Space Man".

Ryder toured Europe between March and May 2022 to promote his entry.

In an interview for Sky News, he spoke about the injury he had sustained in Madrid during his tour after crashing into a metal bar.

On 12 May 2022, the BBC aired a documentary on BBC iPlayer and YouTube which detailed Ryder's journey to Eurovision.

At the Eurovision final in Turin, Italy, he finished in second place with 466 points, becoming the highest-scoring UK Eurovision entrant.