Sam Ryder reacts to his song being 'too good' for Eurovision
The Eurovision final takes place on Saturday 14th May
Last updated 16th May 2022
As Eurovision fever is mounting in the run up to the competition's final on Saturday 14th May, we caught up with the UK's entrant Sam Ryder.
Sam rose to fame through TikTok when he set up an account in lockdown, in March 2020. He quickly picked up thousands of followers as he performed covers of well-known tracks by artists such as N-Trance, Sia, Adele, The Weeknd, Rihanna, Sam Smith, Bruno Mars and Lewis Capaldi.
Now, Hits Radio Breakfast's Fleur East and the team caught up with Sam Ryder ahead of his Eurovision debut, and he revealed how it felt to be under the spotlight. Lorraine Kelly recently described Sam's song 'Space Man' as "too good" for Eurovision, so they just had to ask him what how he felt about that description.
"I just love Lorraine, I think she's amazing!" Sam told us. "I haven't met her yet, but my favourite thing is like, I follow her on Instagram and her outfits, like just before she goes on the show, it's just so wicked!
"I don't know why and it probably sounds so weird, there's no way we're ever going to meet now, I reckon, but you're a legend, you can say whatever you want about the song."
It's been a massive 24 years since the UK last hosted the annual singing competition, so we wanted to know if Sam felt any pressure to bring the competition back to the UK, to which he replied "I'm not feeling the pressure honestly!".
He went on to say: "I feel just focussed, incredibly grateful and lucky to even be in the position."
Sam will take to the stage in Turin, Italy, to perform his song 'Space Man'.
Good luck on Sam! 🤞
How can I listen back to the interview with Sam Ryder?
Sam Ryder joined Hits Radio Breakfast's Fleur East. You can listen again to the interview with Sam Ryder on the Hits Radio website.
Guess the countries from the iconic Eurovision performances below:
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Check your answers...
1) UK - Bucks Fizz: 'Making Your Mind Up' (1981)
2) FINLAND - Lordi: 'Hard Rock Hallelujah' (2006)
3) SWEDEN - Loreen: 'Euphoria' (2012)
4) UK - Scooch: 'Flying The Flag' (2007)
5) SWITZERLAND - Celine Dion: 'Ne Partez Pas Sans Moi' (1988)
6) NORWAY - Alexander Rybak: 'Fairytale' (2009)
7) SWEDEN - ABBA: 'Waterloo' (1974)
8) IRELAND - Jedward: 'Lipstick' (2011)
9) UK - Brotherhood Of Man: 'Save Your Kisses For Me' (1976)
10) UKRAINE - Verka Serduchka: 'Dancing Lasha Tumbai' (2007)
11) UK - Katrina and the Waves: 'Love Shine A Light' (1997)
12) AUSTRIA - Conchita Wurst: 'Rise Like a Phoenix' (2014)
13) RUSSIA - Buranovskiye Babushki: 'Party For Everybody' (2012)
14) UK - Blue: 'I Can' (2011)
15) ISRAEL - Netta: 'Toy' (2018)
16) IRELAND - Ryan O'Shaughnessy: 'Together' (2018)
17) UK - Sam Ryder: 'Space Man' (2022)
Now read:
Who is Sam Ryder? Everything you need to know about the UK's Eurovision entry
12 facts you probably didn’t know about the Eurovision Song Contest
UK Eurovision contestants: Where are they now?