If you followed Eurovision in the spring, you have undoubtedly seen Sam Ryder, in his black and silver jumpsuit, fly to second place in the final ranking for the United Kingdom with space man. Or maybe you saw him during the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee broadcasts live from Buckingham Palace in June, where he performed a re-orchestrated version of his song. Or it was while watching the Silverstone Grand Prix in July that you met him: he sang the God Save The Queen at the start of the competition. Or you are one of the 14 million subscribers of his TikTok account where he broke through during the first confinement, two years ago, by posting excellent covers… Another possibility, you did not know until then of the existence of this 33-year-old hairy blond, with an unremovable smile, and, in this case, the release of his first album, There’s Nothing but Space, Man!this Friday, is a perfect opportunity to discover the extent of his talent. 20 minutes spoke with this endearing artist.
How would you describe, on a personal level, the past few months?
They were rather intense (he bursts out laughing). The whole year has been a chain of unexpected opportunities. It has been a blessing, a magnificent year shared with fabulous people.
Singing at the Queen’s Jubilee, as an artist and as a Brit, must be something…
It was obviously the greatest honor to be invited to sing for such an important occasion. See, in the crowd, people of all ages, from all walks of life, brandishingUnion Jack [le drapeau britannique] celebrating the country’s diversity gave me a sense of real unity. To witness a moment of union like that, especially in a world where so much is falling apart, was astounding.
In July, you sang the British anthem at the Silverstone Grand Prix… You said to yourself that, that’s it, your life had completely changed?
Yes, complement. All these moments followed one another, when one ended, another was offered to me… It was also a lesson in learning to keep your feet on the ground because this kind of thing cannot last forever. We live them to the fullest, but we keep in mind that they should not be taken as validations. You have to savor them as an experience to live and deliver your best work in the hope that it leads to a successful career.
How do you view your young years as a musician today. In 2006, at 17, you were part of the group The Morning After that you had co-created…
Yes, The Morning After was my main band. At the time, I heard a lot of horrible songs (laughs), but I also learned a lot, especially about what music meant to me then. I was trying to follow a path marked out by other people telling their stories. Today, with the career I’m trying to forge, I want to follow my own path and savor the joy that music gives me. I want to connect with people and indulge myself with an open heart. I’m no longer interested in coolness.
In the 2010s, when you went to work on construction sites with your father, then when you opened a vegan fruit juice bar with your partner, did you tell yourself that your dream of a career in music was unattainable?
I never thought so. But I thought I was farther from it than I really was. All of this taught me another lesson: you never know when you’re getting close to achieving a goal. Everything can change overnight. I wouldn’t say that I was successful overnight but rather that there was a sudden change. For about ten years, I played music only for me or almost, it’s a long time, especially when you have to keep the hope and the flame. But I never gave up. I hung on because I knew that eventually, whether I got famous or not, I would do music because that’s what gave me pleasure.
During this period, you were regularly hired to sing at weddings. Is it a good school? If we manage to put the guests of a wedding in the pocket, then we can seduce any audience?
Sometimes it’s not possible to onboard the assistance of a wedding because, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing, no one cares about you. You’re just there to provide a musical atmosphere, people didn’t come to see a band but their family members. The school of wedding balls taught me not to look for validation in the applause after singing a song because most of the time there won’t be any, people hardly know. notice that you have finished a piece. So you try to have fun impressing yourself. That is to say, you sing to make yourself feel good and then say to yourself: “Great, you smashed everything, you did a good job. That’s what you have to do because the validation, in the end, is the music that gives it to you. When you’re young, you do things thinking about people’s reaction. We want them to tell us: “That was fantastic, the best song I’ve ever heard”. But if you don’t need that, you have a superpower: you can follow your heart and go your own way.
You were talking earlier about a sudden change in your career. It was two years ago, when you created your account on TikTok…
This dramatic period led me to an opportunity that many have not had. I’m lucky to live in a house with a shed in the garden while most of my friends who sang in their apartments all day ended up getting on the nerves of their neighbors. I was confined, all weddings were canceled and I had to find something to continue. So I would sing in a corner of my shed and post my videos on TikTok. I took a different path, tried something new rather than doing the same things over and over again that so many others have done. Once I stepped out of my own shadow, the planets aligned and this is where I am today.
It was partly thanks to your success on TikTok that you found yourself representing the UK at Eurovision in May. Your second place put an end to a series of disastrous results from your compatriots… Do you feel that you have reconciled your country with the competition?
With the whole team that surrounded me on the project, we fully committed to Eurovision to deliver the best performance, without worrying about the final ranking. Finishing second was a bonus. This was unexpected, as not everything was within our control. What we had control over was our attitude during the whole process. I don’t know if I reconciled the British with Eurovision, I’m not in their heads. But I never subscribed to the idea that we Brits were unloved in Europe. My experience has shown me that this is indeed not the case.
So the poor results of the past years had nothing to do with Brexit?
We too quickly blame the political context when things do not go as we would like. Being negative by saying, “We’re always last because we’re not liked” is a common reaction. In England, we do the same thing with the weather when the weather is not so bad (laughs). We continue, every day, to repeat to ourselves that it rains all the time, and we end up being convinced of it.
Eurovision 2023 will be held in Liverpool. Will you be involved in the organization or in the show?
I don’t know, I can’t confirm or deny anything, but I would like to be there. I would love to see the show.
How are you feeling as your first solo album is about to be released?
I do not feel pressure but deep gratitude. Releasing an album means that I generate enough interest for it to allow me. Ten or fifteen years ago, not many people would have bought it (laughs). I never take anything for granted.
What would you like to inspire, through your songs, to the people who will listen to them?
I would like people to listen to the album thinking that there is always a way to find faith and hope. All projects do not necessarily materialize, but this is not what should define the joy, the reason for being, the legitimacy or the fulfillment of a person. I have experienced it. Before everything that happened to me began, I had, for years, experienced happiness and accomplishments. Validation and legitimacy are not found in notoriety or being asked for selfies on the street. This is not the source of happiness.