Sam Ryder calls for more “diverse” UK act for Eurovision 2023
Sam Ryder has suggested that a more “diverse” act should represent the UK at next year’s Eurovision.
The singer placed second at this year’s contest in Turin, Italy, with his song ‘Space Man’, finishing just behind Ukraine’s Kalush Orchestra in the UK’s best Eurovision showing since 1998.
Now, Ryder has weighed in on the direction producers should go in when it comes to choosing an act for next year, suggesting the answer is to look for artists from more diverse genres and backgrounds.
“The UK has such a diverse plethora of talent and all I can hope is that what happened this year has encouraged more people from those diverse genres of and backgrounds to think ‘Eurovision isn’t a career killer’,” Ryder told The Sun [via MusicNews.com] “I would love it to be a fan of Eurovision and its history.”
Next year’s Eurovision Song Contest is set to take place in Liverpool’s M&S Bank Arena. The UK was asked to host the contest on Ukraine’s behalf due to the country’s ongoing war with Russia.
Ryder recently spoke to NME’s Big Read about his story so far, in which he discussed his background playing in various rock bands, which included a stint as the frontman of Texan hardcore punk band Close Your Eyes.
“I heard they needed a singer so I sent them a clip of me singing,” he said. “In that scene, there are so many singers who are really great at screaming – you know, the hardcore punk vocals. I wasn’t necessarily great at that, but I was good at clean singing.”
Ryder will be performing a special New Year’s Eve concert on the BBC tomorrow (December 31) where he is is set to perform “classic tunes and a number of special duets” following the broadcast of London’s first New Year’s Eve fireworks since 2019.
The post Sam Ryder calls for more “diverse” UK act for Eurovision 2023 appeared first on NME.
Emma Wilkes
NME
