山姆·瑞德尔

Sam Ryder Robinson (born 25 June 1989) is an English singer, songwriter, producer, actor, composer and social media personality. 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, 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 United Kingdom 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. He became the first British act to win a Marcel Bezençon Award, and scored the UK its best result since 1998 and its first top three result since 2002. Space Man 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 followed by the release of his debut album, There's Nothing but Space, Man! (2022), which debuted atop of the UK Albums Chart. His second album, Heartland, was released on 17 October 2025.

In 2023 he was nominated for Best New Artist at the Brit Awards, becoming the first Eurovision act to be nominated in this category. 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 an MTV Video Music Award.

Early life

Sam Ryder Robinson was born on 25 June 1989 in Maldon, Essex, the youngest child of Keith Robinson, a carpenter, and his wife, Geraldine (née Costelloe), a dental assistant from Hackney, London. He has two sisters. 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. 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.

Career

2006–2019: Beginnings

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; You Can't Hurt Steel (2009) and Legacy (2011). Both albums were released under independent label Rising Records. During the Legacy era, manager Josh Keating (aka JK Mizu) challenged Rising Records founder Mark Daghorn over the band's lack of royalty payments. Shortly after, Daghorn abrubtly closed Rising Records and fled to Barbados leaving The Morning After and many other bands in the dark.