The real secret of Sam Ryder's Eurovision success? Busking

Politics – and TikTok – both played a part, but the UK entrant would never have finished second if he hadn't first hit Europe's pavements

As the last of the confetti and glitter is swept up off the floor of Turin’s Pala Alpitour arena, it is worth reflecting on what an astonishing turnaround Eurovision 2022 represents for the United Kingdom. Sam Ryder’s second place – ceding the top slot only after the public vote for Ukraine had been counted – is the UK’s best performance since Nottingham-born singer Imaani Saleem lost out by a mere 6 points to Israeli winner Dana International in 1998. By the halfway point of the jury voting on Saturday night, Ryder had already amassed more points than the combined final tally of the UK’s entrants from the past four Eurovisions. In the past eighteen years, the UK had only finished in the top ten once; last year, James Newman failed to win a single point.

So just how did Ryder do it? In part, as ever with Eurovision, politics will have played its part. The Ukraine jury gave Ryder the full douze points – Boris Johnson must have been punching the air – and, more surprising, so too did France. Both felt like proof that the UK has finally shrugged off its long-held role as the pariah of the singing contest.

But, arguably a greater factor in Ryder’s success was the means by which he was selected. This year, for the first time, Ben Mawson and Ed Millett from Tap Music – the management company behind Lana Del Rey and Ellie Goulding – were enlisted to help choose the UK’s entry. These two have finely-tuned musical antennae. By the time they found Ryder, his home-recorded cover versions of songs by Britney Spears, Adele and Michael Jackson had already made him the UK’s most popular artist on TikTok. The elastic vocals and charismatic performing style that he demonstrates on the video-sharing platform – not to mention his 12 million followers – feel like a neat fit for Eurovision, and he was duly picked.

The other secret of Ryder’s success is more old-school. The Essex-born singer spent the weeks in the run up to Saturday’s show hitting the pavements of European cities such as Berlin, Madrid and Amsterdam in a series of what he called “street sessions”. He worked his socks off, literally busking his way into people’s hearts. While some previous UK entrants have come across as a snobby bunch – trying to maintain an ironic distance from what is, after all, a cheesy singing competition – Ryder never, ever patronised Eurovision fans. He was likeable and professional throughout.

Then there’s the song. Space Man was co-written with Grammy-winning songwriter Amy Wadge, a collaborator of Ed Sheeran. From the very first time you hear it, it sounds like a hit.

If the UK is to ensure that Ryder isn’t an anomaly: next year’s entrant must show the seriousness of mission that Ryder brought to Eurovision this year. “This is the tip of an iceberg,” he told the BBC. “The UK is going to be a force next year.” Let’s hope so.