Space Man

"Space Man" (stylised in all caps) is a 2022 single by British singer-songwriter and TikTok star Sam Ryder, who is scheduled to represent the United Kingdom at the Eurovision Song Contest 2022 in Turin, Italy. In January 2022, he was internally selected through TaP Music and the BBC, the British broadcaster for the Eurovision Song Contest.[1]

This article is about the 2022 single by Sam Ryder. For other uses, see Spaceman.

"Space Man"
Single by Sam Ryder
LanguageEnglish
Released22 February 2022
Length
  • 3:37 (original version)
  • 3:00 (ESC version)
LabelParlophone
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Koz
Music video
"Space Man" on YouTube
Eurovision Song Contest 2022 entry
Country
Artist(s)
Composer(s)
Lyricist(s)
  • Sam Ryder
  • Amy Wadge
  • Max Wolfgang
Entry chronology
◄ "Embers" (2021)

During an interview for the Nikolaos Tsitiridis Show in Bulgaria, Ryder stated that he co-wrote "Space Man" alongside with Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Amy Wadge and Max Wolfgang during the COVID-19 pandemic. He described the song as uplifting with comparisons being made to Elton John. After it was confirmed as the UK entry, "Space Man" became one of the favourites to win the contest.[2] It was met with positive reviews from critics, with praise being drawn towards Ryder's vocal performance.

Release

The song was released on 22 February 2022 on all major streaming platforms.[3] As of April 2022, it has received over 4 million streams on Spotify and over 2 million views on YouTube.[4] On April 27, 2022 "Space Man" was featured on a episode of the British soap opera Eastenders.

Live performances

Ryder debut performance of the song was on BBC's The One Show, the same day that he was announced as the UK entrant for Eurovision 2022.[5] He has also performed the song on the Nikolaos Tsitiridis Show in Bulgaria while recording the UK 'live-on-tape' backup performance for Eurovision.[6] Ryder embarked on a continental tour and gave televised performances of "Space Man" in the Netherlands and Serbia.[7]

Ryder gave televised interviews on This Morning and Good Morning Britain. He also performed the track across Europe between March and April 2022 at Eurovision pre-parties and radio shows. On 22 April 2022, he performed "Space Man" at the York Hall for the Eurovision House Party.[8]

Eurovision Song Contest
Main article: United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest 2022

Selection

On 21 October 2021, the day after the official list of participants in Eurovision 2022 was released, the BBC announced its plans for the British national selection, opting for an internal process no longer in collaboration with record label BMG, but with TaP Music instead. The management company's leading artists include Dua Lipa, Ellie Goulding and Lana Del Rey. Kate Phillips (BBC commissioning editor) stated that the new collaboration "will enable the BBC to tap into some great music talent" and that the broadcaster has "big ambitions for the 2022 contest".[9] On 25 January 2022, TaP revealed that they had started shortlisting potential acts for the contest – with both established, emerging and brand new artists having approached them for the Eurovision project – and that they had worked with BBC Radio 1 and Scott Mills in order to choose the British representative.[10]

Sam Ryder was announced as the chosen entrant with the song "Space Man" on 10 March 2022.[11][12] The entry was revealed by Scott Mills on BBC Radio 1's breakfast show with Greg James, with "Space Man" having previously featured as 'Tune of the Week' on Mills' afternoon show on Radio 1.[13] It was later announced that Tap Music would be donating their consultancy fees to the Migrant Offshore Aid Station, to support those affected by Russia invasion of Ukraine.[14]

At Eurovision

The Eurovision Song Contest 2022 will take place at PalaOlimpico in Turin, Italy, and will consist of two semi-finals held on 10 and 12 May, and the grand final on 14 May 2022. As the United Kingdom is a member of the "Big Five", their entry directly qualifies for the final, along with France, Germany, Spain, and Italy (also the host country in 2022).[15] In addition to their participation in the final, the United Kingdom is also required to broadcast and vote in one of the two semi-finals. This was decided via a draw held during the semi-final allocation draw on 25 January 2022, when it was announced that the United Kingdom will be voting in the second semi-final.[16]

Critical reception

The Evening Standard described the song as "a solidly written pop song; whether it'll win over our European cousins remains to be seen."[17]

James Hall in The Daily Telegraph stated "Ryder represents our greatest hope of rising from the Eurovision ashes for years. [...] Not only can he sing, but he can perform too thanks to his time on the metal circuit and in Nashville. He has charisma. [...] Picking him is a clever move."[18]

Cover versions

Commercial reception

"Space Man" peaked at number 13 on the UK Official Singles Sales Chart Top 100 and at number 11 on the UK Official Singles Downloads Chart Top 100[20] on 18 March 2022.[21] On 20 March "Space Man" peaked at number 28 on The Official Vodafone Top 40.[22]

Charts

Weekly charts
Weekly chart performance for "Space Man"
Chart (2022) Peak
position
UK Download (OCC)[23] 11
UK Sales (OCC) 13

References
  1. "Eurovision UK entry is TikTok singer Sam Ryder, who will perform track Space Man". Sky News. Retrieved 10 March 2022.
  2. TotalNtertainment (24 February 2022). "'Space Man' the new single from Sam Ryder". TotalNtertainment. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
  3. Major, Michael. "Sam Ryder Releases Brand New Single 'Space Man'". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 10 March 2022.
  4. Sam Ryder - SPACE MAN - United Kingdom 🇬🇧 - Official Music Video - Eurovision 2022, retrieved 25 April 2022
  5. Sam Ryder performs SPACE MAN 👩‍🚀 Eurovision 2022 UK Entry 🇬🇧 The One Show - BBC, retrieved 12 March 2022
  6. "Up in space...and out in Bulgaria! Sam Ryder sings Eurovision 2022 song live on Nikolaos Tsitiridis Show". wiwibloggs. 23 March 2022. Retrieved 24 March 2022.
  7. "Eurovision UK entry is TikTok singer Sam Ryder, who will perform track Space Man". Sky News. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
  8. Sam Ryder - SPACE MAN (Live at York Hall) - United Kingdom 🇬🇧 - Eurovision House Party 2022, retrieved 23 April 2022
  9. "Eurovision 2022 Plans Outlined for United Kingdom". bbc.co.uk. BBC. 21 October 2021. Archived from the original on 20 December 2021. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
  10. Granger, Anthony (25 January 2022). "United Kingdom: Tap Music Shortlisting Artists For Eurovision 2022". Eurovoix. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  11. "Sam Ryder set to represent UK at Eurovision 2022 with SPACE MAN". BBC Blogs. BBC. 10 March 2022. Retrieved 10 March 2022.
  12. Luukela, Sami (10 March 2022). "Sam Ryder to represent United Kingdom at Eurovision 2022 with "Space Man"". ESCXTRA.com. Retrieved 10 March 2022.
  13. "United Kingdom: Sam Ryder launches SPACE MAN for Eurovision 2022 🇬🇧". Eurovision.tv. 10 March 2022. Retrieved 10 March 2022.
  14. "Record of the Day - In tune. Informed. Indispensable". www.recordoftheday.com. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
  15. "Rules - Eurovision Song Contest". EBU. Archived from the original on 8 April 2020. Retrieved 4 December 2020.
  16. "Eurovision 2022: Which Semi-Final is your country performing in?". Eurovision.tv. EBU. 25 January 2022. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  17. Embley, Jochan (11 March 2022). "TikTok's Sam Ryder to represent UK at Eurovision 2022 – will he win?". www.standard.co.uk. Retrieved 12 March 2022.
  18. Hall, James (10 March 2022). "Sam Ryder may finally provide Britain a winning shot at Eurovision". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 12 March 2022.
  19. "Davina Michelle covert Space Man van Sam Ryder". Songfestival Update (in Dutch). Retrieved 10 April 2022.
  20. "Official Singles Downloads Chart Top 100 | Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com.
  21. "Official Singles Sales Chart Top 100 - 11 March 2022 - 17 March 2022". Official Charts. 11 March 2022. Retrieved 18 March 2022.
  22. "Official Singles Downloads Chart Top 100 | Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
  23. "Official Singles Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 18 March 2022.
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