Sam Ryder attends the Platinum Party At The Palace at Buckingham Palace on June 4, 2022
(Picture: Getty Images)Eurovision contestant Sam Ryder has revealed that he had a private conversation with the Duchess of Cambridge after his performance at the Queen’s massive Jubilee party on June 4.
Speaking to People, Ryder said: “She was just saying that they all appreciated the way that the team had handled the Eurovision journey, and that meant so much to all of us. What I gather is a lot of the members of the royal family had seen Eurovision and were supporting my song from home, which means a lot.”
“It was incredible, and it was so inspiring to get the encouragement from the royal family because they stand for such similar themes that Eurovision celebrates as well, like unity, togetherness, and solidarity.”
The Queen's Platinum Party at the Palace took place on June 4 and had a stellar line-up that included Adam Lambert, Rod Stewart, Craig David, Mabel, Elbow, Alicia Keys, and George Ezra. Ryder sang his Eurovision song contest single, SPACE MAN.
Approximately 12 million people tuned in to watch the performances, which took place on BBC One. The party became the BBC’s biggest audience of the year, peaking at 13.4 million.
Sam Ryder came in second place in the Grand Final of this year’s Eurovision song contest on May 14. Even though Ryder was a favourite – the artist has racked up around 100 million likes on TikTok and has some pretty massive numbers on the other socials too – it was still a surprise, considering the UK’s dismal recent history in the competition. His final score was the best the UK had done since 1998.
The @EBU_HQ has issued the statement below regarding the hosting of next year’s #Eurovision Song Contest.
— Eurovision Song Contest (@Eurovision) June 17, 2022
Find it online here ➡️ https://t.co/mAxSdReBj3 pic.twitter.com/JYqy58eHqV
Ryder co-wrote SPACE MAN with Grammy-winning songwriter Amy Wadge and Max Wolfgang. After the win, the song went to number one on the British iTunes charts, where it stayed for nearly two weeks.
Now, because 2022 Eurovision winners Ukraine are unlikely to be able to hold the festival in their country next year, discussions are underway as to whether 2023’s competition could be held in the UK.
Today, Eurovision issued a statement on the matter, saying: “The European Broadcasting Union will now begin discussions with the BBC, as this year’s runner up, to potentially host the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest in the United Kingdom.
“It is our full intention that Ukraine’s win will be reflected in next year’s shows. This will be a priority for us in our discussions with the eventual hosts.”
