Sam Ryder will hope to rocket up the right side of the leaderboard this year as he represents the UK at the Eurovision Song Contest with his track Spaceman and fans are already confident he's going to do well.
One of the most watched TV broadcasts globally every year, this year's event will be held in Turin, with the final on Saturday, May 14, after Italian rock act Maneskin won in Rotterdam last year.
Maneskin have gone onto have global success, being nominated for both Grammy and Brit Awards and, like them, Sam already has plenty of fans.
The long-haired singer, whose other tracks include More and Tiny Riot, has 12 million followers on TikTok, where his videos have so far amassed 100 million likes and another 3.5m fans on Instagram.
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In a change to usual protocol, this year's UK Eurovision song Spaceman was actually played on BBC Radio 1 well in advance of the official announcement on Thursday morning from Scott Mills and colleague Greg James.
The selection process was handled by Tap, the music management company who looked after Dua Lipa, until she announced her departure earlier this year.
After James Newman finished bottom of the Eurovision 2021 standings with Embers last year, receiving zero from the juries and the voting public, Eurovision fans are already confident of a much better result for Sam.
In the aftermath of the announcement, one tweeted: "Omg this is so exciting!! Think we might be in with a chance of getting scores well! @SamRyderMusic what an amazing voice!!!"
Echoing that optimism, another wrote: "Bravo!!! I would say that this puts us up there with Ukraine and Italy for a potential win. Excellent choice. We have the voice and the song, just please put the same consideration and effort into the staging," with a third reacting: "This has huge potential. If we can get staging right. We could make top 10. Very proud."
On representing the UK at Eurovision, Sam said: "Having been a fan of Eurovision since I was a kid l I am so honoured to have been presented with the opportunity to sing at an event alongside some of Europe’s most talented creatives, performers and songwriters.
"I hope to sing my head off in a way the UK can be proud of, and to showcase a song I wrote with my friends last summer makes the whole experience even more special. See you in Turin legends!”
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