Sam Ryder has achieved the highest chart position of a UK Eurovision entry in 26 years.
The British singer came in second place in Saturday’s (14 May) grand final, scoring highly with both the juries and public vote. He was beaten by “Kalush Orchestra”, who represented Ukraine.
On Friday (20 May), it was announced that his song “Space Man” had also reached the No 2 spot in this week’s Top 40 chart, where it was pipped to the post by Harry Styles’ hit “As It Was”.
This makes Ryder’s track the highest charting UK Eurovision entry since Gina G’s “Ooh Ahh… Just A Little Bit”, which topped the charts in 1996.
However, Ryder stressed that there was no animosity between him and Styles, telling the Official Charts: “I feel like what Harry stands for, as a fan of his and listening to his music, he stands for the same things that Eurovision celebrates; a freedom of expression, of inclusivity. A celebration of music, joy and togetherness”.
Following his success in Turin, Ryder admitted that he had expected Ukraine to win amid the war with Russia.
“They needed to win that. They were always going to win that,” he said.
“It’s so important that we use the platform of Eurovision to celebrate solidarity and to shine light into darkness.”
