FOR Sam Ryder’s second album it was time to ditch the spacesuit and move on from Eurovision.
The singer, Eurovision runner-up in 2022 with the song Space Man, says: “I created a world around Eurovision and that was the character I wanted to create.
“I thank my lucky stars it worked. But that story finished with the first album. Now it’s time to go back to what I started before all the crazy happened.”
And he isn’t hanging around on the day we meet — he’s got a plane to Germany to catch, so we talk en route as he drives to Heathrow, full of energy and excitement for what’s ahead.
Essex-born Ryder says: “There needed to be a circuit-break moment for me because we were just everywhere.
“You need a palate cleanse for people to get excited about what the new sound will be and what you’re going to make next.
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“But it’s hard to find your feet. “From 2021 onwards, every big TV or touring moment came with a load of media around it. Sometimes it’s hard to find the time for creating music because most of it is promo and marketing.”
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“I really struggled during the 18 months I was making this record,” he admits.
“I was battling that demon of self-doubt, trying to believe in myself and find some confidence. For a lot of that time, I had no confidence, no self-value, no real idea of myself as any kind of success.