Sam Ryder on His Label Shake-Up, Moving to Nashville & Making it in His 30s: ‘I Have the Thickest Skin in the Game’

Sam Ryder is, undoubtedly, one of the United Kingdom’s greatest Eurovision success stories in recent years. At 2022’s Song Contest, he finished in 2nd place (its highest finish since 1998) and used that to springboard to a No. 1 album (There’s Nothing But Space, Man!), and cement himself as one of the scene’s most electrifying performers. Soon he was collaborating with Queen’s Brian May, performing in front of the Royal Family at Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee party, and bringing a puppyish enthusiasm to every booking.

But even so, things in this industry can change in a heartbeat. In 2023, a leadership change at Parlophone Records meant that the executives that Ryder had signed with were leaving the label, and Ryder was caught in the middle: He saw the benefits of remaining on a major label, but felt indebted to the people who backed him when few others did.

Ryder was not an overnight success. Prior to his selection for Eurovision, he gigged hard for a decade in various rock bands, and held down jobs in construction and hospitality. His rise on TikTok during the pandemic in 2020 eventually helped him land the spot for Eurovision in 2022, and it came when Ryder had just entered his 30s. His was a late-blooming success story and hard-fought for; he understood how fragile the industry can be, and how quickly it can all change.

When it came to the next phase of his career following his debut album success, he prioritized the things that were important to him: respecting the music-making process, and staying loyal. His new run of music — including “OH OK”, out Friday (May 23), and “White Lies” — is earthier, country-flecked as opposed to the glam-rock stylings of his debut. He thought about the artist he wanted to be, and how he can be authentic to his craft. He signed with Artist Theory, the new label from Nick Burgess and Jack Melhuish, who he met at Parlophone and left the major label system with them.

It’s a move that now looks savvy. The material he’s releasing showcases a new depth to his songwriting, and sits alongside Hozier and Noah Kahan’s rugged productions, all while retaining his powerhouse vocals and inimitable charm. In June, Ryder will perform at Glastonbury Festival for the first time; in November, Wembley Arena in London beckons, a sign that everything continues to move in the right direction for the singer-songwriter.

As he releases his new single “Oh OK,” Ryder tells Billboard U.K. about having faith in himself, his move to Nashville and the next phase of his career.

How would you describe this new era?

I’d call it the ‘frontier soul’ era. Soul music – that goes without saying. I sang that for years when I was at weddings and love it. But when I say frontier, think about the grandeur of old Hollywood and the richness in that aesthetic. The music is very much inspired by the Westerns that me and my grandad used to watch together. There’s a real attention to how the score and sound is recorded; films like Alexander the Great where the credits would roll up on screen first with a massive orchestra score. There’s such a richness in all of that aesthetic for me that I really enjoy.

You made the decision to head on a new journey with your label for this next album. Talk us through that…

A door was presented, to be real. At the time I remember feeling sad about it, even though it’s a choice we made, it felt exciting to a degree but daunting also. Parlophone had been there for the entire first album stint, which was amazing. Every challenge we met and exceeded. Parlophone, at that time, was the small dog in the fight. They’d reopened the label and had something to prove and the reason I chose it was because it felt like me; I hadn’t been given a chance until so much later on in my life to reach my potential.

When that label got dissolved essentially, [my] album had just gone to No. 1 and I was turning up to play a sold-out Hammersmith Apollo in London. It shows no one is ever safe from that happening to their label – it wasn’t a situation of the label wanting to go in a different direction, but all these amazing people were getting fired. I didn’t want to move to another major label where you’re an artist inherited rather than believed in and journeyed with.

The executives you worked with left an impression. You must have had faith in them in their next venture?

It’s not just faith, you’ve actually seen them in action and what they can do. Faith can be misconstrued in any industry. Any time you go and see a different label or management – which I’ve been through in my career – everyone gives you their best on that first meeting. It’s almost impossible to make a decision on anything but a gut instinct and a proof of concept; you’ve seen the lengths they’ll go to to make something happen and seen how collaborative they are and how they manage situations. Those are really important attributes.

It must have given you a lot more freedom in the way you approached the writing and recording process. Is that fair?

Yeah, I mean the way that people write music in the current industrial age of recording, you’re in sessions most days of the week with different people. You just end up collecting songs. That’s what I did for the first album and what a lot of my peers are doing as well. You can collect in the region of 100 songs, which, on paper, sounds great right? You’ve got all these songs, and everyone you work with is a great writer and then you put an album together of the best 12 songs. 

The problem with that is that you don’t get a concept for the journey of a record, because everything in isolation sounds great and a single song sounds amazing. But put that together and it feels like you’re eating Big Macs and profiteroles for an hour; it just doesn’t feel nutritious.

Your journey has not been a typical one. Success came for you at a different period of your life than a lot of acts. What would you say to the next wave of people coming through when they’re faced with important business decisions like you had to make?

For any new artist, I know how exciting it would feel to come from making music in your bedroom to getting an email from one of the big three labels. I mean, take the meeting, of course. I have so much to thank major labels for; the experience was really magical. It wasn’t without its challenges, but nothing worth fighting for is going to be easy.

But I would say that there’s a really exciting conversation happening in the indie space. The idea of the major label system is slightly outdated. That’s not to say that the people working in those industries are outdated. They love music as much as you and I do. But they’re working in the confines of a massive beast. It’s like working with any big corporation, things happen slowly as there’s so many moving parts; an indie label can be a bit more nimble. I believe [the major’s] intentions are right, but it’s going to take time for change… and I haven’t got the time, man. I need to move quickly!

Have you always dreamt of heading to Nashville?

For the last 13 years the goal has been to get to Nashville and I’m so stoked we’ve been able to do it. I’ve bought a log cabin in the trees which is so peaceful. The city has absolutely exploded in the best way, but it’s still kept its heart and soul.

What is that music community like, particularly for someone moving into the area?

With Nashville, if the evidence of other people’s success doesn’t psych you out everywhere you look, it can be a really good motivational place to be. It’s the same with actors in Hollywood, I imagine. Maybe they go to the Walk of Fame and see these examples of past and present success which aren’t yours yet. It’s kind of the same with Nashville… but I don’t get psyched out by seeing that. I love it. I think that if it’s possible for them, it’s possible for me. It makes me feel like things are happening there and you’re at the epicentre of something special. And I think serendipity and spontaneity are so crucial in music and all the arts. That’s where the good stuff happens.

Heading to Nashville, writing and recording there and on your own terms with the new label must have brought the best out of your creativity, right?

It was nice to have that more manageable pace with it. In the past you just didn’t have time to sit and consider what you’re doing. Your schedule fills up so fast and there’s just not much time. When I look back, making music felt like the side project to everything else that needed to be done. The schedule was so crazy with everything else like promo and TV, that sitting and making music almost felt like a luxury. You’d make music in a room, and then send it off for someone else to mix it and master it or whatever. You never spend time really feeling what you want from a song. And that’s how albums sound as opposed to singles.

You’ll be playing Wembley Arena later this year. Was that always a goal for you?

It was definitely a goal, but as life went on it felt more like a pipe dream. My career started a lot later than some others in my peer group. In some ways it’s a blessing because I have the thickest skin in the game. The amount of times I was certain it wasn’t going to happen but I had to carry on doing it because I had literally no idea what else I was going to do.

Are you glad it happened at this stage of your life where you can appreciate the journey a bit more?

Oh definitely. If I had hit Wembley at a younger stage in my career, I think it might have come from a place of ego and to show everyone at school, or whoever doubted me, “Look what I can do.” Whereas now it’s more of a peaceful feeling where I’m so grateful and I don’t want to let anyone down. I know I won’t because I’ll put my all into the show.

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