UK Eurovision entry Sam Ryder has announced details of a new 2022 London show.
- READ MORE: Eurovision 2022: Ukraine beats Sam Ryder into second at hope-filled pop bash
Ryder came second during the weekend’s Eurovision Song Contest in Turin, with Ukraine’s Kalush Orchestra winning the event with a massive 631 points. It was the UK’s best performance result since 1997.
Viral TikTok sensation Ryder went into the competition as the bookmakers second-favourite to win with his song ‘Space Man’.
He will now play brand-new London venue Outernet on November 24. Tickets for the event go on sale this Friday (May 20) at 9am here.
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In Ukraine meanwhile, their win was said to bring “incredible happiness” to a country under invasion by Russia.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Instagram that the courage of the war torn country “impresses the world” and congratulated Kalush Orchestra on their victory.
He then went on to promise to host Eurovision in the future in a “free, peaceful and rebuilt” Mariupol, a city currently largely under Russian control. At the end of their performance at the show’s finale, Kalush Orchestra said: “I ask all of you, please help Ukraine, help Mariupol, help Azovstal right now.”
Speaking to NME this week, frontman Oleh Psiuk explained how their taking part was a “huge responsibility”, given the ongoing war with Russia.
“To represent Ukraine in the international arena is always a responsibility, but to represent it during the war is just the highest responsibility possible,” he said.
“The song [‘Stefania’] was composed and dedicated to my mother, but after the war the song has acquired lots of nuances because a lot of people are perceiving it as if Ukraine is my mother,” said Psiuk. “That’s why the song has become so close to the Ukrainian people, and it is in the Ukrainian hearts.”
Watch NME‘s full video interview with Kalush Orchestra’s Oleh Psiuk below:
Reviewing last weekend’s Eurovision night, NME wrote: “Eurovision 2022 was all about looking forward: Sam Ryder reminding us that the UK can actually win this thing, and Ukraine showing the world just how much agency it has. Yes, the contest can be silly – hello, ‘Give That Wolf A Banana’ – but it’s also strangely and fundamentally profound.”
