‘This game is a wild ride’: Sam Ryder on new album Heartland, life post-Eurovision & the business
As a successful UK Eurovision entrant in the 21st century, Sam Ryder is a rare breed indeed. His second place finish with Space Man three years ago provided the lift-off point for a frenetic journey that has so far yielded a No.1 album, sold-out tours and countless other bucket list entries for the viral TikToker-turned-household name.
But after splitting with Parlophone in 2023, Ryder has been laying the groundwork for a bold new chapter. The singer-songwriter signed to independent label Artist Theory last year, reuniting with former Parlophone execs Nick Burgess and Jack Melhuish.
The sequel to his gold-selling 2022 debut There’s Nothing But Space, Man! (109,123 sales, OCC), Ryder’s new LP Heartland drops via the fledgling indie today (October 17).
“It’s a little bit hectic to get your head around releasing an album,” the Essex-born singer tells Music Week. “I’ve done it before, but it feels slightly different this time. The industry and everything about it has changed so much since I released the first record and it’s a little more freeing in a way. I don’t think about the metrics of releasing an album anymore.”
I spent a lot of time trying to really come back to the gratitude I have for being able to make music
Sam Ryder
Given their shared history, Melhuish says that Artist Theory is “incredibly excited” to be working with Ryder on the campaign.
“Nick and I oversaw both the signing of Sam and the planning and execution of his successful No.1 album campaign whilst at Warner, so for us to be able to continue that relationship is a point of pride for us,” he says. “Our number one ambition for Sam and the new record was to deliver a body of work that felt honest and credible for where Sam is as an artist now. It’s an album of depth and vulnerability that shows Sam as a much more nuanced artist than previously as well as highlighting his incredible songwriting ability.”
Heartland has been previewed by a handful of singles such as White Lies, Oh Ok and Better Man. Its 13 tracks include co-writes with the likes of Mikky Ekko, Jesse Fink, Peter Fenn. Mike Elizondo and Steve Mac, which Melhuish believes has taken Ryder out of his “comfort zone”.
“We think Heartland is going to be the next chapter in Sam’s journey to being one of the most recognised and well regarded singer-songwriters in the UK,” he adds.
Ryder, who was recently appointed Greene King Pubs’ ‘head of gigs’ as part of a live music campaign, also joined the ranks of management services company MTheory at the end of 2024 alongside Lewis Allen – a key part of his previous setup – and Derek Gridley.
“We’re thrilled to be working with Sam at such an exciting and pivotal moment in his career,” says Allen. “He’s spreading his wings creatively, making the music he’s truly passionate about, and we’re proud to represent him and help bring that vision to life.”
Moreover, Allen suggests that Ryder’s decision to step away from the major label system “reflects his desire to create music on his own terms, music that he loves”.
“There’s so much more to Sam than the familiar headlines, and this next chapter is about sharing that evolution with the world,” he contends.” With this record, Sam has made the album he’s always wanted to make – and we couldn’t be happier. It’s authentic, it’s powerful, and quite simply, it’s a killer.”
It’s an album of depth and vulnerability that shows Sam as a much more nuanced artist than previously as well as highlighting his incredible songwriting
Jack Melhuish, Artist Theory
BRIT and Emmy-nominated Ryder’s stacked promotional schedule around Heartland’s release comprises multiple TV, radio, podcast, social-first and streaming moments.
“Interestingly, these have come from both mainstream spaces such as The Today Show and Kelly Clarkson, The One Show, Sunday Brunch, BBC Breakfast, Radio 2 and Heart Breakfast as well as more niche spaces including titles and podcasts covering subjects such as mental health, male identity and songcraft,” points out Melhuish.
On the live side, the focus has been on securing “marquee performances and landmark moments”, including an Avalon Stage slot at Glastonbury to an intimate US tour. Ryder will also perform a series of ‘Road To Wembley’ underplay shows at small independent venues across the UK ahead of his biggest headline show to date at OVO Arena Wembley on November 6.
Here, Ryder opens up on going independent, his “whirlwind” post Eurovision years, his new record and the band that changed his life…
How did the process of making Heartland compare with the first album?
“The first album was a lot more sporadic, with fewer constants involved. It was written in loads of different studios with loads of different people. It was kind of like seeing where the pieces fell, essentially. I can’t say that it was my preferred way of working, but it was the only way that I could work at that moment in time. It was so busy that year that it was either that or we didn’t put an album out, and I’m so glad that we did because, for me, it just capsulates that whole time and that madness. This time around, it was way more constant. I moved to Nashville for this record and bought a log cabin, and I’ve tried to keep the circle tight in terms of making it.”
What kind of evolution does it show in terms of your songwriting?
“I think it’s getting slightly more to the heart emotionally. I was going through a lot of things over this last year-and-a-half, most of which would link to losing quite a lot of confidence. You can put your validation and your worth and identity into the wrong things in this industry if you’re not careful – I watched it happen with so many people. So I spent a lot of time on this album trying to really come back to the gratitude I have for being able to make music. I’m lucky that my career spans so many different things within the music and entertainment field and that isn’t a given.”
And what are your hopes for the record?
“I gave everything to the making of this album. It took everything out of me, emotionally, spiritually… You never know if you’re going to finish that record and you go to places that you don’t think you’re going to make it back from, there are so many ebbs and flows. Sometimes you love it, sometimes you absolutely hate it. So in terms of my hopes for it now, I hope people just feel that truth in there. But ultimately, it’s none of my business, it will do what it will do. I just hope that it reaches the right people.”
Everything has just been a total whirlwind from Eurovision until now
Sam Ryder
On reflection, what did you learn from the major label system?
“The major label system really worked for me at that time but, like I said, it was a totally different landscape during that period. I couldn’t have been chatting with you right now, enjoying the success that we had, without the major label push back then. But, and I say this with a lot of love to everyone that still works in that system, I’m happy I’m not in it anymore. I think, innately, a lot of people in music want to remember why they got into it in the first place and that is to build their own thing. I like the way Iron Maiden talk about it: Rod Smallwood always says he’s not in the music business, he’s in the Iron Maiden business – and that sounds pretty cool to me.”
You signed with MTheory last year, how would you summarise the importance of artist management in 2025?
“Management is incredibly important. For me, management needs to carry the ethos of the project. They’re basically me when I’m not in the room, so if there’s any misalignment of them doing something that I wouldn’t say or do, that has to be changed and I have really taken the time over the last couple of years to ensure that’s the situation. I’m absolutely chuffed to have people like Cameo [Carlson], who runs MTheory, in my life. I’m buzzing to have Claire [Walters], my publisher at Universal, be such an amazing force for everything that we’re doing. Natalie [Nichols], who runs TV for me, is just an absolute star and has brought so many amazing opportunities our way and brought out talents in me that I didn’t know were even there. So management – and keeping that as diverse and as kind as possible so it reflects what the project is about – is crucial.”
As the face of the Greene King initiative, can you give us an insight into the realities of touring in 2025?
“Selling tickets these days is very difficult and a reason I got involved in the Greene King initiative is to highlight that. If you want to see an absolute A-lister artist, for example, then it’s the ticket itself; it’s the transport; it’s the childcare; it’s the food; it’s the merch; it’s the drinks at the bar; it’s the taxis. By the time they actually go to the show and come back, they’ve gone to a mid-sized festival financially and at that point, most people can’t afford to go and see many artists, just as most people in everyday life will choose one festival. When I was growing up, I went to Download Festival. It was all I could afford to do, and then I’d sprinkle it with some of my favourite bands through the year. Money is harder to come by for so many people and it’s a financial burden to commit to going to these events. So the Greene King initiative was really cool for highlighting that, and also that you don’t have to go to a stadium show to have an amazing night out and feel the power of music.”
What have grassroots venues meant for you and for your development?
“Everything, man. That’s why we engineered this tour that way. We’re playing all the small venues that I have played before to no one, but to people this time. And then we finish at Wembley Arena, which is the complete opposite end of the spectrum. I’ve never played there, and that’s a totally different kettle of fish. It’s celebrating my past and also the future of this project.”
How are preparations going for Wembley?
“The band are cooking at the minute and we’re not going to miss! Wembley was the first venue I went to when I was a kid to see Sum 41 on the Does This Look Infected? Tour. That was my first ever gig and it changed my life. I’ve still got the ticket with the seat number. I went to the venue the other day to check it out and I saw that seat, and it just took me back. That’s the night I left that venue knowing what I wanted to do with my life and I hope that there’s some kid turning up to our show that feels the same way when they leave.”
You also made your Glastonbury debut in June, did that live up to expectations?
“Mate, it was incredible, I was speaking to the guys at Glastonbury after and they said the only time the Avalon Stage was busier over that weekend was when The Fratellis were playing. It was just carnage. Bear in mind, we’d never played Glastonbury before and I’d never even been in my life. And we were playing it, essentially, on an off year, so I was really worried that no one would come. It’s like preheating the oven: you don’t just chuck a chicken in, you’ve got to pre-heat it – and there was no pre-heating done for us. But I was so blown away and it was a real pick me up, because I chose to make this album by spending a year totally off social media. I built a studio with my dad, moved into a log cabin in the woods in Nashville, got my head down and tried to put a team together and build something new. We’d had everything, and then we had to start again from scratch. That really can mess with your head, but we did it. And if anyone else in a similar position is reading this, then I hope it’s an inspiration for them, too, because this game is a wild ride and you’ve got to keep your hope and your faith, and keep going.”
Grassroots venues mean everything to me
Sam Ryder
Looking back, how would you sum up your journey since Eurovision 2022?
“I wrote a song about it called Whirlwind. I haven’t thought of a better word, even though it’s quite a tired turn of phrase, but it’s just been a total whirlwind from then until now. We’ve been on this wild roller coaster ride and I’m grateful for every little stop, because I’m surrounded by people that I love that have been there way before day one. People think day one for me was on TikTok, but it was way before that. Day one was sleeping in a transit van in a car park in Santa Ana, recording a hardcore punk album with a band from Texas, or playing in Russian clubs back when you could still go there and bribing our way onto trains from Moscow to St Petersburg and shit like that, man. There’s been a lot of stuff, but all those people that were there, for the most part, are still here now. We’re enjoying this next phase and there’ll be many more to come, hopefully.”
Would you change anything about it?
“Well, I think if I changed anything in terms of making it all happen a bit sooner, I don’t think I’d have the character that I have from all the failures. So no, I wouldn’t mess with it. My granddad told me when I was a kid growing up, ‘Plough your own furrow.’ And that’s the best bit of advice I ever got, because when you come into music, you can think everything relies on that album going to No.1, or that single charting, or that venue selling out. And I got to enjoy those things and it felt great in the moment. But if you put your self worth and identity into that, it will really hit you at the point it doesn’t happen. I can bet you right now that when I’m an old man, I’m not going to be thinking about that; I’ll be thinking about these amazing experiences I got to enjoy with my friends when I was playing in hardcore punk bands and touring in transit vans around South America and Europe. And they’re still with me now as we get ready to headline Wembley Arena and put a second album out.”
