The UK's Eurovision entrant Sam Ryder may be basking in the dizzy heights of global stardom following his success on Saturday, but the Essex-born singer-songwriter hasn’t always been privy to such prestige.
The viral Tik Tok star gave an electrifying performance of his hit single Space Man and ended up in second place with an impressive 466 points, losing only to Ukraine in a symbolic show of public support to the country
But prior to his Eurovision and Tik Tok success, Catholic schoolboy Sam certainly took his time coming up.
An unearthed video has come to light, showing a young Sam fronting rock band The Morning After.
At 19, Sam co-founded the band as a guitarist and singer, having been inspired to learn guitar after watching the bizarrely-masked rock band Lordi on 2006’s Eurovision.
A music video for the band’s single America, which was released in 2011 ahead of their debut album Legacy, features a familiar looking Sam rocking out to the tune.
The blonde-haired musician is seen enthusiastically throwing his head back and forth to the beat, while jumping around a caravan.
The Eurovision star’s trousers are hanging low as he bangs on the caravan window while singing – giving fans a full-frontal view of his bare bottom.
He seems unphased by his rear’s cameo in the video as it is snapped at later points while he dives around the back of a pickup truck with his bandmates.
Sam, from Maldon , Essex has worked in the music industry since 2009.
He’s spent the majority of his adult life touring the world and performing live with bands including Blessed By A Broken Heart, Close Your Eyes, and soul and Motown wedding band Jupiter Ray.
He well and truly hit the big time in 2020 after deciding to post covers on TikTok, regularly showing off his incredible voice by covering Sia, Adele and Lady Gaga and has racked up over 100 million views.
