A Eurovision runner-up revealed plans for his upcoming project and why he loves playing gigs in Sussex.

The Essex-born pop star Sam Ryder will be playing at The White Rock in Hastings tomorrow night, marking his second performance in the county.

Speaking to The Argus as he travelled home from his run of shows in the US , he said: “I literally just got back from Nashville in the US last night – and then in a few days’ time we kick-off the December run.

“So, I’m currently juicing ginger and lemon to make sure I’m ready for that.

“I’m incredibly excited to be performing at The White Rock in Hastings, it's historic and I know musicians have absolutely rocked that venue out.

“So, I’m stoked to play there and it’s one of those venues I would have been dying to play in when I was on the come up. To have the ability to do that now is just such a blessing.”

Sam Ryder performing at the Brighton Dome in 2023 (Image: Mike Burnell) Sam’s debut album There’s Nothing But Space Man, which was released in 2022, debuted at number one in the UK Album Charts.

In 2023 the Space Man took to the stage at the Brighton Dome where he performed for the last show of his first UK tour since he was runner-up in Eurovision. He played at the Dome close to the anniversary of Abba's Eurovision win in 1974.

He added: “Sussex is such a special place to me, we played at the Brighton Dome not too long for an anniversary around the same time as ABBA’s Eurovision performance and it was just such a cool venue – it had an absolutely incredible atmosphere.

“Wonderful people and a wonderful crowd and I can’t wait to be back.”

As a BRIT Nominee and standout British breakthrough artist of 2022, Sam is excited to offer his audience a sneak peek at new material and a glimpse into what he has been working on.

Sam interacting with the crowd at the Brighton Dome (Image: Mike Burnell) Sam said: “It’s just pure excitement at the moment, as we are on the trial for the next album, and this run of shows in the UK will be the last time we play for a considerable while as we head into the album season.

“When you go into your next project you have to make space in the set list for those songs, so looking forward to sharing that.”

“It’s really cool to see the demographic that come to the shows, as they are of all ages, it’s grandparents with their grandchildren to couples and young people. It’s so great to see as that’s the message of the project itself, it’s about humanity, complete inclusivity and gratitude.

“So seeing that energy drawn to the shows in real-life is just completely mind-blowing.”

Argus reporter Savannah Nicholson went to his show In 2023, and described his vocal range as ‘Freddie Mercury-esque’ and that the audience were ‘ joyous, buoyant and sang along to all his songs’.

Sam added: “Brighton is always been a special place to come and visit, sort of like a pilgrimage that me and my pals used to do when you could first start drinking.

“I’ve done some incredible things in the city with the project over the years and met some wicked people.

“I love the place, it’s wild and alive.

“What Brighton has done for the music scene and creating a sub-culture is incredible.”