Sam Ryder has missed out on the number one spot on the Official Chart after being pipped to the post by .
The Eurovision star had been a hot contender for the number one single for Space Man, which earned the UK an incredible second place at the song contest last week.
While he may not have got a number one, Space Man was still the highest-charting UK Eurovision entry in 26 years – no mean feat to achieve.
The number one spot was retained by Harry with his latest single As It Was, which achieved a seventh week at the top of the chart, tying with We Don’t Talk About Bruno from Encanto for the longest-running chart-topper of the year so far.
The chart battle between Sam and Harry had been nail-bitingly close, with Harry making a strong start to the week, before Sam overtook him following his Eurovision success.
Space Man is the highest-charting UK Eurovision entry since Gina G’s chart-topping Ooh Ahh…Just A Little Bit in 1996, even outperforming previous Eurovision winners Katrina & The Waves whose 1997 winning hit Love Shine A Light peaked in third place on the chart.
Space Man was also the UK’s most-downloaded song of the week, topping the Official Download Chart.
Sam told about his Eurovision experience and breaking the stigma, revealing: ‘We wanted to take on this negative Eurovision stigma in the UK – this habitual loop of cynicism and telling ourselves Europe doesn’t like the UK.
‘That was absolutely not the case, we don’t subscribe to that narrative whatsoever. The result gives strength to that idea. We’ve stripped away at the negativity and shone a bit of light in its place.
‘Eurovision is my favourite thing in the world – I’m so stoked that I got to be a part of this story with my friends and my team.’
Sam also added that there’s no rivalry with Harry, explaining: ‘I feel like what Harry stands for, as a fan of his and listening to his music, he stands for the same things that Eurovision celebrates; a freedom of expression, of inclusivity. A celebration of music, joy and togetherness.’
