Sam Ryder Announces Debut Single 'Whirlwind'

Sam Ryder has announced details of his debut single "Whirlwind," available now at all streaming platforms via Parlophone Records/Elektra Records. The release is accompanied by an official lyric video, streaming now on the artist's official YouTube channel.

"Whirlwind" - how else could you begin to describe the journey that Sam has been on over the past year? He has spent much of his adult life touring in metal and rock bands, lived in Hawaii for a while and even owned a vegan coffee shop before closing it down and deciding the time was right to pursue his dream of becoming a solo artist.

As the world was being put into lockdown in March - he uploaded the first of his now famous covers. They quickly caught the attention of some famous fans (think Justin Bieber, Sia, Alicia Keys and Elton John) - with compilations of his videos appearing on The Ellen Show, BBC's Newsbeat and more. As the videos kept coming, so did the fans - with his socials standing at over 10 million followers to date and hundreds of thousands of comments.

Fast forward 7 months and Sam rounded-off his incredible year with TikTok crowning his account as the most popular UK artist account of 2020 - beating the likes of Dua Lipa, Lewis Capaldi and Liam Payne. A truly incredible feat, for an incredibly talented artist.

"Whirlwind" was written and produced in collaboration with Jamie Hartman (Ivor Novello Award, BMI Pop Award, Brits Award, other credits: Rag n Bone Man, Calvin Harris, Lewis Capaldi, Celeste, Louis Tomlinson) with additional production from Dan Grech-Marguerat (Grammy Award, Lana Del Rey, George Ezra, Tom Grennan) & Max Wolfgang.

Sam says of the track, "To be frustratingly ambiguous about the meaning (I'll let you make up your own mind) when you're spiralling, up or down, there are forces at work that are beyond your control. In essence, if you ever find yourself swept up in a whirlwind, it might (or might not) be of some comfort to know that where you end up may not be completely up to you".

With a record deal with Parlophone Records/Elektra Records to his name, Sam has spent the last few months writing and recording original songs with some of the finest writers and producers from around the world and is set to continue his meteoric rise.

Watch the new lyric video here: