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			{{Short description\|British singer, producer and broadcaster}}
	]
			{{Use British English\|date=December 2024}}
	'''Darren "Daz" Sampson''' (born 1974 in ], ]) is a ] ] ] and ].
			{{BLP refimprove\|date=December 2024}}
			{{Infobox person
			\| name = Daz Sampson
			\| image = Daz Sampson.jpg
			\| caption = Sampson in 2005
			\| birth_name = Darren Sampson
			\| birth_date = {{birth date and age\|1974\|11\|28\|df=y}}
			\| birth_place = ], ], England
			\| occupation = {{hlist\|Rapper\|singer-songwriter\|record producer\|football manager\|radio presenter}}
			\| years_active = 1998–present
			}}

			'''Darren''' "'''Daz'''" '''Sampson''' (born 28 November 1974) is a British musician, singer-songwriter and record producer. Sampson is known for his commercial dance music as part of several groups and his television appearances. He has had nine Top 30 UK singles.
	Up until 2006, when he represented the ] in the ], Sampson was best known for his commercial dance music, often reworking older songs. His credits include songs such as ''Out of Touch'' (as a member of ]), ''Rhinestone Cowboy'' (as a member of Rikki & Daz) and ''Kung Fu Fighting'' (as a member of ]).

			In 2006, he represented the UK in the ] with "]", a top 10 hit. He also established Sporting Riff Raff Records and has continued to perform and release recordings.
	He has been described as "a reformed semi-criminal, who one day hopes to afford teeth (he lost some in a fight over a girl)"<ref>{{cite news \| date=] \| url=http://observer.guardian.co.uk/review/story/0,,1769230,00.html \| title=Death metal, Dana? \| publisher=] \| accessdate=2006-05-18}}</ref>.

			He has been involved as a professional football manager in the United Kingdom, continental Europe, in Asia and the USA. In May 2016, he became the North West of England scout for ] team, ]. He also has close links to ] of ].
	==Eurovision Song Contest 2006==
	On ] ], Sampson won the ] ] '']''<ref>{{cite news \| date=] \| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/4774670.stm \| title=Dance track wins Eurovision vote \| publisher=] \| accessdate=2006-05-18}}</ref> with the song ''Teenage Life'', which was written and produced with John Matthews (aka Ricardo Autobahn) from the ], who were responsible for the '']'' hit '']'' in 1999. The song entered the ] on ] ].

			In February 2020, he accepted the role as first team Manager of ]{{cn\|reason=Team dissolved in 2019\|date=July 2023}}, a professional football team of the ]. Sampson was due to undertake his duties at the start of April 2020; however with the outbreak of the ], he remained in the UK.
	The accompanying dance routine involved young women dressed as ], dubbed ''The Sampsonites'', which led to criticism from some sections of the media due to some apparent inappropriate sexuality of his performance of his Eurovision entry, but in his defence, he was quoted as saying "the teenage girl dancers were fully clothed there was no sexual innuendo"<ref>{{cite news \| date=] \| url=http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/entertainment/music/popandurban/s/211/211677_underdog_daz_enjoying_the_limelight.html \| title=Underdog Daz enjoying the limelight \| publisher=] \| accessdate=2006-05-18}}</ref>.

			==Career before Eurovision==
	As a result of winning ''Making Your Mind Up'', he represented the UK in the ] on ] ] in ], but only 10 of the 39 countries eligible voted for Sampson and his total score was 25 points, placing him 19th out of the 24 acts (winning act ], from ], amassed 292 points). Ironically, when asked before the event whether Finland could win, he replied "No way. They're way too scary."<ref>{{cite news \| date=] \| url=http://www.metro.co.uk/fame/interviews/article.html?in_article_id=13575&in_page_id=11 \| title=60 Seconds Daz Sampson \| publisher=] \| accessdate=2006-22-05}}</ref> Sampson professed to have great confidence that he would win the Eurovision, dismissing previous contestants for not having enough respect for the competition and having poor quality songs. <ref>{{cite news \| date=] \| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/low/entertainment/4943170.stm \| title=Daz takes on Eurovision Mission \| publisher=] \| accessdate=2006-22-05}}</ref>
			Sampson was born in ], ], and went into radio broadcasting at 17 after an injury halted a potential career as a pro footballer. He spent several years working within commercial radio as well as ]; from there he made the transition from playing music to making music.

			===Bus Stop===
	Despite saying that previous contestants' songs failed simply because they were not good enough, and not because of political voting, following the contest he claimed to be "the victim of a touch of neighbourly voting". Sampson has promised to return to try again for Eurovision victory in 2007.
			Sampson had his first chart success with the group ] (with Graham Turner, Mark Hall, and Nikki Reid (Lane)). Bus Stop had four UK hits, the most successful being "]" featuring ], which sold 250,000 copies in the UK and over one million worldwide.{{citation needed\|date=July 2012}}

			] DJ ] responded to a letter from Sampson by championing his records on the station and inviting him to contribute comedy moments on his radio show. During this period, Sampson was almost a daily guest on the Radio 1 show, and from this came a deal with BMG for his act Blown Out.{{Clarify\|date=July 2009}}
	Although he finished low down the rankings in the Eurovision Song Contest, he enjoyed success in the British charts, reaching the highest chart position of any Eurovision song since ] peaked at number 3 with "Love Shine a Light". Daz Sampson claims that his performance may have raised the popularity of Eurovision in the UK - certainly the 2006 contrast attracted half the UK TV audience, although no other source than his own website gives him credit for this feat. The viewing figures had been declining since 1999.

			Other Bus Stop hits included remakes of "]" featuring ], "]" by ], and "]" by ].
	Although he finished low down the rankings in the Eurovision Song Contest, he enjoyed moderate success in the British charts, the #12 placing was the highest chart position of any Eurovision song since ] peaked at number 3 with "Love Shine a Light".

			Many of the Bus Stop songs and remakes have been featured on the '']'' series.<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://www.discogs.com/artist/Bus+Stop\|title=Bus Stop Discography\|website=Discogs.com\|access-date=17 April 2015}}</ref> Because of the deal that Konami had with ] back then, some of Bus Stop songs made it to the popular game series '']'', including "Kung Fu Fighting", "Kick the Can", "Swing It", "One Two (Little Bitch)", "Na-Na", "Swing It", and "]"

			===Fraud Squad===
			As the Bus Stop project was folding, in 2000, Daz Sampson formed a duo with JJ Mason. As Fraud Squad, the duo released "Together (We Can Make It)" which was popular in European night clubs, and was a hit single in France, spending seven weeks in the official French singles chart.<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://www.discogs.com/artist/Fraud+Squad\|title=Fraud Squad Discography\|website=Discogs.com\|access-date=17 April 2015}}</ref> JJ Mason made many remixes of Daz Sampson and Rikki and Daz songs, including "The Woah Song" and "Teenage Life".<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://www.discogs.com/artist/JJ+Mason\|title=JJ Mason Discography\|website=Discogs.com\|access-date=17 April 2015}}</ref>

			===Sampson & Mason===
			Daz Sampson and JJ Mason would return in 2006 with two releases under the name Sampson & Mason, "The Crown" and "The Feeling".

			===Rikki & Daz===
			In this period, Sampson formed ] with John Matthews (aka ], hence "Rikki") of the ]. Their 2002 single "]", featuring a new vocal from country music legend ], reached No. 12 in the UK. Another release as Rikki and Daz was the remake of ]'s hit "]". credited to "Rikki & Daz Vs. JJ Mason Remix".

			===Barndance Boys / DJ Daz===
			The pair continued to work together under various names, including The Barndance Boys (for the minor hit single "Yippie I Oh") and DJ Daz ("The Woah Song", a remake of ]'s "]"). Matthews later co-wrote Sampson's Eurovision song, "]".

			===Uniting Nations===
			In 2004, Sampson returned to the Liverpool dance music scene, and he formed a partnership with producer Paul Keenan and under the name ]. They released "]", a remake of a ] hit, which sold 150,000 copies of the single in the United Kingdom and became a European hit. Other big hits included "]" (which reached No. 15 in the UK), proving yet another hit in Europe, and "]", which reached No. 18, also in the UK. '']'' readers and ] viewers voted Uniting Nations "Best Dance Act" at the last ever ] in 2005. Sampson also had three number one singles in Poland with Uniting Nations.{{citation needed\|date=July 2012}}

			==Eurovision Song Contest==
			===Eurovision 2006===
			On 4 March 2006, Sampson won the ] ] '']''<ref>{{cite news \| date=4 March 2006 \| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/4774670.stm \| title=Dance track wins Eurovision vote \|work=BBC News \| access-date=18 May 2006}}</ref> with the song "]", written and produced with his long-time collaborator ]. The accompanying dance routine involved four young women dressed as ], dubbed ''The Sampsonites''.

			The song was a commercial success prior to Eurovision becoming a Top 10 hit for him on the ] with the single released on 14 May 2006 just prior to the contest. Sampson represented the UK in the ] on 20 May 2006 in ], but only 10 of the 39 eligible countries voted for Sampson and his total score was 25 points, placing him 19th out of the 24 acts.

			Although he finished low down the rankings in the Eurovision Song Contest, he enjoyed success in the British charts. "]" entered at number 13 in the ]. In the week following the contest, the publicity he had gained from this exposure helped his single to climb to number eight in the UK chart. Sampson claims that his performance may have raised the popularity of Eurovision in the UK, with the 2006 contest attracting half the UK TV audience.<ref>{{cite news\|url=http://www.brandrepublic.com/bulletins/media/article/560247/eurovision-death-metallers-attracts-half-uk-tv-audience/ \|title=Eurovision attracts half UK audience \|work=Brand Republic \|author=Banham, Mark \|date=22 May 2006 \|url-status=dead \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061116213541/http://www.brandrepublic.com/bulletins/media/article/560247/eurovision-death-metallers-attracts-half-uk-tv-audience/ \|archive-date=16 November 2006 }}</ref>

			===Eurovision 2007===
			After Eurovision, he said he would like to return to try for ]. However, he later he announced that the BBC decided it was too soon for him to enter again, but he would be welcome in a few years time.<ref>{{cite news\| date=20 February 2007\| url=http://www.esctoday.com/news/read/7742\| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070222090523/http://www.esctoday.com/news/read/7742\| url-status=dead\| archive-date=22 February 2007\| title=UK Exclusive: It not Daz either!\| website=Esctoday.com\| access-date=28 February 2007\| df=dmy-all}}</ref> Still he produced the song entitled "Do A Little Dance" but it did not make ''British Eurovision: Your Decision'' shortlist of songs for consideration.<ref> {{webarchive \|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091012131619/http://www.popjustice.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2262&Itemid=9 \|date=12 October 2009 }}. POp Justice article. Retrieved 17 April 2015.</ref>

			===Eurovision 2019===
			Sampson, along with British singer Nona, attempted to represent ] in the ] with a song entitled "Kinky Boots". It was not selected for the live final, which was won by ].

			===Eurovision 2021===
			Sampson joined forces with the Belarusian singer ] for an attempt to represent ] in the ] with a song ''Give you love''. The song was not selected by the Belarusian broadcaster BTRC, and Belarus were later disqualified from the contest.<ref>{{Cite web\|url=https://eurovisionapocalypse.blogspot.com/2021/01/belarus-2021-katya-ocean-daz-sampson.html\|title=EUROVISION APOCALYPSE: Belarus 2021 - Katya Ocean & Daz Sampson - Give You Love\|first=Roy D.\|last=Hacksaw\|website=Eurovisionapocalypse.blogspot.com\|date=26 January 2021\|access-date=2 April 2023}}</ref>

			==Other musical projects==
			===Sporting Riff Raff Records===
			In 2006, Sampson established his own record company, Sporting Riff Raff Records<ref> {{webarchive \|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130625083655/http://www.sportingriffraff.com/ \|date=25 June 2013 }}. Sportingriffraff.com. Retrieved 17 April 2015.</ref> with Ben O'Brien and Joe Taylor of Nuxx. The acts that recorded with the company, mainly hit pop/dance/disco bands were The Star Alliance, Spray, Mr. Fix It, Love Djs, Project 4.<ref>{{Cite web\|url=http://www.discogs.com/label/Sporting+Riff+Raff\|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080305062131/http://www.discogs.com/label/Sporting+Riff+Raff\|archive-date = 5 March 2008\|title = Sporting Riff Raff\| website=] }}</ref>

			===Sampson & Mason===
			He collaborated with several artists and released in 2006 "The Crown" and "The Feeling" under the name Sampson & Mason in partnership with JJ Mason (of Fraud Squad).

			===Bandito===
			Daz Sampson and his long term writing partner John Matthews created in 2009 a dance act under the name Bandito after landing a record deal with Ministry of Sound's Hard2Beat Records.<ref>Lyons, Beverley. (30 October 2009) . ''Daily Record'' (Scotland). Retrieved 2015-04-17.</ref> Bandito's debit solo "Rockin' At the Disco" featured vocals from Russell Graham of the boy band Pacific Avenue.

			===TV and radio===
			Sampson and John Matthews were to write the music score for a new Children's BBC ] animation show which was set to air summer 2013.{{citation needed\|date=April 2013}}

			Since 2011, Sampson returned to a career in radio broadcasting in signing a deal with NBC/Universal where he stars in his own reality documentary show.

			==Football career==
			Sampson started his career as a footballer, spending his youth years at ]'s Junior Blues side, before being spotted by ex-Brighton manager ] whilst managing at ]. Following injury Sampson then quit the game as a player going on to manage and coach at semi-pro level.{{Citation needed paragraph\|date=April 2021}}

			Following musical success in Poland with ], Sampson took over the helm at a semi-professional club there and took them from bottom 3 to a Cup Final appearance in the ].{{Citation needed\|date=April 2021}}

			In 2012, Sampson came out of retirement and played games for Guam Shipyard, based in ], an island in the Pacific Ocean. He then went on to coach and lead the Shipyard to a cup final win, and regular top 3 finishes. After two seasons Sampson moved to ] in Florida to take charge of a new semi-professional team about to franchise into ] of the ].{{Citation needed paragraph\|date=April 2021}}

			In 2015, Sampson returned to the UK and briefly took over a Step 6 Billinge FC in Cheshire,<ref>{{cite web\|author= \|url=https://twitter.com/TheNonLeagueMag/status/697806045079588864 \|title=NonLeagueBlogs on Twitter: "Issue 6 now complete. Individual or reseller subscriptions available" \|website=Twitter.com \|access-date=2020-05-21}}</ref> and then to ].<ref>{{cite news \| url=http://www.thenonleaguefootballpaper.com/latest-news/step-five-and-below/15347/ashton-town-coach-daz-sampson-is-eyeing-top-spot-yet-again/ \| title=Ashton Town coach Daz Sampson is eyeing top spot yet again! \|website=Thenonleaguefootballpaper.com}}</ref>

			Following Sampson's stint in England, he moved back briefly to Guam to take over a second tier side Big Blue, where they finished top of the league with 100 points.<ref>{{Cite web\|url=https://elevensports.com/\|title=Big Blue\|website=Elevensports.com\|access-date=2 April 2023}}</ref>

			==Discography==
			===Albums===
			;With Bus Stop
			*1998: ''Ticket to Ride''
			*2000: ''Get It On''
			*2002: ''Bustin' Rhymes & Melodies''

			===Singles===
			{\| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
			\|-
			! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:40px;"\|Year
			!scope="col" rowspan="2"\|Artist/Group
			!scope="col" rowspan="2"\|Song
			!scope="col" colspan="4"\|Peak chart positions
			!scope="col" rowspan="2"\|Notes
			\|-
			!width="40"\|<small>]</small>
			!width="40"\|<small>]</small>
			!width="40"\|<small>]</small>
			!width="40"\|<small>]</small>
			\|-
			\| style="text-align:center;" rowspan="2"\|1998
			\| rowspan="10"\|]
			\|"]" <small>(feat. ])</small>
			\| style="text-align:center;"\|8
			\| style="text-align:center;"\|-
			\| style="text-align:center;"\|-
			\| style="text-align:center;"\|25
			\|Originally by Carl Douglas
			\|-
			\|"]" <small>(feat. ])</small>
			\| style="text-align:center;"\|22
			\| style="text-align:center;"\|-
			\| style="text-align:center;"\|-
			\| style="text-align:center;"\|-
			\|Originally by Randy Bachman
			\|-
			\| style="text-align:center;"\|1999
			\|"]"
			\| style="text-align:center;"\|23
			\| style="text-align:center;"\|-
			\| style="text-align:center;"\|-
			\| style="text-align:center;"\|-
			\|Originally by ]
			\|-
			\| style="text-align:center;" rowspan="3"\|2000
			\|"]" <small>(feat. ])</small>
			\| style="text-align:center;"\|59
			\| style="text-align:center;"\|-
			\| style="text-align:center;"\|-
			\| style="text-align:center;"\|-
			\|Originally by T. Rex
			\|-
			\|"One Two (Little Bitch)"
			\| style="text-align:center;"\|-
			\| style="text-align:center;"\|-
			\| style="text-align:center;"\|-
			\| style="text-align:center;"\|-
			\|Originally by ]
			\|-
			\|"]"
			\| style="text-align:center;"\|-
			\| style="text-align:center;"\|-
			\| style="text-align:center;"\|-
			\| style="text-align:center;"\|-
			\|Originally by ]
			\|-
			\| style="text-align:center;" rowspan="4"\|2001
			\|"Kick the Can"
			\| style="text-align:center;"\|-
			\| style="text-align:center;"\|-
			\| style="text-align:center;"\|-
			\| style="text-align:center;"\|-
			\|Re-working of ''Infernal Gallop'' from ] by ]
			\|-
			\|"Na-Na"
			\| style="text-align:center;"\|-
			\| style="text-align:center;"\|-
			\| style="text-align:center;"\|-
			\| style="text-align:center;"\|-
			\|Remake of ] by ]
			\|-
			\|"Swing It"
			\| style="text-align:center;"\|-
			\| style="text-align:center;"\|-
			\| style="text-align:center;"\|-
			\| style="text-align:center;"\|-
			\|Originally by ] and titled ]
			\|-
			\|"]"
			\| style="text-align:center;"\|-
			\| style="text-align:center;"\|-
			\| style="text-align:center;"\|-
			\| style="text-align:center;"\|-
			\|Originally by ]
			\|-
			\| style="text-align:center;"\|2001
			\|]
			\|"Together (We Can Make It)"
			\| style="text-align:center;"\|-
			\| style="text-align:center;"\|-
			\| style="text-align:center;"\|-
			\| style="text-align:center;"\|65
			\|-
			\| style="text-align:center;"\|2002
			\|]
			\|"]" <small>(feat. ])</small>
			\| style="text-align:center;"\|12
			\| style="text-align:center;"\|-
			\| style="text-align:center;"\|16
			\| style="text-align:center;"\|-
			\|Originally by Glen Campbell
			\|-
			\| style="text-align:center;" rowspan="2"\|2003
			\|]
			\|"Yippie I Oh"
			\| style="text-align:center;"\|32
			\| style="text-align:center;"\|-
			\| style="text-align:center;"\|-
			\| style="text-align:center;"\|-
			\|Re-working of traditional song "]"
			\|-
			\|\|DJ Daz
			\|"Woah Song"
			\| style="text-align:center;"\|-
			\| style="text-align:center;"\|-
			\| style="text-align:center;"\|-
			\| style="text-align:center;"\|-
			\|Originally by ] and titled "]"
			\|-
			\| style="text-align:center;"\|2004
			\| rowspan="4"\|]
			\|"]"
			\| style="text-align:center;"\|7
			\| style="text-align:center;"\|-
			\| style="text-align:center;"\|5
			\| style="text-align:center;"\|-
			\|Originally by ]
			\|-
			\| rowspan="2" style="text-align:center; vertical-align:top;"\|2005
			\|"You and Me"
			\| style="text-align:center;"\|15
			\| style="text-align:center;"\|-
			\| style="text-align:center;"\|26
			\| style="text-align:center;"\|-
			\|
			\|-
			\|"]"
			\| style="text-align:center;"\|18
			\| style="text-align:center;"\|-
			\| style="text-align:center;"\|37
			\| style="text-align:center;"\|-
			\|
			\|-
			\| style="text-align:center;" rowspan="2"\|2006
			\|"Music In Me"
			\| style="text-align:center;"\|-
			\| style="text-align:center;"\|-
			\| style="text-align:center;"\|-
			\| style="text-align:center;"\|-
			\|
			\|-
			\| rowspan="3"\|Daz Sampson
			\|"]"
			\| style="text-align:center;"\|8
			\| style="text-align:center;"\|11
			\| style="text-align:center;"\|-
			\| style="text-align:center;"\|-
			\|UK Eurovision entry
			\|-
			\| style="text-align:center;" rowspan="3"\|2007
			\|"Do a Little Dance"
			\| style="text-align:center;"\|-
			\| style="text-align:center;"\|-
			\| style="text-align:center;"\|-
			\| style="text-align:center;"\|-
			\|Download only
			\|-
			\|"The County Song <br>(Jim Gannon's Army Goes Marching On)"
			\| style="text-align:center;"\|182
			\| style="text-align:center;"\|17
			\| style="text-align:center;"\|-
			\| style="text-align:center;"\|-
			\|Download only
			\|-
			\| rowspan="2"\|Uniting Nations
			\|"Do It Yourself"
			\| style="text-align:center;"\|-
			\| style="text-align:center;"\|-
			\| style="text-align:center;"\|-
			\| style="text-align:center;"\|-
			\|
			\|-
			\| style="text-align:center;"\|2008
			\|"Pressure Us"
			\| style="text-align:center;"\|-
			\| style="text-align:center;"\|-
			\| style="text-align:center;"\|-
			\| style="text-align:center;"\|-
			\|Featuring Lucia Horn
			\|-
			\| style="text-align:center;"\|2009
			\|Bandito
			\|"Rockin' At the Disco"
			\| style="text-align:center;"\|-
			\| style="text-align:center;"\|-
			\| style="text-align:center;"\|-
			\| style="text-align:center;"\|-
			\|Featuring Russell Graham
			\|-
			\| style="text-align:center;"\|2019
			\| Daz Samspon & Nona
			\| style="text-align:center;"\|"Kinky Boots"
			\| style="text-align:center;"\|-
			\| style="text-align:center;"\|-
			\| style="text-align:center;"\|-
			\| style="text-align:center;"\|-
			\|Belarus Eurovision 2019 Entry Submission
			\|-
			\| style="text-align:center;"\|2021
			\| Daz Samspon & ]
			\| style="text-align:center;"\|"Give You Love"
			\| style="text-align:center;"\|-
			\| style="text-align:center;"\|-
			\| style="text-align:center;"\|-
			\| style="text-align:center;"\|-
			\|Belarus Eurovision 2021 Entry Submission
			\|-
			\| colspan="8" style="font-size:85%"\| "—" denotes a single that did not chart or was not released in that territory.
			\|}

			===Others songs===
			{\| class="wikitable"
			\|-
			! Year !! Song title !! Credited to !! Charts <br>FR !! Notes
			\|-
			\|1999\|\|"Roots (Feel Too High)"\|\| Sunshine State featuring Daz \|\| align=center \| — \|\|
			\|-
			\|2000\|\|"Together (We Can Make It)" \|\| Fraud Squad \|\| align=center \| 65<br><ref>{{cite web\|url=https://lescharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Squad+Fraud&titel=Together+(We+Can+Make+It)&cat=s\|title=lescharts.com - Squad Fraud - Together (We Can Make It)\|website=Lescharts.com}}</ref> \|\| rowspan=3 \| align=center \| <small>Made up of <br>Daz Sampson and JJ Mason</small>
			\|-
			\| rowspan=2\| 2006 \|\| "The Crown" \|\| rowspan=2 \| Sampson & Mason \|\| align=center \| —
			\|-
			\|"The Feeling" \|\| align=center \| —
			\|-

			\|}

			==See also==
			*]
			*]
			*]
			*]

	==References==		==References==
			{{reflist\|colwidth=30em}}
	<div class="references-small">
	<references/>
	</div>

	==External ~~link~~==		==External links==
	*		*
			*
			*

	{{start ~~box~~}}		{{s-start}}
	{{succession box \|		{{succession box
	before=]\|		\| before=]<br>with "]"
	title=] \|		\| title=]
	years=] \|		\| years=]
			\| after=]<br>with "]"
	after=N/A: Most recent \|
	}}		}}
			{{s-end}}

			{{Use dmy dates\|date=April 2015}}
			{{United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest\|state=collapsed}}
			{{Eurovision Song Contest 2006\|state=collapsed}}

			{{Authority control}}
	]
	]
	]

	]		{{DEFAULTSORT:Sampson, Daz}}
	]		]
	]		]
	]		]
	]		]
			]
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Latest revision as of 13:34, 13 December 2024

British singer, producer and broadcaster

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Daz Sampson
Sampson in 2005
Born	Darren Sampson (1974-11-28) 28 November 1974 (age 50) Stockport, Greater Manchester, England
Occupations	Rapper singer-songwriter record producer football manager radio presenter
Years active	1998–present

Darren "Daz" Sampson (born 28 November 1974) is a British musician, singer-songwriter and record producer. Sampson is known for his commercial dance music as part of several groups and his television appearances. He has had nine Top 30 UK singles.

In 2006, he represented the UK in the Eurovision Song Contest with "Teenage Life", a top 10 hit. He also established Sporting Riff Raff Records and has continued to perform and release recordings.

He has been involved as a professional football manager in the United Kingdom, continental Europe, in Asia and the USA. In May 2016, he became the North West of England scout for Scottish Championship team, Ayr United. He also has close links to Stockport County of EFL League 2.

In February 2020, he accepted the role as first team Manager of Phuentsholing United FC, a professional football team of the Bhutan Premier League. Sampson was due to undertake his duties at the start of April 2020; however with the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, he remained in the UK.

Career before Eurovision

Sampson was born in Stockport, England, and went into radio broadcasting at 17 after an injury halted a potential career as a pro footballer. He spent several years working within commercial radio as well as Radio Luxembourg; from there he made the transition from playing music to making music.

Bus Stop

Sampson had his first chart success with the group Bus Stop (with Graham Turner, Mark Hall, and Nikki Reid (Lane)). Bus Stop had four UK hits, the most successful being "Kung Fu Fighting" featuring Carl Douglas, which sold 250,000 copies in the UK and over one million worldwide.

BBC Radio 1 DJ Chris Moyles responded to a letter from Sampson by championing his records on the station and inviting him to contribute comedy moments on his radio show. During this period, Sampson was almost a daily guest on the Radio 1 show, and from this came a deal with BMG for his act Blown Out.

Other Bus Stop hits included remakes of "You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet" featuring Randy Bachman, "Jump" by Van Halen, and "Get It On" by T. Rex.

Many of the Bus Stop songs and remakes have been featured on the Dancemania series. Because of the deal that Konami had with Toshiba EMI back then, some of Bus Stop songs made it to the popular game series Dance Dance Revolution, including "Kung Fu Fighting", "Kick the Can", "Swing It", "One Two (Little Bitch)", "Na-Na", "Swing It", and "Long Train Runnin'"

Fraud Squad

As the Bus Stop project was folding, in 2000, Daz Sampson formed a duo with JJ Mason. As Fraud Squad, the duo released "Together (We Can Make It)" which was popular in European night clubs, and was a hit single in France, spending seven weeks in the official French singles chart. JJ Mason made many remixes of Daz Sampson and Rikki and Daz songs, including "The Woah Song" and "Teenage Life".

Sampson & Mason

Daz Sampson and JJ Mason would return in 2006 with two releases under the name Sampson & Mason, "The Crown" and "The Feeling".

Rikki & Daz

In this period, Sampson formed Rikki & Daz with John Matthews (aka Ricardo Autobahn, hence "Rikki") of the Cuban Boys. Their 2002 single "Rhinestone Cowboy (Giddy Up Giddy Up)", featuring a new vocal from country music legend Glen Campbell, reached No. 12 in the UK. Another release as Rikki and Daz was the remake of DJ Bobo's hit "Chihuahua". credited to "Rikki & Daz Vs. JJ Mason Remix".

Barndance Boys / DJ Daz

The pair continued to work together under various names, including The Barndance Boys (for the minor hit single "Yippie I Oh") and DJ Daz ("The Woah Song", a remake of Baltimora's "Tarzan Boy"). Matthews later co-wrote Sampson's Eurovision song, "Teenage Life".

Uniting Nations

In 2004, Sampson returned to the Liverpool dance music scene, and he formed a partnership with producer Paul Keenan and under the name Uniting Nations. They released "Out of Touch", a remake of a Hall & Oates hit, which sold 150,000 copies of the single in the United Kingdom and became a European hit. Other big hits included "You And Me" (which reached No. 15 in the UK), proving yet another hit in Europe, and "Ai No Corrida", which reached No. 18, also in the UK. Smash Hits readers and T4 viewers voted Uniting Nations "Best Dance Act" at the last ever Poll Winners Party in 2005. Sampson also had three number one singles in Poland with Uniting Nations.

Eurovision Song Contest

Eurovision 2006

On 4 March 2006, Sampson won the BBC show Making Your Mind Up with the song "Teenage Life", written and produced with his long-time collaborator John Matthews. The accompanying dance routine involved four young women dressed as schoolgirls, dubbed The Sampsonites.

The song was a commercial success prior to Eurovision becoming a Top 10 hit for him on the UK Singles Chart with the single released on 14 May 2006 just prior to the contest. Sampson represented the UK in the Eurovision Song Contest on 20 May 2006 in Athens, but only 10 of the 39 eligible countries voted for Sampson and his total score was 25 points, placing him 19th out of the 24 acts.

Although he finished low down the rankings in the Eurovision Song Contest, he enjoyed success in the British charts. "Teenage Life" entered at number 13 in the UK Top 40. In the week following the contest, the publicity he had gained from this exposure helped his single to climb to number eight in the UK chart. Sampson claims that his performance may have raised the popularity of Eurovision in the UK, with the 2006 contest attracting half the UK TV audience.

Eurovision 2007

After Eurovision, he said he would like to return to try for Eurovision Song Contest 2007. However, he later he announced that the BBC decided it was too soon for him to enter again, but he would be welcome in a few years time. Still he produced the song entitled "Do A Little Dance" but it did not make British Eurovision: Your Decision shortlist of songs for consideration.

Eurovision 2019

Sampson, along with British singer Nona, attempted to represent Belarus in the Eurovision Song Contest 2019 with a song entitled "Kinky Boots". It was not selected for the live final, which was won by ZENA.

Eurovision 2021

Sampson joined forces with the Belarusian singer Katya Ocean for an attempt to represent Belarus in the Eurovision Song Contest 2021 with a song Give you love. The song was not selected by the Belarusian broadcaster BTRC, and Belarus were later disqualified from the contest.

Other musical projects

Sporting Riff Raff Records

In 2006, Sampson established his own record company, Sporting Riff Raff Records with Ben O'Brien and Joe Taylor of Nuxx. The acts that recorded with the company, mainly hit pop/dance/disco bands were The Star Alliance, Spray, Mr. Fix It, Love Djs, Project 4.

Sampson & Mason

He collaborated with several artists and released in 2006 "The Crown" and "The Feeling" under the name Sampson & Mason in partnership with JJ Mason (of Fraud Squad).

Bandito

Daz Sampson and his long term writing partner John Matthews created in 2009 a dance act under the name Bandito after landing a record deal with Ministry of Sound's Hard2Beat Records. Bandito's debit solo "Rockin' At the Disco" featured vocals from Russell Graham of the boy band Pacific Avenue.

TV and radio

Sampson and John Matthews were to write the music score for a new Children's BBC CBBC animation show which was set to air summer 2013.

Since 2011, Sampson returned to a career in radio broadcasting in signing a deal with NBC/Universal where he stars in his own reality documentary show.

Football career

Sampson started his career as a footballer, spending his youth years at Manchester City's Junior Blues side, before being spotted by ex-Brighton manager Jimmy Melia whilst managing at Stockport. Following injury Sampson then quit the game as a player going on to manage and coach at semi-pro level.

Following musical success in Poland with Uniting Nations, Sampson took over the helm at a semi-professional club there and took them from bottom 3 to a Cup Final appearance in the 3rd tier of Polish football.

In 2012, Sampson came out of retirement and played games for Guam Shipyard, based in Guam, an island in the Pacific Ocean. He then went on to coach and lead the Shipyard to a cup final win, and regular top 3 finishes. After two seasons Sampson moved to Tampa in Florida to take charge of a new semi-professional team about to franchise into fourth tier of the MLS.

In 2015, Sampson returned to the UK and briefly took over a Step 6 Billinge FC in Cheshire, and then to Ashton Town.

Following Sampson's stint in England, he moved back briefly to Guam to take over a second tier side Big Blue, where they finished top of the league with 100 points.

Discography

Albums

With Bus Stop

1998: Ticket to Ride
2000: Get It On
2002: Bustin' Rhymes & Melodies

Singles

Year	Artist/Group	Song	Peak chart positions				Notes
Year	Artist/Group	Song	UK	UK (DL)	IRE	FRA	Notes
1998	Bus Stop	"Kung Fu Fighting" (feat. Carl Douglas)	8	-	-	25	Originally by Carl Douglas
1998		"You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet" (feat. Randy Bachman)	22	-	-	-	Originally by Randy Bachman
1999		"Jump"	23	-	-	-	Originally by Van Halen
2000		"Get It On" (feat. T. Rex)	59	-	-	-	Originally by T. Rex
		"One Two (Little Bitch)"	-	-	-	-	Originally by the Specials
		"Footloose"	-	-	-	-	Originally by Kenny Loggins
2001		"Kick the Can"	-	-	-	-	Re-working of Infernal Gallop from Orpheus in the Underworld by Jacques Offenbach
		"Na-Na"	-	-	-	-	Remake of "Goodbye" by Steam
		"Swing It"	-	-	-	-	Originally by the Champs and titled "Tequila"
		"Long Train Runnin'"	-	-	-	-	Originally by The Doobie Brothers
2001	Fraud Squad	"Together (We Can Make It)"	-	-	-	65
2002	Rikki & Daz	"Rhinestone Cowboy" (feat. Glen Campbell)	12	-	16	-	Originally by Glen Campbell
2003	Barndance Boys	"Yippie I Oh"	32	-	-	-	Re-working of traditional song "I'll Tell Me Ma"
2003	DJ Daz	"Woah Song"	-	-	-	-	Originally by Baltimora and titled "Tarzan Boy"
2004	Uniting Nations	"Out of Touch"	7	-	5	-	Originally by Hall & Oates
2005		"You and Me"	15	-	26	-
2005		"Ai No Corrida"	18	-	37	-
2006		"Music In Me"	-	-	-	-
2006	Daz Sampson	"Teenage Life"	8	11	-	-	UK Eurovision entry
2007		"Do a Little Dance"	-	-	-	-	Download only
		"The County Song (Jim Gannon's Army Goes Marching On)"	182	17	-	-	Download only
	Uniting Nations	"Do It Yourself"	-	-	-	-
2008	Uniting Nations	"Pressure Us"	-	-	-	-	Featuring Lucia Horn
2009	Bandito	"Rockin' At the Disco"	-	-	-	-	Featuring Russell Graham
2019	Daz Samspon & Nona	"Kinky Boots"	-	-	-	-	Belarus Eurovision 2019 Entry Submission
2021	Daz Samspon & Katya Ocean	"Give You Love"	-	-	-	-	Belarus Eurovision 2021 Entry Submission
"—" denotes a single that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Others songs

Year	Song title	Credited to	Charts FR	Notes
1999	"Roots (Feel Too High)"	Sunshine State featuring Daz	—
2000	"Together (We Can Make It)"	Fraud Squad	65	align=center \| Made up of Daz Sampson and JJ Mason
2006	"The Crown"	Sampson & Mason	—
2006	"The Feeling"	Sampson & Mason	—

References

"Bus Stop Discography". Discogs.com. Retrieved 17 April 2015.
"Fraud Squad Discography". Discogs.com. Retrieved 17 April 2015.
"JJ Mason Discography". Discogs.com. Retrieved 17 April 2015.
"Dance track wins Eurovision vote". BBC News. 4 March 2006. Retrieved 18 May 2006.
Banham, Mark (22 May 2006). "Eurovision attracts half UK audience". Brand Republic. Archived from the original on 16 November 2006.
"UK Exclusive: It not Daz either!". Esctoday.com. 20 February 2007. Archived from the original on 22 February 2007. Retrieved 28 February 2007.
Download Daz Sampson's banned 2008 Eurovision entry Archived 12 October 2009 at the Wayback Machine. POp Justice article. Retrieved 17 April 2015.
Hacksaw, Roy D. (26 January 2021). "EUROVISION APOCALYPSE: Belarus 2021 - Katya Ocean & Daz Sampson - Give You Love". Eurovisionapocalypse.blogspot.com. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
Sporting Riff Raff Records Official website Archived 25 June 2013 at the Wayback Machine. Sportingriffraff.com. Retrieved 17 April 2015.
"Sporting Riff Raff". Discogs. Archived from the original on 5 March 2008.
Lyons, Beverley. (30 October 2009) "Daily Record": I swapped life on the dole for big money record deal, says upcoming Scots star Bandito. Daily Record (Scotland). Retrieved 2015-04-17.
"NonLeagueBlogs on Twitter: "Issue 6 now complete. Individual or reseller subscriptions available"". Twitter.com. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
"Ashton Town coach Daz Sampson is eyeing top spot yet again!". Thenonleaguefootballpaper.com.
"Big Blue". Elevensports.com. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
"lescharts.com - Squad Fraud - Together (We Can Make It)". Lescharts.com.

External links

Preceded byJavine
with "Touch My Fire"

UK in the Eurovision Song Contest
2006

Succeeded byScooch
with "Flying the Flag (for You)"

v t e United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest
National selection (former; contestants)
Participation	1957 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 ~~2020~~ 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
Artists	Andy Abraham Olly Alexander The Allisons Michael Ball Bardo Belle and the Devotions Black Lace Blue Patricia Bredin Brotherhood of Man Bucks Fizz Pearl Carr and Teddy Johnson Ronnie Carroll Co-Co Josh Dubovie Electro Velvet Emma Jade Ewen Scott Fitzgerald James Fox Nicki French Jessica Garlick Gina G Mary Hopkin Engelbert Humperdinck Imaani Samantha Janus Javine Jemini Joe and Jake Bryan Johnson Lucie Jones Katrina and the Waves Kathy Kirby Lindsay Live Report Love City Groove Lulu Kenneth McKellar Molly Matt Monro Mike Moran Mae Muller The New Seekers James Newman Olivia Newton-John Lynsey de Paul Precious Prima Donna Michael Rice Cliff Richard Rikki Clodagh Rodgers Frances Ruffelle Ryder Sam Ryder Daz Sampson Scooch The Shadows Sandie Shaw Sonia SuRie Sweet Dreams Bonnie Tyler Vikki
Songs	"All" "Are You Sure?" "The Bad Old Days" "Beg, Steal or Borrow" "Believe in Me" "Better the Devil You Know" "Bigger than Us" "Boom Bang-a-Bang" "Children of the Universe" "Come Back" "Congratulations" "Cry Baby" "Dizzy" "Don't Play That Song Again" "Embers" "Even If" "Flying the Flag (For You)" "Give a Little Love Back to the World" "Go" "Hold On to Our Love" "I Belong" "I Can" "I Love the Little Things" "I Wrote a Song" "I'm Never Giving Up" "It's My Time" "Jack in the Box" "Knock, Knock Who's There?" "Let Me Be the One" "Long Live Love" "Looking High, High, High" "Love City Groove" "Love Enough for Two" "Love Games" "Love Is..." "Love Shine a Light" "Love Will Set You Free" "Making Your Mind Up" "A Man Without Love" "Mary Ann" "A Message to Your Heart" ~~"My Last Breath"~~ "Never Give Up on You" "No Dream Impossible" "One Step Further" "One Step Out of Time" "Only the Light" "Ooh Aah... Just a Little Bit" "Power to All Our Friends" "Puppet on a String" "Ring-A-Ding Girl" "Rock Bottom" "Runner in the Night" "Save Your Kisses for Me" "Say It Again" "Say Wonderful Things" "Sing, Little Birdie" "Space Man" "Still in Love with You" "Storm" "Teenage Life" "That Sounds Good to Me" "Touch My Fire" "We Will Be Free (Lonely Symphony)" "Where Are You?" "Why Do I Always Get It Wrong" "You're Not Alone"
Note: Entries scored out signify where the United Kingdom did not compete. Italics indicate an entry in a future contest. See also: UK Eurovision discography

Eurovision Song Contest 2006

Countries

Final	Armenia Bosnia and Herzegovina Croatia Denmark France Finland Germany Greece Ireland Israel Latvia Lithuania Macedonia Malta Moldova Norway Romania Russia Spain Sweden Switzerland Turkey Ukraine United Kingdom
Semi-final	Albania Andorra Belarus Belgium Bulgaria Cyprus Estonia Iceland Monaco Netherlands Poland Portugal Slovenia
Withdrawn	Serbia and Montenegro

Artists

Final	André Arsenium feat. Natalia Gordienko and Connect-R Dima Bilan Eddie Butler Carola Vocal Group Cosmos Fabrizio Faniello Christine Guldbrandsen Hari Mata Hari Tina Karol Brian Kennedy Las Ketchup Lordi LT United Virginie Pouchain Elena Risteska Daz Sampson Sidsel Ben Semmane Severina six4one Texas Lightning Mihai Trăistariu Sibel Tüzün Anna Vissi
Semi-final	Annet Artani Anžej Dežan Luiz Ejlli Séverine Ferrer Ich Troje Jenny Silvia Night Nonstop Mariana Popova Kate Ryan Sandra Polina Smolova Treble
Withdrawn	No Name

Songs

Final	"Alvedansen" "Bloody Mary" "Every Song Is a Cry for Love" "Everything" "Hard Rock Hallelujah" "I Do" "I Hear Your Heart" "If We All Give a Little" "Il était temps" "Invincible" "Lejla" "Loca" "Moja štikla" "Never Let You Go" "Ninanajna" "No No Never" "Show Me Your Love" "Superstar" "Teenage Life" "Together We Are One" "Tornerò" "Twist of Love" "We Are the Winners" "Without Your Love"
Semi-final	"Amambanda" "La Coco-Dance" "Coisas de nada" "Congratulations" "Follow My Heart" "Je t'adore" "Let Me Cry" "Mr Nobody" "Mum" "Sense tu" "Through My Window" "Why Angels Cry" "Zjarr e ftohtë"
Withdrawn	"Moja ljubavi"

Categories:

Latest revision as of 13:34, 13 December 2024

Career before Eurovision

Bus Stop

Fraud Squad

Sampson & Mason

Rikki & Daz

Barndance Boys / DJ Daz

Uniting Nations

Eurovision Song Contest

Eurovision 2006

Eurovision 2007

Eurovision 2019

Eurovision 2021

Other musical projects

Sporting Riff Raff Records

Sampson & Mason

Bandito

TV and radio

Football career

Discography

Albums

Singles

Others songs

See also

References

External links