Embers (James Newman song)

"Embers" is a song released by British singer James Newman, on 11 March 2021.^[3] It represented the United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest 2021 in Rotterdam,^[4] where it came in last place with no points.^[5] Described as a dance pop single, the song is about enduring passion, which Newman feels has resonance with the approaching end point of the COVID-19 pandemic.^[6]

"Embers"
Single by James Newman
Released	11 March 2021
Genre	Dance-pop
Length	2:55
Label	BMG[1]
Songwriter(s)	James Newman Conor Blake Danny Shah Tom Hollings Samuel Brennan[2]
James Newman singles chronology
"Alone" (2020) "Embers" (2021)
Music video
"Embers" on YouTube
Eurovision Song Contest 2021 entry
Country	United Kingdom
Artist(s)	James Newman
Language	English
Lyricist(s)	James Newman Conor Blake Danny Shah Tom Hollings Samuel Brennan
Finals performance
Final result	26th (last)
Final points	0
Entry chronology
◄ "My Last Breath" (2020)
"Space Man" (2022) ►

In an interview on BBC radio's Newsbeat, Newman stated: "I feel like everyone wants a party and to have some fun so when I was writing, that's what I had in my head. I wanted something people can dance to, even if it's just in their kitchen."^[7] The song received mixed reviews from critics. Following the contest it reached the top forty within Lithuania, Belgium and the United Kingdom and charted in Sweden and the Netherlands. It has since been certified Platinum in Denmark.

Eurovision Song Contest

Main article: United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest 2021

Newman was selected to represent the United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 with the song "My Last Breath", before the event was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe. On 19 February 2021, the British broadcaster BBC announced that Newman was again internally selected for the 2021 contest, that will be held in Rotterdam, Netherlands.^[7]

As a member of the Big Five, the United Kingdom automatically qualified for the final on 22 May 2021. The United Kingdom was the ninth country to perform, following Serbia and preceding Greece.

The song scored zero points ("nul points") from both the jury vote and the audience televote, becoming the first entry to do so since the jury vote and televotes were split in 2016. It is also the second UK entry to receive no points in the country's history at the competition.

Reviews

The song received mixed reviews. Roisin O'Connor of The Independent gave the song three out of five stars. O'Connor stated that "Newman delivers these lyrics in charismatic whoops – he actually sounds like a children's entertainer – so you can forgive the clichés. And anyway, as he's probably noticed, Eurovision judges are fans of a few clichés. So nice one, James. It probably won't get the coveted douze points, but it will raise more smiles than our usual efforts."^[8]

Jochan Embley of the Evening Standard also rated the song three out of five stars overall, feeling that "This feel-good dance-pop bop should be more than enough to avoid any nil points catastrophe". Embley also stated that "It is a pretty by-the-numbers dance-pop track – with some faint steel dreams in the intro, plucky pianos and hand claps in the chorus, and fairly ambiguous lyrics about how 'you and I are gonna light up the room' – but it's most certainly the most fun this nation has had with its entry since the ever so slightly unhinged electro swing of 'Still in Love with You' from 2015."^[9]

Charts

Chart performance for "Embers"

Chart (2021)	Peak position
Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Flanders)[10]	47
Lithuania (AGATA)[11]	45
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[12]	80
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[13]	97
UK Singles (OCC)[14]	47
UK Indie (OCC)[15]	7

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[16]	Platinum	90,000‡
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

1. Luukela, Sami (10 March 2021). "James Newman to sing "Embers" at Eurovision 2021". ESC Extra. Archived from the original on 10 March 2021.
2. "James Newman will sing 'Embers' for the UK at Eurovision 2021!". BBC. Archived from the original on 11 March 2021. Retrieved 11 March 2021.
3. Beaumont-Thomas, Ben (11 March 2021). "UK's 2021 Eurovision entry revealed: Embers by James Newman". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 11 March 2021. The UK's entry to the 2021 Eurovision Song Contest has been revealed: a high-energy dance-pop track by James Newman, entitled Embers.
4. Washak, James (10 March 2021). "United Kingdom: James Newman's Eurovision Entry Is Titled "Embers"". Eurovoix. Archived from the original on 10 March 2021.
5. "Italy wins Eurovision Song Contest, UK comes last". BBC News. 21 May 2021. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
6. Beaumont-Thomas, Ben (11 March 2021). "UK's 2021 Eurovision entry revealed: Embers by James Newman". MSN. Archived from the original on 11 March 2021.
7. Holden, Steve (19 February 2021). "Eurovision Song Contest 2021: James Newman reselected as UK's entry". BBC News. Archived from the original on 19 February 2021.
8. "James Newman's Eurovision song is the most bonkers UK entry in a while – review". The Independent. 11 March 2021. Retrieved 12 March 2021.
9. Embley, Jochan (11 March 2021). "James Newman's Eurovision song is the most fun we've had in years". Evening Standard. Retrieved 12 March 2021.
10. "James Newman – Embers" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved 31 May 2021.
11. "2021 21-os SAVAITĖS (gegužės 21-27 d.) SINGLŲ TOP100" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. 28 May 2021. Archived from the original on 28 May 2021. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
12. "James Newman – Embers" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
13. "James Newman – Embers". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
14. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
15. "Official Independent Singles Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
16. "Danish single certifications – James Newman – Embers". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved 7 March 2022. Scroll through the page-list below until year 2021 to obtain certification.