Eurovision 2021: James Newman unveils UK entry song ‘Embers’
Does the UK have a fighting chance in Rotterdam this May? It's time to find out.
By Will Stroude
With the Eurovision Song Contest 2021 now just a little over two months away, singer James Newman has unveiled the song he’ll be representing the UK with when he travels to Rotterdam this May.
James, who was set to perform ballad ‘My Last Breath’ at 2020’s cancelled competition, will return this year with ‘Embers’, an up-tempo, anthemic new track complete with catchy brass hook.
The song, which has already shot into the UK iTunes Top 20 since being released on Thursday morning (11 March) certainly sounds like it could be the kind of infectious, fun Eurovision track that could take the UK back towards the top half of the table after more than a decade of finishes outside the top 10 (the last being Jade Ewen’s 2009 entry ‘It’s My Time’, which placed 5th.
Fans will certainly be hoping ‘Embers’ secures the UK a better showing than Michael Rice’s ‘Bigger than Us’, which ended up in last place in Tel Aviv in 2019.
At least half of the 41 countries participating in Eurovision 2021 have chosen to reselect the act due to represent them in 2020, but acts will not be allowed to re-enter with songs they had been due to perform last year before coronavirus saw the show scrapped for the first time in its 64-year history.
Organisers have promised that the event will take place live and in-person in Rotterdam this year, but contestants have already been asked to produce a “live-on-tape” performance ahead of the competition as a back-up in case travel restrictions prevent anyone from reaching Rotterdam.
The Eurovision Song Contest takes place Tuesday 18 May 2021 to Saturday 22 May 2021 in Rotterdam, The Netherlands.