| "Embers" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single byJames Newman | ||||
| Released | 11 March 2021 | |||
| Genre | Dance-pop | |||
| Length | 2:55 | |||
| Label | BMG[1] | |||
| Songwriters |
| |||
| James Newman singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Embers" onYouTube | ||||
| Eurovision Song Contest 2021 entry | ||||
| Country | ||||
| Artist | ||||
| Language | English | |||
| Lyricists |
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| Finals performance | ||||
| Final result | 26th (last) | |||
| Final points | 0 | |||
| Entry chronology | ||||
| ◄ "My Last Breath" (2020) | ||||
| "Space Man" (2022) ► | ||||
"Embers" is a song released by British singerJames Newman, on 11 March 2021.[3] It represented theUnited Kingdom in theEurovision Song Contest 2021 inRotterdam,[4] where it came in last place withno points.[5] Described as adance pop single, the song is about enduring passion, which Newman felt had resonance with the approaching end point of theCOVID-19 pandemic.[6]
In an interview onBBC radio'sNewsbeat, 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.
Newman was selected torepresent the United Kingdom in theEurovision Song Contest 2020 with the song "My Last Breath", before the event was cancelled due to theCOVID-19 pandemic in Europe. On 19 February 2021, the British broadcasterBBC announced that Newman was again internally selected for the2021 contest, that will be held inRotterdam,Netherlands.[7]
As a member of theBig Five, the United Kingdom automatically qualified for the final on 22 May 2021. The United Kingdom was the ninth country to perform, followingSerbia and precedingGreece.
The songscored 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 in2016. It is also the second UK entry to receive no points in the country's history at the competition.
The song received mixed reviews. Roisin O'Connor ofThe 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 coveteddouze points, but it will raise more smiles than our usual efforts."[8]
Jochan Embley of theEvening Standard also rated the song three out of five stars overall, feeling that "This feel-gooddance-pop bop should be more than enough to avoid anynil 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 unhingedelectro swing of 'Still in Love with You' from2015."[9]
| 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 |
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[16] | Platinum | 90,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
The UK's entry to the 2021 Eurovision Song Contest has been revealed: a high-energy dance-pop track by James Newman, entitled Embers.