James Newman will represent the British in the Eurovision Song Contest after years of composing for others

Burr Sarah Mills

LONDON (Reuters) – After spending years composing names like DJ Calvin Harris and Rudimental, James Newman will finally perform on a stage like no other: the Eurovision Song Contest.

The 35-year-old singer-songwriter will represent the United Kingdom at next week’s competition, which will be held in the Dutch port city of Rotterdam.

Newman, his brother, singer John Newman, will perform “Embers,” a song he composed before the Covid-19 pandemic, but he hopes it will cheer people up after a difficult year.

“I wanted to do something like a party and it was fun and something that made people feel like they were coming back from a really bad time,” he told Reuters.

“I’ve been writing songs for other people for about seven years now. But there is always this thing inside of me that wants to come on stage and do it myself.”

Newman should have participated in last year’s competition, which was canceled due to the pandemic – and he caught the virus himself.

Known for its vulgar pop music and extravagant costumes, the annual Eurovision Song Contest has around 200 million people.

Dutch singer-songwriter Duncan Lawrence won the 2019 competition, which is why the 65th edition will be held in the Netherlands, with the participation of 39 countries.