James Newman (singer)


James Richard Newman is an English former singer and songwriter. During the 2014 Brit Awards, he won the Brit Award for British Single of the Year as a co-writer of "Waiting All Night", a song by English band Rudimental. Newman was selected to represent the United Kingdom at the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 with the song, "My Last Breath" before its cancellation. He instead represented the country in the Eurovision Song Contest 2021 with the song "Embers”, which came in last place with nul points.

Career

2013–2019: Career beginnings with songwriting

As a child, Newman became interested in music, and he wrote and produced songs with his younger brother John Newman. In his 20s, he established himself as a songwriter in London, and in 2013 he co-wrote Rudimental and Ella Eyre's hit "Waiting All Night". The song topped the UK Singles Chart. Newman won the "Brit Award for British Single of the Year" during the 2014 Brit Awards for co-writing "Waiting All Night" with Jonny Harris.
Later, James co-wrote with his brother John Newman and with Calvin Harris the latter's song "Blame", featuring vocals by John. The song, an international hit, topped the UK singles chart, in addition to peaking in Scotland, the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Finland and Mexico. It reached number 19 on Billboard Hot 100 and topped the US Billboard Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart. Newman was also a co-composer of a number of songs including "Let 'Em Talk" on Kesha's 2017 album Rainbow, and "Coping" for Toni Braxton on her 2018 album Sex & Cigarettes.
Newman was a featured vocalist on several songs including the 2018 hit "Therapy" by Dutch DJ Armin van Buuren. The song charted in the Netherlands, Belgium and on the US Dance/Mix Show Airplay chart. The same year he was featured on the song "Lights Go Down", a song by the Norwegian music producer and DJ Matoma in his album One in a Million. In 2019, he was featured on the Armin van Buuren song "High on Your Love".

2020–2021: Eurovision Song Contest and ''The Things We Do''

On 27 February 2020, the BBC announced that Newman would represent the United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. He was set to participate with the song "My Last Breath", which Newman co-wrote with Adam Argyle, Ed Drewett and Iain James. However, the 2020 event was later canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe. On 17 July 2020, Newman released his debut EP called The Things We Do, which includes the singles "My Last Breath", "Enough" and "Better Man".
On 19 February 2021, it was announced that Newman was reselected to represent the United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest 2021. As one of the Big Five countries in the competition, the UK directly qualified for the final on 22 May. In an interview on 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". The song "Embers" was released on 11 March 2021. However, the song got "nul points" in the Eurovision final from both juries and televotes and came last.

Personal life

James Newman was born in Settle in the Yorkshire Dales. When Newman was eleven years old, his father left the family, leaving his mother Jackie to take care of James and his younger brother John all by herself, working as a receptionist. John later became a well-known singer, songwriter, musician and record producer.

Discography

Songwriting credits

indicated a background vocals contribution.
indicates a featured artist contribution.
YearArtistAlbumSongCo-written with
2013RudimentalHome"Waiting All Night"
Amir Izadkhah, Piers Aggett, Kesi Dryden, Johnny Harris
2014Calvin HarrisMotion"Blame"
Adam Wiles, John Newman
2014Gorgon CitySirens"Try Me Out"
Kye Gibbon, Matthew Robson-Scott, Jonny Coffer, Anne-Marie Nicholson
2014Union JYou Got It All - The Album"Get It Right"George Shelley, Timothy Powell, Mary Leay
2015Arno Cost"Coming Home"
Vadim Constantin, Katherine Syren-Russell, Johnny Harris
2015Jess GlynneI Cry When I Laugh"It Ain't Right"Jessica Glynne, Finlay Dow-Smith
2015Jess GlynneI Cry When I Laugh"No Rights, No Wrongs"Jessica Glynne, Janee Bennett, Andrew Knox Brown, Jonny Coffer, Finlay Dow-Smith
2015Little MixGet Weird"Love Me Like You"Camille Purcell, Steve McCutcheon, Iain Farquarson
2015RudimentalWe the Generation"Lay It All on Me"
Amir Izadkhah, Piers Aggett, Kesi Dryden, Leon Rolle, Johnny Harris, Adam Eaglefield, Jacob Manson, Edward Sheeran, Gavin Slater, Lasse Peterson, Maxwell McElligott, James Luke Wood
2015RudimentalWe the Generation"Too Cool"
Amir Izadkhah, Piers Aggett, Kesi Dryden, Leon Rolle, Ella McMahon, Johnny Harris
2015RudimentalWe the Generation"All That Love"
Amir Izadkhah, Piers Aggett, Kesi Dryden, Leon Rolle, Johnny Harris, Wayne Hector, Julie Frost, Nicholas Gale
2015FoxesAll I Need"Amazing"Louisa Rose Allen, Martin Brammer, Jonny Lattimer
2016Diztortion"I'll Be There"Raoul Chen, Eyelar Mirzazadeh
2016NetskyIII"High Alert"
Boris Daenan, Johnny Harris, Daniel Watts
2016MatomaHakuna Matoma /
One in a Million
"False Alarm"
Thomas Lagergren, Rebecca Hill, Kara DioGuardi, Daniel Heløy Davidsen, Peter Wallevik, Mich Hansen
2016Havana Brown"Like Lightning"
Angelique Meunier, Kesha Sebert, Stuart Crichton, Dawin Polanco
2016Kaiser ChiefsStay Together"Why Do You Do It to Me?"Charles Wilson, Andrew White, Simon Rix, Nicholas Baines, Vijay Mistry, Brian Higgins, Toby Scott, Nicholas Coler
2016Olly Murs24 Hrs"Read My Mind"Oliver Murs, Steve Robson, Edward Drewett
2017Digital Farm Animalsrowspan="2" "Digital Love"
Nicholas Gale, Daniel Heløy Davidsen, Peter Wallevik, Mich Hansen, Daniel Stein, Willem van Hanegem, Ward van der Harst
2017Brendan Murray"Dying to Try"Jörgen Elofsson-
2017KeshaRainbow"Let Em Talk" Kesha Sebert, Stuart Crichton
2017Daya"New"Grace Tandon, Brett McLaughlin, Mikkel Eriksen, Tor Hermansen, Nolan Lambroza
2017Jessie WareGlasshouse"First Time"Jessica Ware, Finlay Dow-Smith
2017Guy SebastianConscious"Keep Me Coming Back"Guy Sebastian, Emma Walker, Lionel Towers
2017Alexandru"Sellotape"Jack Walton, Fiona Bevan, Maegan Cottone
2018Don DiabloFuture"Head Up"
Don Schipper, Richard Boardman, Pablo Bowman
2018John Newman"Fire in Me"John Newman, Philip Plested, David "Dehiro" Mørup
2018Toni BraxtonSex & Cigarettes"Coping"Toni Braxton, David Gibson, Stuart Crichton
2018The ShiresAccidentally on Purpose"Stay the Night"Edward Sheeran, Johnny McDaid, John Newman
2018Armin van BuurenBalance"Therapy"
Armin van Buuren, Benno de Goeij, Michael Busbee
2018Dan Caplen"Trouble"
Daniel Caplen, Sophie Cooke, Frederik Eichen
2018Jess GlynneAlways in Between"All I Am"Jessica Glynne, Janee Bennett, Sophie Cooke, Bastian Langebaek, Sandy Rivera, Jay "Sinister" Sealee
2018MatomaOne in a Million"Lights Go Down"
Thomas Lagergren, Matthew Simons, Tushar Apte, Hanni Ibrahim, Patrick Patrikios
2018SigalaBrighter Days"All for Love"
Bruce Fielder, Steven Garrigan, Moon Willis
2018Jess GlynneAlways in Between"1, 2, 3"Jessica Glynne, Janee Bennett, Jordan Thomas, Jonathan Mensah
2018Olly MursYou Know I Know"Footsteps"Oliver Murs, Thomas Barnes, Peter Kelleher, Benjamin Kohn
2018ZaynIcarus Falls"Talk to Me"Zayn Malik, Alexander Oriet, David Phelan, Fredrick Wexler
2019Lost KingsPaper Crowns EP"Don't Kill My High"
Nicholas Schanholz, Robert Abisi, John Ryan II, Ruth-Anne Cunningham, Ian Franzino, Andrew Haas, Sabrina Bernstein, Ilsey Juber, Alexander Izquerdio, Marcus Lomax, Cameron Thomaz, Michael Foster, Charles Anderson
2019Backstreet BoysDNA"Chateau"Cole Citrenbaum, Stephen Wrabel, Stuart Crichton, Michael Pollack
2019Backstreet BoysDNA"OK"Stuart Crichton, Jason Dean, Joseph Kirland
2019Stephen Puth"Half Gone"Stephen Puth, Ian Franzino, Andrew Haas
2019Louis TomlinsonWalls"Don't Let It Break Your Heart"Louis Tomlinson, Stuart Crichton, Cole Citrenbaum, Wrabel
2019----