# James Newman (singer)

James Richard Newman (born 19 October 1985) is an English 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
### Extended plays

| Title | Details |
| The Things We Do | Released: 17 July 2020 Label: BMG Formats: Digital download, streaming |

### Singles
#### As lead artist

| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Album |
| Title | Year | UK | NLD | SCO | SWE | Album |
| "If You're Not Going to Love Me" (vs DC Breaks) | 2016 | — | — | — | — | Non-album single |
| "My Last Breath" | 2020 | — | 23 | 23 | — | The Things We Do |
| "Enough" | 2020 | — | — | — | — | The Things We Do |
| "Better Man" | 2020 | — | — | — | — | The Things We Do |
| "Alone" | 2020 | — | — | — | — | The Things We Do |
| "Embers" | 2021 | 47 | 80 | — | 97 | Non-album singles |
| "Infinity" (with Lucas Estrada) | 2024 | — | — | — | — | Non-album singles |
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released. |||||||

#### As featured artist

| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Album |
| Title | Year | BEL (Wa) Tip | NLD 40 | NLD 100 | US Dance Air. | Album |
| "Coming Home" (Arno Cost featuring James Newman) | 2015 | — | — | — | — | Non-album singles |
| "Daylight to Midnight" (Night Safari featuring James Newman) | 2015 | — | — | — | — | Non-album singles |
| "Head Up" (Don Diablo featuring James Newman) | 2018 | — | — | — | — | Future |
| "Therapy" (Armin van Buuren featuring James Newman) | 2018 | 37 | 4 | 26 | 15 | Balance |
| "Lights Go Down" (Matoma featuring James Newman) | 2018 | — | — | — | — | One in a Million |
| "High on Your Love" (Armin van Buuren featuring James Newman) | 2019 | — | — | — | — | Balance |
| "Slow Lane" (Armin van Buuren featuring James Newman) | 2020 | — | — | — | — | Euthymia |
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released. |||||||

### Songwriting credits

indicated a background vocals contribution.  indicates a featured artist contribution.
| Year | Artist | Album | Song | Co-written with |
| 2013 | Rudimental | Home | "Waiting All Night" (featuring Ella Eyre) | Amir Izadkhah, Piers Aggett, Kesi Dryden, Johnny Harris |
| 2014 | Calvin Harris | Motion | "Blame" (featuring John Newman) | Adam Wiles, John Newman |
| 2014 | Gorgon City | Sirens | "Try Me Out" (featuring Anne-Marie) | Kye Gibbon, Matthew Robson-Scott, Jonny Coffer, Anne-Marie Nicholson |
| 2014 | Union J | You Got It All - The Album | "Get It Right" | George Shelley, Timothy Powell, Mary Leay |
| 2015 | Arno Cost | Non-album single | "Coming Home" (featuring James Newman) | Vadim Constantin, Katherine Syren-Russell, Johnny Harris |
| 2015 | Jess Glynne | I Cry When I Laugh | "It Ain't Right" | Jessica Glynne, Finlay Dow-Smith |
| 2015 | Jess Glynne | I Cry When I Laugh | "No Rights, No Wrongs" | Jessica Glynne, Janee Bennett, Andrew Knox Brown, Jonny Coffer, Finlay Dow-Smith |
| 2015 | Little Mix | Get Weird | "Love Me Like You" | Camille Purcell, Steve McCutcheon, Iain Farquarson |
| 2015 | Rudimental | We the Generation | "Lay It All on Me" (featuring Ed Sheeran) | 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 |
| 2015 | Rudimental | We the Generation | "Too Cool" (featuring Ella Eyre) | Amir Izadkhah, Piers Aggett, Kesi Dryden, Leon Rolle, Ella McMahon, Johnny Harris |
| 2015 | Rudimental | We the Generation | "All That Love" (featuring Anne-Marie) | Amir Izadkhah, Piers Aggett, Kesi Dryden, Leon Rolle, Johnny Harris, Wayne Hector, Julie Frost, Nicholas Gale |
| 2015 | Foxes | All I Need | "Amazing" | Louisa Rose Allen, Martin Brammer, Jonny Lattimer |
| 2016 | Diztortion | Non-album single | "I'll Be There" | Raoul Chen, Eyelar Mirzazadeh |
| 2016 | Netsky | III | "High Alert" (featuring Sara Hartman) | Boris Daenan, Johnny Harris, Daniel Watts |
| 2016 | Matoma | Hakuna Matoma / One in a Million | "False Alarm" (with Becky Hill) | Thomas Lagergren, Rebecca Hill, Kara DioGuardi, Daniel Heløy Davidsen, Peter Wallevik, Mich Hansen |
| 2016 | Havana Brown | Non-album single | "Like Lightning" (featuring Dawin) | Angelique Meunier, Kesha Sebert, Stuart Crichton, Dawin Polanco |
| 2016 | Kaiser Chiefs | Stay Together | "Why Do You Do It to Me?" | Charles Wilson, Andrew White, Simon Rix, Nicholas Baines, Vijay Mistry, Brian Higgins, Toby Scott, Nicholas Coler |
| 2016 | Olly Murs | 24 Hrs | "Read My Mind" | Oliver Murs, Steve Robson, Edward Drewett |
| 2017 | Digital Farm Animals | Non-album single | "Digital Love" (featuring Hailee Steinfeld) | Nicholas Gale, Daniel Heløy Davidsen, Peter Wallevik, Mich Hansen, Daniel Stein, Willem van Hanegem, Ward van der Harst |
| 2017 | Brendan Murray | Non-album single | "Dying to Try" | Jörgen Elofsson |
| 2017 | Kesha | Rainbow | "Let Em Talk" (featuring Eagles of Death Metal) | Kesha Sebert, Stuart Crichton |
| 2017 | Daya | Non-album single | "New" | Grace Tandon, Brett McLaughlin, Mikkel Eriksen, Tor Hermansen, Nolan Lambroza |
| 2017 | Jessie Ware | Glasshouse | "First Time" | Jessica Ware, Finlay Dow-Smith |
| 2017 | Guy Sebastian | Conscious | "Keep Me Coming Back" | Guy Sebastian, Emma Walker, Lionel Towers |
| 2017 | Alexandru | Non-album single | "Sellotape" | Jack Walton, Fiona Bevan, Maegan Cottone |
| 2018 | Don Diablo | Future | "Head Up" (featuring James Newman) | Don Schipper, Richard Boardman, Pablo Bowman |
| 2018 | John Newman | Non-album single | "Fire in Me" | John Newman, Philip Plested, David "Dehiro" Mørup |
| 2018 | Toni Braxton | Sex & Cigarettes | "Coping" | Toni Braxton, David Gibson, Stuart Crichton |
| 2018 | The Shires | Accidentally on Purpose | "Stay the Night" | Edward Sheeran, Johnny McDaid, John Newman |
| 2018 | Armin van Buuren | Balance | "Therapy" (featuring James Newman) | Armin van Buuren, Benno de Goeij, Michael Busbee |
| 2018 | Dan Caplen | Non-album single | "Trouble" (featuring Ms Banks) | Daniel Caplen, Sophie Cooke, Frederik Eichen |
| 2018 | Jess Glynne | Always in Between | "All I Am" | Jessica Glynne, Janee Bennett, Sophie Cooke, Bastian Langebaek, Sandy Rivera, Jay "Sinister" Sealee |
| 2018 | Matoma | One in a Million | "Lights Go Down" (featuring James Newman) | Thomas Lagergren, Matthew Simons, Tushar Apte, Hanni Ibrahim, Patrick Patrikios |
| 2018 | Sigala | Brighter Days | "All for Love" (featuring Kodaline) | Bruce Fielder, Steven Garrigan, Moon Willis |
| 2018 | Jess Glynne | Always in Between | "1, 2, 3" | Jessica Glynne, Janee Bennett, Jordan Thomas, Jonathan Mensah |
| 2018 | Olly Murs | You Know I Know | "Footsteps" | Oliver Murs, Thomas Barnes, Peter Kelleher, Benjamin Kohn |
| 2018 | Zayn | Icarus Falls | "Talk to Me" | Zayn Malik, Alexander Oriet, David Phelan, Fredrick Wexler |
| 2019 | Lost Kings | Paper Crowns EP | "Don't Kill My High" (featuring Wiz Khalifa and Social House) | 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 |
| 2019 | Backstreet Boys | DNA | "Chateau" | Cole Citrenbaum, Stephen Wrabel, Stuart Crichton, Michael Pollack |
| 2019 | Backstreet Boys | DNA | "OK" | Stuart Crichton, Jason Dean, Joseph Kirland |
| 2019 | Stephen Puth | Non-album single | "Half Gone" | Stephen Puth, Ian Franzino, Andrew Haas |
| 2019 | Louis Tomlinson | Walls | "Don't Let It Break Your Heart" | Louis Tomlinson, Stuart Crichton, Cole Citrenbaum, Wrabel |