James Newman has been confirmed as the United Kingdom’s 2020 entry for the Eurovision Song Contest.
The big news was announced this morning on BBC Radio 1 and BBC Radio 4, as well as the official Eurovision Twitter account.
Following teasers from the BBC and hints dropped on Twitter, Eurovision sleuths were convinced that either Love Me Again singer John Newman or his big brother James would be representing the UK in Rotterdam this year.
And as it turns out, it’s the latter.
Newman will be hoping to win – or at least get onto the right hand side of the leaderboard – with his song My Last Breath.
James is a Grammy nominated songwriter, who has penned the UK number ones Blame, performed by Calvin Harris and John Newman, and Rudimental’s Waiting All Night.
Meet @JamesNewmanUk representing the UK at #Eurovision 2020 with âMy Last Breathâ! ðhttps://t.co/UWKsu6JaQe ð¬ð§ ð¤ pic.twitter.com/iNIaZ6DPQT
— BBC Eurovisionð¬ð§ (@bbceurovision) February 27, 2020
He also wrote Lay It All On Me by Rudimental ft Ed Sheeran, Little Mix’s Love Me Like You and All I Am for Jess Glynne, while James has also penned tracks for Jessie Ware, Kesha, Zayn Malik, Liam Payne and Louis Tomlinson.
The rumour mill went into overdrive last night after it emerged that a song called My Last Breath had been registered by Newman, with songwriters including One Direction and Little Mix collaborator Ed Drewett – which turned out to be the entry.
The UK’s Eurovision entry is usually chosen through a public vote on the live show Eurovision: You Decide, which was last year hosted by Mel Giedroyc.
However, this year, the entry was chosen by the BBC and BMG – and James is one of the artists signed to BMG.
Look at that, all the pieces falling into place…
He will be hoping to improve on the UK’s performance last year, after Michael Rice came dead last in Tel Aviv.
The All Together Now winner failed to impress with his ballad Bigger Than Us, which received just 16 points in the grand final.
However, a mix-up with the vote counting meant that even this was inflated, and after corrections, Bigger Than Us achieved just 11 points.
Eurovision Song Contest 2020 participants
ALBANIA: Arilena Ara – Shaj
ARMENIA: Athena Manoukian – Chains On You
AUSTRALIA: Montaigne – Don’t Break Me
AUSTRIA: Vincent Bueno – Alive
BELGIUM: Hooverphonic – Release Me
BULGARIA: Victoria (song TBA)
CYPRUS: Sandro – Running
CZECH REPUBLIC: Benny Cristo – Kemama
FRANCE: Tom Leeb – The Best In Me
GEORGIA: Tornike Kipiani (song TBA)
GREECE: Stefania – SUPERG!RL
ISRAEL: Eden Alene (song TBA)
ITALY: Diodato – Fai rumore
LATVIA: Samanta Tina – Still Breathing
LITHUANIA: The Roop – On Fire
MALTA: Destiny Chukunyere
NORTH MACEDONIA: Vasil (song TBA)
NORWAY: Ulrikke – Attention
POLAND: Alicja Szemplińska – Empires
ROMANIA: Roxen (song TBA)
SLOVENIA: Ana Soklič – Voda
SPAIN: Blas Cantó – Universo
THE NETHERLANDS: Jeangu Macrooy (song TBA)
UKRAINE: Go_A – Solovey
UNITED KINGDOM: James Newman – My Last Breath
Michael blamed the result on Brexit, telling The Sun after the contest: ‘I always knew I was going to come in this position because of Brexit. Do you know what? If it was Gary Barlow or Elton John, they still probably would have come last too.’
The UK has come last at Eurovision four times since 2003 – Michael in 2019, Josh Dubovie with That Sounds Good To Me in 2008, Andy Abraham with Even If in 2008 and Jemini’s infamous performance of Cry Baby in 2003.
Blue has given the UK’s best standing in the past decade, coming in 11th place in 2011 with I Can.
The last time the UK won was in 1997, when Katrina and The Waves came out on top with Love Shine A Light.
The Eurovision Song Contest this year will be held in Rotterdam, after Duncan Laurence won in Israel for The Netherlands with his ballad Arcade.
James will go straight through to the final as one of the Big Five, alongside France, Italy, Spain and Germany.
The semi-finals will take place on 12 and 14 May, with the grand final taking place on 16 May.
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