Settle's James Newman is 'absolutely buzzing' ahead of Eurovision final
The singer-songwriter was due to compete last year but the competition was cancelled due to the pandemic.
The UK's Eurovision hopeful James Newman has said he is "absolutely buzzing" to perform in the live final of the competition this weekend.
The 2021 contest will go ahead in Rotterdam this year, after the 2020 instalment was called off because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Newman, who had been due to perform last year, will represent the UK with his upbeat track new track Embers, a contrast to the ballad My Last Breath, which he had been due to sing in 2020.
He said: "We've had such a rubbish time, I think Eurovision is such a celebration of music, which is just what we need.
"I have recently been watching past finals, and everyone is just having the best time, it's just the kind of escapism people need right now.
"We wrote Embers in North London last year. I really wanted an upbeat song, as I felt like that was what I needed to do for this year.
"One of the sessions was with Conor Blake, Danny Shah, Tom Hollings and Samuel Brennan, who are all doing amazing things in the industry right now.
"Conor showed me this concept, and it essentially is about the spark being reignited, that glow in the fire that hasn't gone out yet.
"It represents coming back together after the year we have had and people being reunited with loved ones, and just having fun. It felt so right to me, and I loved the big brass drop!"
Comparing it to the song he wrote for last year, he said: "When I wrote My Last Breath it was before Covid-19, and I wanted to do a ballad for the competition, it just felt right to me.
"But after the pandemic hit, I really wanted to do a dance song that we could have fun with."
Newman said it feels "absolutely mad" to be representing the UK and added: "I am absolutely buzzing, it has been two years in the making, I've been building up to this huge stage performance and I can't wait to perform in front of millions of people across the world.
"It has been a year of performing in my kitchen! The whole reason I got into music from such a young age was because I love performing in front of people, so I am so excited to go and do that on such a massive stage."
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