James Newman shares statement after UK gets nil points at Eurovision 2021

24 May 2021, 15:10 | Written by Cerys Kenneally

(News)

James Newman has shared a statement after the UK failed to score a single point at Saturday's (22 May) Eurovision grand final, saying he wants "to focus on the positives".

On Saturday (22 May) night, James Newman performed his Eurovision 2021 entry song "Embers" in Rotterdam at the grand final, but the UK didn't score a single point from both the jury and public votes.

Earlier today (24 May) Newman shared a statement addressing the nil points performance, saying he wants "to focus on the positives of this amazing experience."

He wrote, "I stood on a stage and sang to hundreds of millions of people with a song that I wrote and love."

After thanking the team around him, Newman continued, "The thing about writing songs is that there is no guarantee that a song you think will connect with people, will connect with an audience.

Thank you to all the amazing dedicated fans who have supported me through the whole thing, made it all worth it. Because at the end of the day they are the people who you do this all for."

At the end of his statement, he added, "The times when it doesn’t play out how you hoped it might, teach you how to pick yourself up and be stronger x."

pic.twitter.com/0iaSSrT30Y
— James Newman (@JamesNewmanUk) May 24, 2021

"Embers" was the first UK Eurovision entry to not score a single point since Jemini's "Cry Baby" in 2003.

Italy's Måneskin won Eurovision 2021 with "Zitti e buoni". Lead singer Damiano David has since agreed to "take a voluntary drug test" after viewers speculated he was taking cocaine.