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United Kingdom UNITED KINGDOM 2021 - James Newman - Embers

How do you rate this entry?

  • 12

    22 11.1%
  • 10

    18 9.1%
  • 8

    28 14.1%
  • 7

    27 13.6%
  • 6

    30 15.2%
  • 5

    15 7.6%
  • 4

    15 7.6%
  • 3

    6 3.0%
  • 2

    9 4.5%
  • 1

    9 4.5%
  • 0

    19 9.6%

  • Total voters
    198

escYOUnited

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Sometimes I know my fire burns low
But as long as you're with me I'll never get cold
'Til day and night, 'til darkness and light
I never worry when you're by my side

Oh, feelings change and seasons fade
But nothing will burn us out
Nothing can stop us now

Out of the embers
You and I are gonna light up the room (Yeah, you and I gonna light up the room)
Out of the embers
There's a fire burning for you (Yeah, there's a fire burning for you)
I feel the heat here
There's still a chance for us
Down herе in the ashes, yeah, thеre's something growing
Out of the embers
You and I are gonna light up the room (Yeah, you and I gonna light)

Light up the room
Light up the room

You and me forever, we're free
We're cool under pressure, and that's all we need
So take my hand, and forget the past
We're in this together, there's no looking back

Oh, feelings change and seasons fade
But nothing will burn us out
Nothing can stop us now

Out of the embers
You and I are gonna light up the room (Yeah, you and I gonna light up the room)
Out of the embers
There's a fire burning for you (Yeah, there's a fire burning for you)
I feel the heat here
There's still a chance for us
Down here in the ashes, yeah, there's something growing
Out of the embers
You and I are gonna light up the room (Yeah, you and I gonna light)

Light up the room

Out of the embers
You and I are gonna light up the room (Yeah, you and I gonna light up the room)
Out of the embers
You and I are gonna light up the room (Yeah, you and I gonna light up the room)​
 
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theditz83

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Ok, time to put down some more detailed comments here having listened to this quite a few times now.

As said before, I have been screaming out for an entry that would represent us in the vein of all the massive pop-dance writers and producers that have been dominating the UK charts for a few years now (namely Jax Jones, Sigala, Jonas Blue, Joel Corry etc.) So I am truly delighted to hear that James has chosen this genre for "Embers" as it completely represents a current trend in UK music right now, and I don't think we can say that's happened very often in a long long time for :uk:

The song itself, much like the genre, will either light you up or leave you disinterested. As a fan, I'm living for the piano, the brass synths, the bass and the overall composition - it feels dynamic and filled with energy that just makes we want to move.

In terms of the weaker points of the song, I find the verses a little cumbersome with the rhythms used for the vocal line (the first part of the song always sounds like James is struggling to fit in all the words before it gets to the end of the section!) Also, the marimba synths in the verses sound a little amateur and don't match the more uplifting and anthemic synths used in the chorus and instrumental hook. If I'm being picky, I'd also have liked a change up to the percussion for the second chorus to add to the feeling of progression and make the composition sound less copy-paste, but this is a small thing.

The dynamic chord progressions in the bridge and instrumental hook add a great sense of movement to the composition, and I feel like these are the strongest parts of the song, really drawing you in. By the first instrumental hook, I was drawn in and fully invested in the song, and I do think that this more nuanced song-writing and composition combined with the instant catchiness should appeal to a decent amount of televoters and jury voters alike.

I do think he could've gone a bit harder with the beats and bass (a-la Joel Corry's banger "Head & Heart" with MNEK) but overall, James has written and produced a song that I will whole-heartedly support in May and I genuinely hope that the live stage performance can bring the same energy and level of fun to make sure that bottom 5 is a thing of the past for us.

Also, Kai's comparison to a "McDonald's banger" still has me in stitches as I totally get what he means! :lol:
 
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kamc

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March 20, 2013
Posts
1,369
yeah that's my main issue, I don't think this is the song I can imagine him performing well, like the song is very well produced and he sings well, but will this look good on stage? hmm
Well he needs to lose the big winter coat for a start. He looks like he walked straight off the set from One Last Breath right onto the shoot for Embers.
His styling isn’t matching the song at all as he’s singing a big summery bop dressed in a heavy coat and all black from head to toe.
Come on James, give us a bit of colour!!
 

theditz83

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Well he needs to lose the big winter coat for a start. He looks like he walked straight off the set from One Last Breath right onto the shoot for Embers.
His styling isn’t matching the song at all as he’s singing a big summery bop dressed in a heavy coat and all black from head to toe.
Come on James, give us a bit of colour!!
Yeah I think the styling will be different for the staging as obviously shooting a video in early March temperatures outdoors in the UK is never going to be advisable in summery gear.

I do also echo the concerns that some people have about James' ability to move appropriately for such a performance without looking like a slightly tipsy embarrassing uncle at a birthday party. But that's where the rest of the staging and performers on stage as well as that much needed pyro at the end will become crucial. ;)
 

Ianp16

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April 15, 2015
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792
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Manchester
On first listen...

This is definitely a McDonald's banger. It's something I would never choose to listen to. BUT they are trying and I must applaud the BBC for it. However, it's just not good enough. Like some people say, it's the kind of song people will enjoy but not vote for, a bit like Storm by Surie, which couldn't even muster up some sympathy points after she had one of the best performances of the night in 2018.

I feel torn. It's something we can all get behind which I love, but it's still a teeny bit MEH.

I think had this been our entry seven years ago I would be ecstatic as this kind of sound was red hot between 2012-16 (in my mind anyway).

I'll give it an optimistic :7: points.
 

Iker

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March 13, 2018
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It's a better effort than multiple awful entries from the UK in the past but I liked his last year's entry more. This once is more danceable obviously and that brass section (sax etc.) is pretty good.


Overall above average for flat-out mediocre standards of this country at the ESC but otherwise nothing special. 6/12
 
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Iker

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Yep, well maybe for some it's not as obvious as the people from the UK, but you can still tell. In France a good part of the population doesn't really have an accent (mainly the west and center regions) but you can instantly tell if someone is from southeast, south west, north, or east. For eg, I just have to open my mouth for people to be "gurl pls, stop butchering french, thx."

Now onto the song, it's the most radio-friendly track in this year's ESC, but I guess it kinda represents today's UK music scene ? I liked My last breath more, this one doesn't really do anything to me. Competent enough to not be discarded far away in my memory but I don't think it's striking enough to score points in May. A :6: for, positive part but still average.
Likewise here as In Poland it is mostly the south that have an accent and they literally put stress on a different syllable than other Poles - they stress the first one like in Czech or Slovak; (I am leaving aside Silesian that for some is a separate language and Kashubian in Pomerania just focusing on what is undeniably Polish albeit some Silesians have a thick accent when they use 'standard Polish' too and throw in words that are very characteristic or alien to me), otherwise most people do not really have it save for old people, mostly rural folk. Also in the North-East and parts of Mazovia there are people who speak with that eastern melody and use different words.
 
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Leydan

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I hope the BBC is reading this thread and decides to promote it as a McDonalds Banger.
 

Leydan

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My reaction video..take my :12: already......................


ugh It makes me happy to see a positive reaction to our entry for a change, i'm not a massive fan of it myself but watching your reaction was so refreshing. I'm too used to endless criticism and people picking fault.
 

empo21

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Чаршия
This is nice. Giving it an inflated :10: because it's UK and it'll finish a only a few spots higher than normally for UK. But for UK standarts this is really good, BBC, you can get that A for effort finally.
 

ESCConor

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September 26, 2018
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Im so happy that this is our entry this year.

Ive already seen its already its in the Top 10 on the ITunes charts in the UK and thats for a song released only at 11:05am this morning, which by UK Standards is great news.

Hopefully we will see this get in the charts across europe as well as in Australia as well.

Not a winner, but potential to get left hand side if we stage this right, I am looking forward to seeing how we do on that.

There obviously no pre-parties this year, so streaming is going to be more important that ever before.

Overall, an important step in the right direction.
 
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