Born in Settle, England, on October 19, 1985, James Newman launched his career as a hit songwriter for Calvin Harris, Rudimental, and others before earning international acclaim as a solo artist. He was raised alongside his younger brother, John Newman, and moved to London during his early adulthood to work as a songwriter. His first hit was 2013's "Waiting All Night," which Newman composed for Rudimental and Ella Eyre. A platinum-selling, chart-topping hit in the UK, "Waiting All Night" won the Brit Award for "Song of the Year" in 2014 and was followed that same year by Calvin Harris' "Blame," which James Newman wrote with his brother. "Blame" was a global hit that debuted at Number 1 in the UK, went platinum in nine countries, and peaked at Number 19 in the US. It also featured John Newman's vocals, with James occupying a behind-the-scenes role as the song's cowriter. While continuing to compose Top 40 hits for Rudimental, Little Mix, Matoma, and Daya, James Newman began to move into the spotlight as a solo artist, as well. He contributed vocals to Armin van Buuren's "Therapy," which became a hit on the Dutch, Belgian, and American dance charts in 2018. He then made his studio with The Things We Do, a debut EP that arrived in 2020. The record's biggest hit, "My Last Breath," was chosen as the United Kingdom's submission for the Eurovision Song Contest 2020, but the competition was canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Undaunted, James Newman returned in 2021 with a new dance-pop single, "Embers," which represented the UK in the Eurovision Song Contest that same year. Although the song finished in last place, it nonetheless became a hit in Europe, climbing to Number 7 on the UK Indie chart and barely missing the Top 40 in both Belgium and Lithuania.