Eurovision entrant James Newman has spoken out for the first time since his “nul points” result over the weekend.
On Saturday night, James finished at the bottom of the leaderboard at this year’s Eurovision Song Contest, where the UK earned “nul points” for only the second time in the contest’s history.
Despite the result, James posted a statement on social media on Monday morning, insisting he’s maintaining a positive mindset in the wake of the competition.
“I want 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.”
Thanking the team he worked with in the lead-up to Eurovision, James continued: “These people are the best in the business and I got the chance to work with them and share this crazy experience that I’m so lucky to have the chance to do.
“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 [and] made it all worth it. Because at the end of the day they are the people who you do this all for.”
He added: “I just want to say a huge massive thank you from the bottom of my heart to everyone who has been on this journey with me, supported me, listened to my music and filled my life with positivity and love.
“The times when it doesn’t play out how you hoped it might, teach you how to pick yourself up and be stronger.”
James’ message was retweeted by the BBC’s official Eurovision account, which wrote: “We couldn’t be more proud of you… thank you for being a true role model.”
James was originally supposed to have represented the UK in 2020 with the ballad My Last Breath, but the contest was cancelled as a result of the pandemic.
He was invited back to compete this year, this time taking a more upbeat approach with the dance track, Embers.
Aside from Eurovision, James is best known as a singer-songwriter, having co-written hits for the likes of Little Mix, Ed Sheeran and Jess Glynne.
Italian representatives Måneskin were the winners this year, after scoring a massive amount of votes from viewers.