James Andrew Arthur is an English singer-songwriter best known for winning the ninth season of the popular television music competition The X Factor.
After winning the competition, Syco Music released their debut single of a cover of Shontell Lane's "Impossible", which peaked at number one on the UK Singles Chart. The single sold over 1,4 million copies in the United Kingdom alone, becoming the most successful winning single in the show's history.
In 2013, Arthur received "Best International Song" and "International Breakthrough of the Year" awards for his debut single. His debut studio album, James Arthur, received mixed reviews from critics, but still peaked at number two on the UK Albums Chart.
In 2014, Arthur was invited to Bahrain to officially open drama rehearsal studios and a 400-seat auditorium: The British School of Bahrain.
In September 2016, it was announced that he had been selected as an ambassador for SANE, a leading UK charity dedicated to improving the lives of people with mental illness.
Childhood and youth of James
James Andrew Arthur was born March 2, 1988 in Middlesbrough, England to Neil Arthur and Shirley Ashworth. He is of mixed ethnicity as his father is Scottish and his mother is English.
Arthur had a difficult childhood as his parents divorced when he was only two years old. When Arthur was three years old, his mother started living with a computer engineer named Ronnie Rafferty. His father married a woman named Jackie.
He attended Ings Farm Primary School in North Yorkshire. When he was nine years old, he moved to Bahrain with his mother, stepfather Ronnie Rafferty and sisters Sian and Jasmine. After moving to Bahrain, where his stepfather began working as an area manager for Rockwell Automation, Arthur lived in a villa in a gated community.
After four years of study at the British School of Bahrain (BSB), Arthur returned to England with his family in April 2001 when he was 13 years old. After returning he continued his education at Rye Hills School in Redcar, North Yorkshire.
When he was 14 years old, his stepfather left their mother, him and sisters. Arthur was subsequently placed with a foster family in Brotton where he lived four days a week and lived with his father Neil for the remaining three days.
He started writing and recording songs at the age of 15. He also became a member of many bands including Cue the Drama, Moonlight Drive, Emerald Skye and Save Arcade. In 2009, Save Arcade released an extended play titled "True!". In June 2010, another EP was released called "Tonight We Dine in Hades" which contained five tracks.
How did it all start? James Arthur
In 2011 Arthur listened to all parts of The Voice UK and in early 2012 he recorded a song for The James Arthur Band. The band again introduces Arthur as vocalist and guitarist.
Later that year, the group released a nine-song CD of R&B, soul and hip hop. Then in 2012, he entered the competition for the song THE X-FACTOR (UK SERIES 9). Arthur, who had many defeats in his life, here, he finally brought victory, and since then his name has been very famous in the world.
Early career
James Arthur started his career as an independent artist in 2011 when he published a 16-track album titled "Sins by the Sea" on YouTube and SoundCloud. His popularity rose in 2012 when he auditioned for the ninth season of The X Factor.
He was subsequently mentored by American singer-songwriter Nicole Scherzinger, who helped him perform better on the show.
After winning the competition on December 9, 2012, Arthur released a cover version of Shontel's "Impossible", which topped the UK Singles Chart. The single, released through Syco Music, sold over 1,4 million copies. in the United Kingdom, becoming the most successful winning single in X-Factor history.
On September 9, 2013, Arthur released his next single titled You're Nobody 'Til Somebody Loves You. Following its worldwide release on 20 October 2013, the song peaked at number two in the UK. The following month, Arthur released his self-titled debut studio album, which peaked at number two on the "UK Albums Chart". It became the 30th best selling album of the year in the UK.
On June 11, 2014, Arthur took to his Twitter page to announce that he had parted ways with Syco Music. On September 6, 2015, he said that he had signed a new deal with Columbia Records and that he was working on his second studio album.
On September 9, 2016, he released Say You Won't Let Go, the lead single from his second album Back from the Edge. The song peaked at number one on the UK Singles Chart and remained at the top of the chart for three consecutive weeks. "Back from the Edge" was released by Columbia Records on October 28, 2016. In 2017, Say You W't Let Go was nominated for British Video of the Year at the BRIT Awards British Single of the Year Award.
On November 24, 2017, Arthur released "Naked", the lead single from his third studio album. Produced by Carlsson, the song peaked at number 11 on the UK Singles Chart. On December 1, 2017, the official music video for "Naked", directed by Mario Clement, was released on YouTube.
Arthur continued to release singles such as "You Desert Better", "At My Weakest" and "Empty Space" without mentioning the title of his third studio album. In November 2018, he covered "Rewrite the Stars" from The Greatest Showman.
What is James Arthur doing now?
James recorded a third and yet unreleased studio album, You. On November 25, 2017, he released a single from the album Naked.
And despite not having released an album yet, the singer has continued to release tracks over the past few years, including You Desert Better, At My Weakest and Empty Space in 2018.
In November of that year, James starred in The Greatest Showman: Reimagined with Marie-Anne on the track "Rewrite the Stars". And then in December, he teamed up with X-Factor winner Dalton Harris for his remake of Frankie's classic The Power of Love.
On May 10, 2019, James released his latest single Falling Like the Stars. She will also embark on her You: Up Close tour and a personal UK tour from October 3rd to 29th.
Family and personal life
James Arthur's father, Neil, was a driver, and his mother, Shirley, is a sales and marketing professional. After going their separate ways, Shirley and Neal didn't speak to each other for nearly 22 years. However, they agreed to attend Arthur's "X Factor" audition together to support their son. Arthur has five siblings, namely Sian, Jasmine, Neve, Neil, and Charlotte. Arthur currently lives in England where he continues to write his music.
James has been linked to a number of beautiful women - including Rita Ora - since winning The X Factor. However, it seems that after going public and being in the spotlight, he tends to keep any new relationships private.
In February, he said: “Romance and girls, these are topics that I don’t talk about anymore. I hope you understand me. I just want to keep it a secret."
Despite this, he tried to woo Ariana Grande on stage and encouraged her to "slide into DM with him" during the concert. But he never waited for reciprocity. It is believed that he is still dating Jessica Grist, although in 2018 the pop star was spotted holding hands with another enigmatic blonde at a party in Chelsea.
James also admitted to becoming addicted to sex after secret contact with Rita Ora, who has since said she is bisexual.
