James Arthur facts for kids

Quick facts for kids James Arthur
Arthur in 2023
Background information
Birth name	James Andrew Arthur
Born	(1988-03-02) 2 March 1988 (age 37) Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, England
Occupation(s)	Singer songwriter
Instruments	Vocals guitar
Years active	2011–present
Labels	Columbia Records UK Columbia Records Germany

James Andrew Arthur (born 2 March 1988) is an English singer and songwriter. He became famous after winning the ninth season of The X Factor in 2012. His first song, a cover of "Impossible", became number one on the UK Singles Chart. It has sold over 2.5 million copies worldwide. This makes it the most successful winner's song in the show's history.

His next song, "You're Nobody 'til Somebody Loves You", reached number 2 in the UK. He released his first album, James Arthur, in November 2013. This album reached number two on the UK Albums Chart. After this, he faced some challenges.

James Arthur left Syco Music in 2014. In 2015, he signed with Columbia Records. He released his second album, Back from the Edge, in 2016. He then signed with Syco again in 2016. The main song from this album, "Say You Won't Let Go", was released in September 2016. It became number 1 in the UK and sold nearly 2.7 million copies. Back from the Edge was released on 28 October 2016. It debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart. On 18 October 2019, James released his third album, You. This album reached number two in the UK. In February 2021, James signed with Columbia Records UK and Columbia Records Germany. This happened after Syco stopped its operations.

Early Life and Education

James Andrew Arthur was born on 2 March 1988. His mother is Shirley Ashworth, and his father is Neil Arthur. His father was a delivery driver, DJ, and drummer. His mother was a fashion model. James's parents separated when he was two years old.

When James was 14, he spent some time in voluntary foster care. He lived with his father for three days a week. For the other four days, he was in foster care in Brotton, near Redcar.

Moving to Bahrain and Back

James first went to Ings Farm Primary School in Redcar, North Yorkshire. In 1997, when he was nine, he moved to Bahrain with his mother, stepfather, and two sisters. He studied at the British School of Bahrain. In April 2001, at age 13, they moved back to England. He had lived in Bahrain for four years. When he returned, he continued his studies at Rye Hills School in Redcar.

Music Career

Early Music and The X Factor (2011–2012)

In 2011, James Arthur uploaded many of his own songs to SoundCloud and YouTube. He also released an album called Sins by the Sea. This album had 16 songs. James also created his own music groups. The James Arthur Project released two EPs (Extended Plays). One was a soulful pop EP called Hold On in August 2012.

He also released an EP with The James Arthur Band. The band included James (vocals and guitar), Jez Taylor (guitar), Chris Smalls (keyboards), Jordan Swain (drums), and Rich Doney (bass). In 2012, the band released The EP Collection CD. It had nine songs with R&B, soul, and hip hop styles.

In 2012, James auditioned for the ninth season of The X Factor in Newcastle. He sang an acoustic version of judge Tulisa's "Young". He talked about his past, including his time in foster care. He also shared that his parents, who had not spoken for over 20 years, came together to support him at his audition. He sang "A Million Love Songs" at bootcamp. He was chosen as one of six contestants in the "Boys" group. Nicole Scherzinger became his mentor. After singing "I Can't Make You Love Me" at judges' houses, he was chosen for the live shows.

After his second live performance, James had an anxiety attack backstage. Paramedics checked on him, and he rested at his hotel. He returned for the results show the next night.

In week 7, after performing "Can't Take My Eyes Off You", James was in the bottom two. He sang "Fallin'" to stay in the competition against Ella Henderson. The judges' votes were tied, so the public vote decided. James moved on to the quarter-final.

James Arthur won The X Factor on 9 December 2012. He received 53.7% of the final vote. He was the first winner of the show to have been in the bottom two before.

First Album and Challenges (2013–2015)

After winning, James's song "Impossible" was released as a charity single. It became the fastest-selling The X Factor winner's song. It had 255,000 downloads in 48 hours. The song topped the UK Singles Chart in its first week. It sold over 1.3 million copies in the UK. This made it the best-selling winner's single ever. The song also reached number one in Ireland.

On 7 August 2013, James announced his next song would be "You're Nobody 'til Somebody Loves You". It was released on 20 October 2013. It debuted at number two in the UK. James's first album, James Arthur, was released on 1 November 2013. It included "Impossible" and "You're Nobody 'til Somebody Loves You". It also featured songs with Emeli Sandé. The album reached number two in the UK. "Recovery" was released as the third song from the album. It reached number 19 in the UK. "Get Down" was the fourth song. On 5 January 2014, James started his first tour, the James Arthur Tour, across Europe.

In November 2013, James faced criticism for some of his song lyrics. This caused a lot of discussion. He apologized for his comments. He then announced he would not post on Twitter anymore. His management took over his page. The backlash continued, and iTunes offered refunds for his album.

More challenges came from reviews of his rap mixtape All the World's a Stage. This led to more accusations. On 11 June 2014, James announced that he and Syco had decided to part ways. James released his mixtape All the World's a Stage independently on 16 May 2014.

In the summer of 2014, James said he was working on his second album. He performed at V Festival in August 2014. On 6 September 2015, he announced he had signed with Columbia Records. He said a new album was coming.

Back from the Edge and Success (2016–2017)

On 8 January 2016, James released a song called "The Truth" in the United States. He clarified it was for a TV show and not the main song from his new album.

James released "Say You Won't Let Go" on 9 September 2016. This was the main song from his second album, Back from the Edge. The album was released on 28 October 2016. James also signed with Syco again. On 30 September 2016, "Say You Won't Let Go" reached number one on the UK Singles Chart. It was his second number one song. The song stayed at number one for three weeks. In January 2017, it became his first song to enter the Billboard charts in the US. By January 2017, it had sold over 1 million copies in the UK. This made James the first X Factor act to have two songs sell over a million copies in the UK. By February 2017, it had sold two million copies worldwide.

James's next song, "Safe Inside", reached number 31 in the UK. The third song, "Can I Be Him", reached number 69. In April, he announced his first arena tour in the UK and Ireland. Ella Henderson joined him as a support act. In May, James worked with Machine Gun Kelly on the song "Go for Broke". This song was also the theme for WWE's SummerSlam in 2017.

In June 2017, James was one of the singers on a cover of "Bridge over Troubled Water". This song was recorded to raise money for those affected by the Grenfell Tower fire. The single was released on 21 June and reached number 1 in the UK. On 20 June 2017, James confirmed he would sing on Rudimental's song "Sun Comes Up". He performed this song at V Festival in August. It became another UK Top 10 song for him. He toured the US and Canada with OneRepublic during the summer. In October, his autobiography Back to the Boy was released. He also received a nomination for an American Music Award.

You and Recent Work (2017–Present)

James Arthur released the song "Naked" on 24 November 2017. This was the main song from his third album.

On 1 June 2018, James released the songs "You Deserve Better" and "At My Weakest". His third song of 2018, "Empty Space", was released on 19 October. In November 2018, James was featured on The Greatest Showman: Reimagined. He sang "Rewrite the Stars" with Anne-Marie.

In December 2018, James was featured in "The Power of Love". This was the winning song for The X Factor season 15 winner Dalton Harris. This song gave James his sixth UK top 10 hit.

On 10 May 2019, James Arthur released a song called "Falling Like the Stars". His third album, You, was released on 18 October 2019. It included the song "Quite Miss Home". The album reached number two on the UK Albums Chart.

In July 2020, James confirmed he was working on a fourth album. He said he was excited to share his new music style. James provided vocals on Sigala's song "Lasting Lover", released on 4 September 2020.

After Syco stopped operations, James signed with Columbia Records UK and Columbia Records Germany on 15 February 2021. His fourth album, It'll All Make Sense in the End, reached number 3 in the UK Charts in 2021. His album Bitter Sweet Love became his second number 1 album on the UK album charts in 2024. His sixth album, Pisces, was released on 25 April 2025.

Personal Life

James Arthur has four sisters and one brother. His parents, Neil and Shirley, had not spoken for 22 years. However, they came together to support him at his X Factor audition. He announced the birth of his daughter in November 2022. James is a vegan.

James supports his local football team Middlesbrough F.C. He also supports Rangers F.C..

In September 2016, James talked about his struggles with anxiety and depression. He became an ambassador for the UK mental health charity SANE.

Albums

• James Arthur (2013)
• Back from the Edge (2016)
• You (2019)
• It'll All Make Sense in the End (2021)
• Bitter Sweet Love (2024)
• Pisces (2025)

Concert Tours

• The X Factor Live Tour (2013)
• James Arthur Tour (2014)
• The Story So Far Tour (2015)
• Back from the Edge Tour (2017)
• 16th Annual Honda Civic Tour (2017) (supporting OneRepublic)
• The Twenty Tour (2019) (supporting Westlife)
• You: Up Close and Personal Tour (2019)
• It'll All Make Sense in the End Tour (2022)
• Bitter Sweet Love World Tour (2024)
• The Pisces World Tour (2025)

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: James Arthur para niños