James Arthur facts for kids

Quick facts for kids James Arthur
James Arthur in 2014
Background information
Born	(1988-03-02) 2 March 1988 (age 36) Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, England
Occupation(s)	Singer songwriter
Instruments	Vocals guitar
Years active	2011–present
Labels	Columbia Records UK Columbia Records Germany

James Arthur (born 2 March 1988) is an English singer and songwriter. He rose to fame after winning the ninth series of The X Factor in 2012. His debut single, a cover of Shontelle's "Impossible", was released by Syco Music after the final, and debuted at number one on the UK Singles Chart. Since then, it has gone on to sell over 2.5 million copies worldwide, making it the most successful winner's single in the show's history.

The follow-up single, "You're Nobody 'til Somebody Loves You", reached number 2 on the UK Singles Chart. He released his self-titled debut studio album in November 2013. The album debuted and peaked at number two on the UK Albums Chart. After the release of his debut studio album James Arthur, he was involved in a series of controversies which led iTunes to offer refunds for the album.

Arthur parted ways with Simon Cowell's record label Syco in 2014. In 2015, he signed a new deal with Columbia Records to release his second studio album, Back from the Edge, in 2016; he was also re-signed to Syco in 2016. The album's lead single, titled "Say You Won't Let Go" and released in September 2016, saw great success, peaking at number 1 on the UK Singles Chart and selling close to 2.7 million copies as of February 2021^[update]. Back from the Edge was released on 28 October 2016, and debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart. On 18 October 2019, after releasing numerous singles throughout the prior two years, Arthur released his third studio album, You; this album debuted and peaked at number two on the UK Albums Chart. In February 2021, Arthur signed with Columbia Records UK and Columbia Records Germany after Syco had ceased operations.

Early life

Arthur was born on 2 March 1988 to an English mother, Shirley Ashworth, and a Scottish father, Neil Arthur. Neil was a delivery driver, but also used to be a DJ and drummer for many years, while Shirley was a fashion model and later a sales and marketing professional. Arthur's dad and mother split up when he was two years old, and they each settled with new partners: when Arthur was three, Shirley got together with Ronnie Rafferty, a computer engineer, and Neil later married another woman; together they had Arthur's half-sister.

At the age of 14, Arthur entered part-time voluntary foster care: he lived with his father, Neil, for three days of the week and was in foster care in Brotton – about ten miles from Redcar – for the other four days.

Education, moving to Bahrain and back to England

Arthur first went to Ings Farm Primary School in Redcar, North Yorkshire. In 1997, when he was nine, he moved with his mother, his stepfather, and two of his sisters to Bahrain. In Bahrain, he studied at the local British School of Bahrain. In April 2001, when Arthur was 13, they moved back to England, having lived in Bahrain for a total of four years. Upon his return, he continued his studies at Rye Hills School in Redcar.

Career

2011–2012: Sins by the Sea and The X Factor

In 2011, Arthur uploaded many of his own songs to SoundCloud and YouTube, as well as an album entitled Sins by the Sea. The independent album included 16 tracks. Arthur formed his own musical projects. The James Arthur Project resulted in recorded and releasing two EPs, firstly a soulful pop EP named Hold On as The James Arthur Project in August 2012 in collaboration with John McGough. The tracks were written and arranged by McGough, and mixed by Matt Wanstall with all vocals by Arthur.

Arthur also released an EP as The James Arthur Band. The band consisted of Arthur (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 with nine tracks with R&B, soul and hip hop influences, a compilation of tracks on both EPs.

In 2012, he auditioned in Newcastle for the ninth series of The X Factor, performing an acoustic rendition of judge Tulisa's "Young", before explaining his past, including a short spell in respite foster care and time spent in flats and bedsits after break-ups within his family. He also revealed his father and mother had hardly spoken to each other for over 20 years, and this was a reunion of sorts for them to attend his audition. He sang "A Million Love Songs" at bootcamp and was chosen as one of six contestants in the "Boys" category to advance to judges' houses. From this point onward, Arthur was mentored by Nicole Scherzinger. After his judges' houses performance of "I Can't Make You Love Me", he was picked as one of 12 contestants to advance to the live shows, and one of three in the "Boys" category.

After his second live performance, Arthur suffered from an anxiety attack backstage. While being treated at the studio, paramedics determined he did not need to go to hospital, and he was ordered back to his hotel to rest. He later returned for the results show the following night.

In week 7, after performing "Can't Take My Eyes Off You", Arthur was in the final showdown. He sang "Fallin'" for survival against fellow favourite Ella Henderson, and the result went to deadlock; Scherzinger and Gary Barlow voted to send Arthur through to the quarter-final, while Tulisa and Louis Walsh voted to send Henderson through to the quarter-final. Resulting from the public vote, Arthur advanced to the quarter-final, receiving 13.7% of the vote whereas Henderson received 12.1%.

With 53.7% of the final vote against Jahméne Douglas's 38.9%, Arthur won The X Factor on 9 December 2012. This made him the first-ever winner of the show to have previously been in the bottom two.

2016–2017: Back from the Edge

On 8 January 2016, Arthur released a song called "The Truth" on iTunes in the United States. Following the song's release, he took to Twitter and clarified that the song would feature on Family Therapy with Dr. Jenn, and that it was not the lead single.

Arthur released "Say You Won't Let Go" on 9 September 2016 as the lead single from his second studio album, Back from the Edge, which was released on 28 October 2016. Arthur also re-signed with Syco. On 30 September 2016, the single reached number one on the UK Singles Chart, becoming his second chart topper and making him the first male winner to have two UK number-one singles (as of 2016^[update]). The song remained on the top spot for three consecutive weeks. In January 2017, the single became his first chart entry on the Billboard charts in the US. By the second week of January 2017, it had surpassed the 1 million sales mark in the UK, making James the first-ever X Factor act to have two singles sell over a million copies in his homeland as well as the 21st act in UK chart history to have two or more million sellers. As of February 2017^[update], it had sold two million copies worldwide. It was later confirmed that he will be appearing at the V Festival in August, having previously performed there in 2013. The same month, OneRepublic lead singer Ryan Tedder also confirmed that he would be joining the band and Fitz and the Tantrums as a support act on their Honda Civic Tour in the US and Canada during the summer.

Arthur's follow-up single, "Safe Inside", peaked at number 31 on the UK charts, and the third single, "Can I Be Him", at number 69. In early April, it was announced that he would be embarking on his first arena tour across the UK and Ireland with fellow X Factor contestant Ella Henderson as his support act. The following month, Arthur collaborated with Machine Gun Kelly on the song "Go for Broke" from Kelly's album Bloom, which also served as the official theme song for WWE's SummerSlam in 2017. The same month it was announced that Arthur would be one of the vocalists featured on a cover of Simon & Garfunkel's "Bridge over Troubled Water", which was recorded to raise funds for those affected by the Grenfell Tower fire. The single was released on 21 June and went on to enter the UK charts at number 1 two days later. On 20 June 2017, James confirmed on Twitter that he would be a guest vocalist on drum n bass act Rudimental's single "Sun Comes Up", set for release on 30 June. He performed the song at V Festival with the group in August and it became another UK Top 10 single for him. Throughout the summer he toured the US and Canada with OneRepublic and Fitz and the Tantrums with the tour ending on 12 September in Texas. Two nights later he performed alongside Julia Michaels and Kelly Clarkson at Fresh 102.7's Fall Fest at The Theater at Madison Square Garden, New York. On 5 October, his autobiography Back to the Boy was released, and he did a series of book signings throughout the UK. A week later, it was announced that he had been nominated for an American Music Award in the 'New Artist of the Year' category.

2017–2019: You

James Arthur released the song "Naked" as the lead single from his then-upcoming third studio album on 24 November 2017.

James Arthur released singles in early 2018, without mentioning the name or release date for the album. On 1 June, James Arthur released a single, "You Deserve Better". On the same day, he released another single, titled "At My Weakest". The video for "You Deserve Better" came out on 12 July. His third single of 2018, "Empty Space", was released on 19 October.

In November 2018, Arthur was featured on The Greatest Showman: Reimagined, alongside Anne-Marie, for the song "Rewrite the Stars".

In December 2018, Arthur was featured in "The Power of Love", the UK The X Factor winning song by the season 15 winner Dalton Harris, which gave Arthur his sixth UK top 10 hit. The duet was a cover of an original by Frankie Goes to Hollywood from 1984.

On 10 May 2019, Arthur released a single called "Falling Like the Stars"; later, on 24 May 2019, he released a music video for it.

Arthur's third studio album, You, was released on 18 October 2019 along with the album's seventh single, "Quite Miss Home". The album debuted and peaked at number two on the UK Albums Chart, dropped to number 10 in the following week, and stayed on the chart for a total of 24 weeks.

2020–present: It'll All Make Sense in the End, guest appearances, and signing with other labels

In July 2020, Arthur confirmed via Twitter that he had begun working on a fourth studio album "for the last couple of months", further revealing "I couldn't be more excited to share with you this new lane I'm playing around in, I think you'll be surprised in a good way. This is the album I've wanted to make for so long!"

Arthur provided the vocals on Sigala's track "Lasting Lover", released on 4 September 2020.

After his label Syco ceased operations, it was reported in a press release on 15 February 2021 that Arthur had signed with Columbia Records UK in a co-deal with Columbia Records Germany, the last of whom has worked with Arthur since Back from the Edge. The same press release reported that his fourth studio album is scheduled for release in 2021, and that the lead single for this album is scheduled for release in March of the same year. Arthur told Music Week that "[t]here was a definite genre or lane [he] wanted to do, which was mixing rock, guitar-based stuff with trap, hip-hop, and pop".

Personal life

Arthur has four sisters and a brother. Neil and Shirley – his father and mother, respectively – hardly spoke with one another for 22 years, but they agreed to attend Arthur's audition together in a family reunion to support him. He announced the birth of his daughter in November 2022. Arthur is a vegan.

Arthur supports his local football team Middlesbrough F.C. as well as Rangers F.C.

Discography

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

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 on their Irish concert tour dates)
• You: Up Close and Personal Tour (2019)

Awards and nominations

See also

In Spanish: James Arthur para niños