Born to a former fashion model and a former DJ and drummer, James Arthur was raised in Redcar, North Yorkshire until the age of nine. Alongside his mother and step-father, Arthur then moved to Bahrain and studied at the local British School of Bahrain before moving back to Redcar when he was 14. Prior to auditioning for a slot on the X Factor James Arthur played in a number of alternative and indie bands including the progressive Moonlight Drive from 2005, the alternative-rock groups Cue the Drama and Save Arcade, and the indie pop/rock band Emerald Skye. Arthur had also uploaded a stream of songs to his SoundCloud page in a collection entitled “Sins by the Sea”, as well as performing in The James Arthur Band, which incorporated R&B, soul and hip-hop influences.
At his X Factor audition in Newcastle, UK, the young musician sung judge Tulisa Contostavlos’ single “Young” and was put through to the bootcamp stage, mentored by Nicole Scherzinger. After singing Take That’s “A Million Love Songs” and Bonnie Hathaway’s “I Can’t Make You Love Me”, Arthur advanced to the live shows, where he ultimately won the final with 53% of the vote. James’ winner’s song, Shontelle’s “Impossible”, became the fastest-selling winner’s single to date and topped the UK Singles Chart in its first week. The singer’s subsequent single “You’re Nobody ’til Somebody Loves You” was released in August 2013, debuted at No. 2 behind Lorde’s single “Royals”, and was taken from Arthur’s debut self-titled album.
“James Arthur”, released in November 2013, debuted at No. 2 on the UK Albums Chart, aided by the further singles “Get Down” and “Recovery”. After promoting his debut with the James Arthur Tour, a 37-date tour across Europe, the singer released a the mixtape “All the World’s a Stage”, and performed at 2014's V Festival.
X Factor champion turned tearaway, there were always questions as to whether a reality television show was the best platform for James Arthur to display his alt-pop sounds. He showed real promise during the show adapting his raspy vocal to genres including dance, dubstep and rock. Many consider his departure from the Syco label to be the making of him as it once again handed James the reigns regarding his creative outlook.
He definitely seems a lot more at ease when performing live and being able to play in the way in which he enjoys. The setup could be described as anything but pop, the man himself arriving in all black and taking centre stage with his acoustic guitar and several accompanying musicians. They run through a selection of his best material which showcases both the unusual vocal and his creativity as a musician. A cover of Marvin Gaye's has been reimagined as a rock ditty and works really well leading into 'Impossible' which evokes mass singalong. Arthur has not dismissed his X factor roots, but he seems to be in a better place now when looking to move forward.
sean-ward
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