Arthur was born in Middlesbrough, England, on 2 March 1988. His parents are from Liverpool; his mother is Irish and his father is Welsh. Arthur grew up in a single-parent household with his mother and two sisters. His mother worked as a labourer and then as a cleaner to support the family. When Arthur was six years old, she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis which left her unable to work; the family relied on benefits to survive. As a child, Arthur showed signs of dyslexia but still managed to do well at school. He left school with 11 GCSEs, including an A* in music.
After leaving school, Arthur worked various jobs including working in a call centre and as a barman. In 2010, he auditioned for The X Factor but did not make it past the initial auditions. In 2012, he auditioned again and made it through to the live shows where he was mentored by Nicole Scherzinger. During the show, Arthur became known for his powerful vocals and emotional performances. He finished in second place behind winner Leona Lewis.
Following his appearance on The X Factor, Arthur signed a record deal with Syco Music (a subsidiary of Simon Cowell's label Sony Music). His debut single Impossible was released in December 2012 and reached number one in several countries including the UK, Ireland and New Zealand. The song has since been certified multi-platinum in over 20 countries including the US where it has sold over four million copies.
Arthur's self-titled debut album was released in November 2013 and debuted at number two on the UK Albums Chart selling 102,000 copies in its first week of release. The album included five singles: Impossible, You're Nobody 'til Somebody Loves You, Recovery, Get Down and Train Wreck. In June 2014, Arthur announced that he had parted ways with Syco Music due to creative differences; he subsequently signed with Columbia Records later that year.
In March 2016, Arthur released his second studio album Back from the Edge which debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart becoming his first number one album release there; It also peaked within the top ten of several other countries including Australia where it went platinum becoming his only album release there so far too date .The albums lead single say you won't let go peaked at number one giving him his second chart topping single overall