James Arthur

James Andrew Arthur (born 2 March 1988) is an English singer-songwriter. In 2012, he rose to fame after winning the  of The X Factor. After winning he released his debut single, a cover of Shontelle's "", the song peaked at number 1 on the UK Singles Chart, the song missed out on the  to "" by . Arthur has so far released six studio albums and has sold over 30 million records worldwide.

Career
2011–2015: Sins by the Sea, X Factor & James Arthur
In 2011, Arthur was releaseing music to SoundCloud and YouTube, including an independent album entitled Sins by the Sea, the album included 16 tracks. In 2012, he auditioned in Newcastle for the  of The X Factor. He reached the final where he won the competition with 53.7% of the final vote against Jahméne Douglas's 38.9%. During week 7 he finished in the bottom two of the voting, but survived the deadlock vote advancing to the quarter-final, this made him the first-ever winner of the show to have previously been in the bottom two. He released his debut studio album, , in November 2013, the album peaked at number two on the UK Albums Chart. The album includes the singles "Impossible", "You're Nobody 'til Somebody Loves You", "Recovery" and "Get Down". In April 2014, it was reported that Arthur was dropped by Syco. In June 2014, he announced that he and Syco had parted ways by mutual agreement. In September 2015, he announced that he had signed with Columbia Records.
 The X Factor performances and results Episode Theme Song Result First audition Free choice "Young" Through to bootcamp Bootcamp – stage 1 Group performance "How to Save a Life"with Curtis Golden and James Vickery Through to stage 2 Bootcamp – stage 2 Solo performance "" Through to judges' houses Judges' houses Free choice "I Can't Make You Love Me" Through to live shows "Sexy and I Know It" Live show 1 Heroes "Stronger" Safe (6th) – 5.6% Live show 2  "No More Drama" Safe (6th) – 7.4% Live show 3 Club classics "Sexy and I Know It" Safe (6th) – 7.4% Live show 4 Halloween "Sweet Dreams" Safe (3rd) – 12.0% Live show 5 Number-ones "Don't Speak" Safe (6th) – 7.6% Live show 6 Best of British "Hometown Glory" Safe (3rd) – 14.0% Live show 7  "" Bottom two (5th) – 13.7% Final showdown "Fallin'" Safe (Deadlock) Quarter-Final Songs by ABBA "" Safe (1st) – 40.7% Motown songs "Let's Get It On" Semi-Final Songs for someone special "One" Safe (1st) – 41.2% The song to get you to the final "" Final Free choice "Feeling Good" Safe (1st) – 51.7% Mentor duets "Make You Feel My Love" with Nicole Scherzinger Songs of the series "Let's Get It On" Winner – 53.7% Winner's single ""

2016–2017: Back from the Edge
In September 2016, Arthur released "Say You Won't Let Go" as the lead single from his second studio album, he also re-signed with Syco. The single reached number 1 on the UK Singles Chart and stayed there for three consecutive weeks. His second studio album, , was released in October 2016, the album peaked at number one on the UK Albums Chart. "Safe Inside" was released as the second single from the album in February 2017 and peaked at number 31 on the UK Singles Chart. "Can I Be Him" was released as the third single from the album in April 2017 and peaked at number 69 on the UK Singles Chart.

2017–2019: You
In November 2017, Arthur released "Naked" as the lead single from his third studio album, the song peaked at number 11 on the UK Singles Chart. "Empty Space" was released as the second single from the album in October 2018, the song peaked at number 22 on the UK Singles Chart. In November 2018, he featured on , alongside , for the song "". In December 2018, he featured on "", the UK The X Factor winning song by the season 15 winner , the song peaked at number 4 on the UK Singles Chart. In May 2019, he released "Falling Like the Stars" as the third single from his third studio album, the song peaked at number 25 on the UK Singles Chart. "Treehouse" was released as the fourth single from the album in September 2019, he also released "Finally Feel Good" as the fifth single from the album. "You" was released as the sixth single from the album in October 2019. He released his third studio album,  in October 2019, along with the album's seventh single, "Quite Miss Home", the album peaked at number two on the UK Albums Chart, dropped to number 10 the following week, and stayed on the chart for a total of 24 weeks. 

2021–2022: It'll All Make Sense in the End
In February 2021, after his label Syco ceased operations, he signed with Columbia Records UK in a co-deal with Columbia Records in Germany. "Medicine" was released as the lead single from his fourth studio album in March 2021, the song peaked at number 41 on the UK Singles Chart. In June 2021, he released "September" as the second single from the album, the song peaked at number 55 on the UK Singles Chart. "Avalanche" was released as the third single from the album in August 2021. "Emily" was released in September 2021 as the fourth single from the album, the song peaked at number 82 on the UK Singles Chart. "SOS" was released in October 2021 as the fifth single from the album. His fourth studio album, , was released in November 2021, the album peaked at number three on the UK Albums Chart. "Lose My Mind" was released as a single from the deluxe edition of the album in February 2022.

2023–2024: Bitter Sweet Love
In May 2023, "A Year Ago" was released as the lead single from his fifth studio album, the song peaked at number 91 on the UK Singles Chart. The second single from the album "Blindside" was released in August 2023. "Just Us" was released in October 2023 as the third single from the album, the song peaked at number 81 on the UK Singles Chart. "Homecoming" was released as the fourth single from the album in November 2023. "Sleepwalking" was released as the fifth single from the album in December 2023. "Bitter Sweet Love" was released as the sixth single from the album on 12 January 2024. He released his fifth studio album,  on 26 January 2024, the album peaked at number one on the UK Albums Chart. "From the Jump" was released as a single from the deluxe edition of the album in April 2024. 

2024–2025: Pisces
In November 2024, he released "ADHD" as the lead single from his sixth studio album. "Celebrate" was released as the second single from the album in January 2025. "Embers" was released in February 2025 as the third single from the album. In March 2025, he released "Karaoke" as the fourth single from the album. His sixth studio album, , was released in April 2025, along with the album's fifth single, "Cruel", peaking at number three on the UK Albums Chart.

Discography

Studio albums
  (2013)
  (2016)
  (2019)
  (2021)
  (2024)
  (2025)

Independent studio albums
 Sins by the Sea (2011)

Mixtapes
 All the World's a Stage (2014)

Extended plays
 Hold On (2012)
 Undiscovered Acoustic (2013)
 Apple Music Home Sessions (2021)

Notes

References

Other websites
 Official website

Category:1988 births
Category:Columbia Records artists
Category:English pop singers
Category:Living people
Category:People from Middlesbrough