I’ve always had to be a survivor
James Arthur is reclaiming his dreams. The singer talks to JOE NERSSESSIAN about growing up, and why arena tours and a self-help book are up next
THE night before the Brit Awards last month, James Arthur tweeted that if anyone had told him a year ago he’d be up for two awards, his response would have been, ‘F**k off’.
And who could blame him? His tumultuous period after winning The X Factor in 2012 was welldocumented.
He rowed with fellow musicians online, offended the LGBT community and got dropped by Syco, Simon Cowell’s record label.
But now the Middlesbroughborn 29-year-old is back.
James may not have taken any gongs home from the Brits but says it was an “honour” to be nominated. Before that, his sophomore album, Back From The Edge – released in October, shot to No 1 in the charts, as did lead single Say You Won’t Let Go; he’s back on the books at Syco, and has just started on a UK tour that runs throughout March.
“It’s mind-blowing,” he mutters softly. “At the Brits two years ago, Jimmy Carr got up and made some crack about me having a meltdown, and I remember watching it, thinking, ‘I am a joke in this country, there’s no coming back from this’.
“Not only was I an X Factor winner that got dropped by Syco, and when that happens you’re never heard of again, but everyone thought I was a clown. I was in those ‘where are they now’ articles and I was like, ‘F**k me, I’m that guy, I’m on the scrapheap’.”
James credits his escape from the overcrowded pop scrapheap to a spirit forged through his unbalanced upbringing.
“I remember when my parents put me up for foster care and no one gave a f**k about me. I’ve been a survivor for so many years, I’ve always felt like I’ve been trying to survive and always found a way to climb out of the s**t.
“That’s just been a theme of my life, it’s the mentality I’ve had to get out of the mire.”
Opening up about that journey – from living in a bedsit, to winning The X Factor, and then watching it all crumble down around him – he says it left him feeling 40 or 50 years old. “It’s like I’ve been around for a long time, and to some people it might seem a bit bizarre me saying, ‘I’m back from the edge’, but it is wild when you think about it.”
He says the comeback was fuelled by his on/off girlfriend, professional dancer Jessica Grist.
“I pushed everyone away, I ignored everyone. It was just me and Jess, who was so supportive and helped me through a million panic attacks.”
James has suffered from “crippling” panic attacks since first appearing on X Factor, and reveals he has plans to pen an autobiography that will also serve as a self-help book for fans who endure similar issues.
“I’m really passionate about it and I really care,” he explains.
“My message to those that do have it (anxiety) is, I know regular things can be so difficult – going to the shop, just going outside – but I’m doing it.
“So if I can travel to France and play a gig in a train station with thousands of people around, then you can get up and go to the shop, buy a pint of milk and you will survive, you will be all right.”
As for returning to Syco – the label reportedly wanted him back after Simon Cowell listened to James’ second record – the singer says he initially wanted to reject their offer, but relented because he’s a “sucker for a story”.
“When they asked me to come back, I thought, ‘Well I’m number one on iTunes already...’, but I’m a massive fan of fairy tales and underdog stories. I’m the one person in history that they came back to, I like that that will be written, it’s a bit of an ego thing.
“I felt like I had to prove myself to them, to let them know how good I am and how much I’ve grown up.”
For James, that sense of maturity means having more diplomacy when dealing with the label’s A&R (Artist and Repertoire) – those responsible for looking after musicians and their output.
“I’d never experienced A&R before and it p***ed me off. I hated A&R. I was like, ‘Don’t tell me how to make music, I’ve just won The X Factor, have a bit of faith in me... I’m James Arthur, I’m the best thing that’s ever come from this show. I’m gonna make you a lot of money’,” he admits.
“But that’s not how it works. If you’re signed to a major label, you have an A&R, they do have to give opinions and if I was left to structure songs, we’d have eight-minute, obscure left-ofcentre tracks.”
He’s pleased that Back From The Edge’s success means he can now perform some different songs live. No doubt his fans felt the same; James’ UK tour sold out in just over 10 minutes.
“We could’ve done arenas this time, but I’m happy because I love to do those packed-out rooms.”
The singer is visiting a number of towns and cities for the 16-date run, including Birmingham and Cardiff, but it’s Glasgow that excites him most, because he can spend time with family there.
“It’s always a good craic, they’re rowdy. Manchester is great too, and London’s always the toughest crowd, everyone’s trying to look cool.”
But why no stop-off in his hometown?
“Newcastle is pretty close, plus we want to do something special for Middlesbrough,” says James.
“We’ve got some cool ideas, maybe we’ll do the Riverside (Stadium, home to Middlesbrough FC who James supports).”
If his current winning streak continues, he’ll be playing those arena tours in no time...
James Arthur will be at St David’s Hall, Cardiff, tomorrow