James Arthur wishes he could ‘burn’ parts of his past to protect daughter
He welcomed Emily two years ago.
Singer and actor James Arthur, 37, hit the big time when he won the ninth series of The X Factor in 2012. He reveals why he’s so excited about his new album, how the passing of Liam Payne affected him, the reason he lashed out after The X Factor and why he’s hoping he’ll get an invite to play Glastonbury Festival.
Hi James, are you just back from touring Australia and New Zealand?
Yes I was opening for the legend that is Bryan Adams and I’m the biggest fan. My favourite song of all time is I Thought I’d Died and Gone to Heaven; I think it was the first tape I bought.
And the first songs I sang in public were Bryan Adams songs. So it was very much a pinch me moment getting to share a stage and sing with him every night.
How was it meeting him for the first time?
I was a bit nervous and waffling sh*t to him. It was the day after we landed so we were so jet lagged and Bryan Adams is in my room chatting to me.
You know when you have that fear after someone leaves the room of ‘What did I say?’ But he’s the nicest coolest guy you could wish to meet. He’s really inspiring and at 65, he’s putting on an incredible show, playing for two hours a night.
His voice is impeccable. It’s really cool to see what I could have in the future.
The star has opened up about how ‘tough’ touring is with his two-year-old Emily at home (Picture: Simon Hofmann/Getty Images)What’s touring life like for you these days, especially being a dad to 2 year old Emily?
I had to sacrifice seeing her for the Australian run, which was really tough as I’d not been away from her for more than 10 days before; I’m with her every day.
I usually have a rule of not being away from her for more than five days. She can come in and out if I’m touring Europe – she’s got one hell of a passport already.
It’s just doing America or Australia with lots of internal flights – you can’t expect a two year old to do that sort of schedule.
Your new album Pisces is out soon, you must be excited.
I am. I felt I needed to make something you could easily distinguish from my other records. It’s not all angsty, typical vocals you’d hear from me; it’s a bit more dreamy and that’s why the Pisces name was a good marriage.
Being a dreamer links well with the Pisces star sign and there’s a lot of cool things I could draw from the water theme. I’ve always resonated with my star sign. We’re all quite tribal and that’s one thing I feel I belong to.
Your single ADHD is all about your diagnosis with the condition. Has that changed things for you?
It’s been really helpful. I think it’s important not to use it as a crutch or as something to point to when things aren’t making sense or you’re not being understood by the people you love.
But it’s been helpful for me to equip the people around me to understand me better, and therefore I feel more connected with everyone because I always felt a bit disconnected and misunderstood before.
He’s come a long way since his young years signing his first single in 2012 (Picture: Shirlaine Forrest/WireImage)You knew Liam Payne – how much did his passing affect you?
Liam was a very caring guy; he requested to speak to me not long after The X Factor when it was well documented I was struggling with the sudden rise to fame from obscurity.
Suddenly I was on the front pages being talked about and Liam had gone through a similar struggle so he reached out and set up a meeting to speak to me before The X Factor Tour. He was concerned with my wellbeing and welfare – that’s the type of guy he was.
So I was obviously affected by his passing because it was clear he was struggling and perhaps in a dark place, and I’ve been there myself so it could have ended badly for me too.
Maybe fame might be slightly more difficult for people like myself and Liam that come from working class, humble beginnings.
You had a lot to navigate with that, and a tricky family dynamic too.
Yeah, it’s definitely taken me a long time to settle into this role. I went into that process with a lot of baggage so a lot of those things were amplified and I couldn’t deal with them.
I didn’t have enough of a support network around me in the form of family, because I’d pushed a lot of people away in my life. I made some monumental f*ck ups that have hampered my career so doors closed and now I have to work twice as hard as other people.
James struggled with his sudden rise to fame (Picture: Chiaki Nozu/WireImage)I lashed out so much because I struggled with the landscape of the music industry: I’m not saying Nepo babies can’t be talented but it bothered me that people who come from privilege had the opportunities while we were labelled as manufactured when I was just using a platform to showcase my ability. I’d worked as a musician and songwriter for 10 years before I did The X Factor.
There’s been some negative press about The X Factor since it ended. Have your feelings about the show changed?
I can only speak from my experience but the process worked for me in many ways because I went in to it knowing exactly who I was and what I wanted to achieve out of it.
I had a lot of songs in me but unfortunately a lot of people don’t and although they might be great singers, they’re dropped when it’s clear they’re not an artist. When X Factor gave you a record deal and a pot of money at the end, it was worth doing.
Whereas now shows just offer you exposure and they’re more about the judges. I can see why there’s a lot of casualties from that because it’s a cutthroat business.
‘A ‘lot of the music I make is for broken people’ (Picture: Steve Jennings/Getty Images)You have 2.7 million followers on Instagram alone…
I’m very lucky to have such loyal fans. They’ve been there for me through thick and thin, and continue to campaign for me all the time. I’m really blessed; we have a special connection and I feel part of a community.
A lot of the music I make is for broken people, so people find solace in the lyrics, which is great to see. That’s why I love touring because music really unites people.
People for those couple of hours are fully escaping whatever pain they’re going through so it’s an absolute privilege. I love what I do; I’m very happy.
People really appreciate you sharing what you’ve been through.
Brené Brown does TED Talks about how vulnerability is courage and I like to spread that word at my shows; talking about your mental health and making yourself vulnerable is the most courageous thing you can do.
It doesn’t make you weak to talk about your mental health, nothing could be further from the truth. I’ve seen how profound it can be being open about my struggles and how helpful it can be to others.
Is there anything you’re worried your daughter might read about you when she’s older?
Oh, yeah. I wish I could burn many things that have been said and written about me. But I’ll have to cross that bridge when I come to it. Even things I’ve done myself, like my autobiography, I wish I hadn’t.
You don’t think one day I’ll be a dad and my daughter will read it. I wish I could undo a lot of things but that’s the nature of the beast.
James won the X Factor in 2012, and he’d love to be invited to play at Glastonbury Festival one day (Picture: McKay/Thames/REX/Shutterstock)Have you got any more acting plans?
I have a couple of gaps in touring this year so I’ve been looking at taking on a couple of projects. The right things haven’t come up before and the touring has ramped up so much since Covid so there’s not been much time for acting.
For someone like me or Harry Styles for example, and the way we’ve emerged in the public eye, it’s important to get it right. I’ve always liked Shane Meadows and Christopher Nolan things, where the acting feels improvised, gritty and authentic.
I do a fair bit of acting in my music videos; I’ve made a film that will accompany Pisces with flashes of acting from me. It’s something I really enjoy, and as I get older I’ll do more of it.
Have you chatted to Harry about it?
No I’ve not – I’d imagine he’s too busy to talk to me! But he’s done really well.
Why haven’t you done Glastonbury yet?
They haven’t invited me but I would love to. Maybe that’s one of the things I’m talking about where I’m blacklisted – I don’t know.
Or maybe that will come in my twilight stages in my career. I’ve been lucky enough to play Wembley a few times as part of the Capital Ball but I’d love to headline there. And also get myself in contention for some awards.
To be recognised for the efforts I’ve put in with music would be nice. I’m not holding out any hope!
‘I made some monumental f*ck ups that have hampered my career’ (Picture: Ken McKay/Thames/REX/Shutterstock)You’re playing the Royal Albert Hall at the end of March too…
Yes for Teenage Cancer Trust, which I’ve done before. My dad’s really proud because I’m on the same week as The Who, who are his idols.
He can’t believe I’m on the same bill! It’s gonna be good and then I’m off to America in the summer to do an even bigger tour.
My biggest audience is in America, which is great because America is a huge market to crack.
What have been some of your other pinch yourself moments?
It feels like the last few years, things have really come to the boil. Last year I did Wembley and the O2 in the same week, I had a number one album and a sold out world tour.
I did a duet with Kelly Clarkson who’s a legend and I’ve just supported Bryan Adams. I’ve had a lot of success with a couple of songs too: Say You Won’t Let Go has had billions of streams and is the second most streamed love song of all time on Spotify.
To reach those kind of numbers is bigger than I could have ever imagined.
Pisces is out April 25th. James plays the Royal Albert Hall for Teenage Cancer Trust on March 26th.
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