James Arthur has come a long way since proving himself a star on 2012's British X Factor. The competition helped prime him for the stage, but after touring with the show and performing in sold-out arenas, he wanted to make a name for himself outside of the X Factor brand. In 2014, he set out on his debut headlining tour, the James Arthur Tour, to support his self-titled debut album. Over the next five years, he toured extensively throughout the U.K., Europe and the U.S., and landed a supporting slot at the 16th Annual Honda Civic Tour alongside OneRepublic. In 2019, he performed a few intimate and acoustic shows to warm up for one of his biggest tours yet to support his third album, You.

James Arthur in Concert

James Arthur can make even the pain of heartbreak sound comforting. The warmth of his voice and intensity of his words seem to come so naturally; still, the road to the top of the charts wasn't always smooth for the singer/songwriter. Arthur grew up in Middlesbrough, England, but bounced around between various homes, even living in Bahrain for a few years, before returning to England and getting serious about music. As a teenager he began writing and recording songs and performing locally in alt-rock bands. By 2011, he was pushing for a solo career. He ended up among the final 200 contestants on the U.K. version of The Voice, but never made it further. That hardly deterred him, though. He soon found himself in the finals on The X Factor. Upon winning the ninth series of the show, his debut single, a cover of Shontelle's "Impossible," made it straight to No. 1 in the U.K. and became the country's fastest-selling single in 2012. Arthur then released his self-titled debut album in November 2013. The release showcased his range, between soulful R&B crooner and commanding rapper, and featured single "You're Nobody ‘til Somebody Loves You" and collaborations with Emeli Sandé and Chasing Grace. For his sophomore album, Arthur signed with Columbia Records and dropped Back from the Edge in 2016, which included No. 1 single "Say You Won't Let Go." Over the next few years, he would join forces with artists like Machine Gun Kelly, Rudimental, Marshmello and Juicy J on various singles, before returning with his third album, You, in 2019.