Since 2005, and prior to his participation in The X Factor, he was a vocalist and guitarist in a number of bands, and later, as a solo artist as well as forming his own The James Arthur Band and James Arthur Project.
Arthur was born in Middlesbrough, England to English mother Shirley Ashworth and Scottish father Neil Arthur. James’ father was a delivery driver, but also used to be a DJ and a drummer for many years. Arthur’s parents split when he was just two-years-old and each settled with a new partner. Neil and Shirley were not on talking terms with each other for more than twenty years. But they agreed to attend the show together in a family reunion to attend their son’s performance.
Arthur first went to Ings Farm Primary School in Redcar, North Yorkshire. When he was nine, he moved with his mother Shirley and his step father Ronald Rafferty to Bahrain where he studied at the local British School of Bahrain for four years. When they split, Arthur, then 14, had to move back with his mother and his two half-sisters Jasmine and Neve to the UK to live in a modest house in Saltburn-by-the-Sea.Upon his return, he continued his studies at Redcar’s Rye Hills School.
Arthur has five siblings, an older brother called Neil Arthur, an older sister called Sian Arthur, and three younger sisters, Charlotte Arthur and Jasmin and Neve Rafferty.
Arthur has been writing and recording songs since he was 15 as an unsigned artist both solo and in many bands including:
Moonlight Drive - a Cleveland-based progressive, experimental, rock five-piece band with Arthur in lead vocals. The band was active between 2005 and 2008. They had recordings such as «Said You’d Be There», «Hole in My Heart» and «Tear Me Apart».
Cue the Drama - an alternative rock band based in Marske-by-the-Sea and active between 2005 and 2008. Recordings included «On the Radio 98KUPD», «It’s Killing Me», «I Reach You» and «It Hurts».
Save Arcade - a Middlesbrough alternative rock band made up of Arthur (vocals, guitar), Josh Brown (keyboards, vocals), Matthew Green (guitar), Alex Beer (bass, vocals), Travis Shaw (guitar, percussions, vocals) and Karl Dowson (drums). In 2009, the band released a three-track EP called Truth, carrying the title track «The Truth», as well as «Echoes» and «I Un-Proudly Present». In June 2010, the band released a five-track EP, Tonight We Dine in Hades, which in addition to the title track «Tonight We Dine in Hades» included «Superhero», «You Always Want a Fight», «Juliet Is Not Dead» and «She Aims to Please». Both releases were on the independent 57 Records UK.
Emerald Skye - a four-piece indie pop/rock band formed in March 2011 based in Redcar / Saltburn-by-the-Sea and made up of Arthur (guitar, vocals), Dean Harrison (piano, violin), Paul Gill (bass) and Save Arcade bandmate Green (drums).
Arthur also uploaded many of his own songs to Soundcloud and YouTube including an album entitled Sins by the Sea. In 2011, he auditioned for The Voice UK and made it into the final 200 contestants but no further.
In early 2012, he recorded songs and released two EPs as The James Arthur Band. The band consisted of Arthur (vocals and guitar), Jez Taylor (guitar), Chris Smalls (keyboards), Jordan Swain (drums) and Rich Doney (bass). In 2012, the band released The EP Collection CD with nine tracks with R&B, soul and hip hop influences, a compilation of tracks on both EPs. Arthur also released an EP named Hold On under the name The James Arthur Project in August 2012 in collaboration with John McGough. The tracks were written and arranged by McGough, and mixed by Matt Wanstall with all vocals by Arthur.
Arthur auditioned for The X Factor with an acoustic rendition of judge Tulisa Contostavlos’s «Young», before explaining his past, including spells in care and time spent on the streets after break-ups within his family. He also revealed his father and mother had not spoken to each other for over 20 years, and this was a reunion of sorts for them to attend his audition. After his judges’ houses performance of «I Can’t Make You Love Me», he was picked by his mentor Nicole Scherzinger as one of the 12 contestants for the live shows, and one of just three in the «Boys» category. After the second live show, Arthur suffered from an anxiety attack backstage. Whilst being treated at the studio, paramedics determined he did not need to go to hospital, and he was ordered back to his hotel to rest. He later returned for the results show the following. Arthur was in the bottom two in week 7 after performing «Can’t Take My Eyes Off You». He sang «Fallin’» for survival against Ella Henderson, with the judges going to deadlock after their vote was evenly split 2-2 (mentor Scherzinger and Gary Barlow voting to keep him, while Contostavlos and Louis Walsh voted in favour of Henderson). Arthur was then saved by the public vote. On 8 December, he made it through to the second night of the live finals.
Arthur won The X Factor on 9 December 2012, with 53.7% of the vote, against Jahméne Douglas who received 38.9% of the vote.
Impossible
James Arthur Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I remember, years ago
Someone told me I should take
Caution when it comes to love, I did
And you were strong and I was not
My illusion, my mistake
I was careless, I forgot, I did
And now
When all is done, there is nothing to say
You have gone and so effortlessly
You have won, you can go ahead, tell them
Tell them all I know now
Shout it from the rooftops
Write it on the skyline
All we had is gone now
Tell them I was happy
And my heart is broken
All my scars are open
Tell them what I hoped would be impossible
Impossible
Impossible
Impossible
Falling out of love is hard
Falling for betrayal is worse
Broken trust and broken hearts
I know, I know
And thinking all you need is there
Building faith on love and words
Empty promises will wear
I know
I know and now
When all is done, there is nothing to say
And if you're done with embarrassing me
On your own, you can go ahead, tell them
Tell them all I know now
Shout it from the rooftops
Write it on the skyline
All we had is gone now
Tell them I was happy
And my heart is broken
All my scars are open
Tell them what I hoped would be impossible
Impossible
Impossible
Impossible
I remember, years ago
Someone told me I should take
Caution when it comes to love
I did
Tell them all I know now
Shout it from the rooftops
Write it on the skyline
All we had is gone now
Tell them I was happy
And my heart is broken
Oh, hoped would be impossible
Impossible (impossible)
Impossible (impossible)
(Impossible)
(Impossible) impossible
(Impossible) impossible
(Impossible)
Impossible
The song "Impossible" by James Arthur is an emotional ballad about the aftermath of a failed relationship. The song reflects on the journey of a couple who fell out of love and the sense of betrayal felt by one partner. The lyrics are a reflection of hindsight, a realization of what the person could have done differently to save their relationship. The singer acknowledges his fault in the relationship's downfall and admits that he was careless and that he made the mistake of not valuing the love he had.
The lyrics also convey a sense of acceptance of the heartbreak that comes after the end of a relationship. The singer accepts that everything is over and there is nothing left to say or do. He tells his ex-partner that they can go ahead and "tell them all" about what happened. This acceptance of reality is also reflected in the repetition of the word "impossible," showing the futility of trying to repair a relationship that is beyond repair.
Line by Line Meaning
I remember, years ago
I recall a time in the past
Someone told me I should take
Another person advised me to be careful
Caution when it comes to love, I did
I heeded the caution advised to me when it comes to love
And you were strong and I was not
You had strength and I didn't
My illusion, my mistake
What I thought was real turned out to be an error in judgment
I was careless, I forgot, I did
I didn't take enough care and forgot to be mindful
When all is done, there is nothing to say
Nothing more can be said or done
You have gone and so effortlessly
You left so easily and without struggle
You have won, you can go ahead, tell them
You are the victor and have the right to brag
Tell them all I know now
Communicate to others all that I am aware of now
Shout it from the rooftops
Announce it to the world loudly and proudly
Write it on the skyline
Make it so clear that everyone can see it
All we had is gone now
Everything that we had is now lost
Tell them I was happy
Inform others that I was pleased in the moment
And my heart is broken
Despite the happiness, my heart is shattered
All my scars are open
All my wounds are visible and raw
Tell them what I hoped would be impossible
Inform others what I thought was impossible
Falling out of love is hard
Losing feelings for someone is challenging
Falling for betrayal is worse
Being deceived by a loved one is even more painful
Broken trust and broken hearts
Faith and love have been damaged
Thinking all you need is there
Believing you have everything you need
Building faith on love and words
Creating trust based on love and sweet nothings
Empty promises will wear
Hollow words will become worn out
If you're done with embarrassing me
If you're through with putting me to shame
On your own, you can go ahead, tell them
Express yourself to others on your own
Oh, hoped would be impossible
I wanted something done that was seemingly implausible
Impossible (impossible)
Unattainable
Impossible (impossible)
Inconceivable
(Impossible)
Out of reach
Lyrics © Reservoir Media Management, Inc., Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Arnthor Birgisson, Ina Christine Wroldsen
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@onoabedjeprecious3284
LYRICS
I remember years ago
Someone told me I should take
Caution when it comes to love
I did
And you were strong and I was not
My illusion, my mistake
I was careless, I forgot
I did
And now when all is done
There is nothing to say
You have gone and so effortlessly
You have won
You can go ahead tell them
Tell them all I know now
Shout it from the roof tops
Write it on the sky line
All we had is gone now
Tell them I was happy
And my heart is broken
All my scars are open
Tell them what I hoped would be
Impossible, impossible
Impossible, impossible
Falling out of love is hard
Falling for betrayal is worse
Broken trust and broken hearts
I know, I know...
Thinking all you need is there
Building faith on love and words
Empty promises will wear
I know, I know...
And now when all is done
There is nothing to say
And if you're done with embarrassing me
On your own you can go ahead tell them
Tell them all I know now
Shout it from the roof tops
Write it on the sky line
All we had is gone now
Tell them I was happy
And my heart is broken
All my scars are open
Tell them what I hoped would be
Impossible, impossible
Impossible, impossible
I remember years ago
Someone told me I should take
Caution when it comes to love
I did
Tell them all I know now
Shout it from the roof tops
Write it on the sky line
All we had is gone now
Tell them I was happy
And my heart is broken
(Tell them oh) I hoped would be
Impossible, impossible
Impossible, impossible
Impossible, impossible
Impossible, impossible
@DallasCoryell
The pain in this guy's voice....
@lavanyamanjunath4202
hmmmmmmm even i sing this one quite good, but i really must admit couldnt sing like him with deeper emotions !!!!!!!!
must t o work on it
@mereljanssen
Lavanya Manjunath H emotion is the key to music.
@lavanyamanjunath4202
I admit it don't no y this song is'nt my cup of tea may i have'nt yet felt that emotion soooo
@furhadnasserjah123
Lavanya Manjunath H weirdo
@beti05
Dallas Coryell. I agree, he's too whiny yet shaky too. Kinda annoying. Not my cup of tea either.
@bluemacaw936
I cry for no reason while listening to this . I guess the pain in his voice triggered my brain and my soul . It gets me.
@GaelinW
I know. His voice carries so much emotion.
@thaddeuscanady5577
Me too
@adv.sourapriyarajan.e2037
@@thaddeuscanady5577 🙄😭😭😭