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.
Never Let You Go
James Arthur Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Nightmares and no dreaming
Right when you lost me
Now you don't want me, no
I was smokin' and drinkin'
Anything to stop thinking
My house feels empty
My heart feels too heavy now, whoa
'Cause I, I wanna hold you
Like I never held you
And when I do, I'll never let you go
Well, I wanna love you
Like I never left you
And when I do, I'll never let you go
Let you go, let you go, let you go
I wish you could just walk in
Hit me up without a warning
Where are you tonight? 'Cause I'm losing my mind, oh
I should have told you what you meant to me
Should have given you my everything
And never let you leave
Oh, what I'd do just to change the fact
That you are not here and you can't come back now
I, I wanna hold you
Like I never held you
And when I do, I'll never let you go
Well, I wanna love you
Like I never left you
And when I do, I'll never let you go
Let you go, let you go, let you go
I don't wanna feel this anymore
I don't wanna be this anymore
Take me there
Take me there
I don't wanna wake up on my own
Give me everything I've ever loved
Take me there
Take me there
'Cause I wanna hold you
Like I never held you
And when I do, I'll never let you go
Well, I wanna love you
Like I never left you
And when I do, I'll never let you go
Let you go, let you go, let you go
I'll never let you go
I'll never let you go
I'll never let you go
I'll never let, let
The lyrics to James Arthur's song "Never Let You Go" express the pain and longing of a lost love. The singer is immersed in their emotions, feeling a sense of loneliness and despair. They describe feeling haunted by nightmares and unable to escape their thoughts of the person they have lost.
The chorus reveals the singer's intense desire to hold onto their love and never let go. They reflect on the missed opportunities to express their feelings and give their all in the relationship. The regret and remorse weigh heavily on their heart, as they contemplate the emptiness they now feel.
In the second verse, the singer yearns for the person to return unexpectedly, wishing for a chance to make things right. They acknowledge that they should have expressed the depth of their love and held onto the relationship tighter. The pain of the person's absence is palpable as they express a willingness to do anything to change the circumstances and have them back.
The repetition of the chorus emphasizes the singer's longing to hold and love this person without ever letting them go. It is a plea for a second chance and a commitment to never repeat the mistakes of the past.
Overall, "Never Let You Go" captures the raw emotions of heartbreak, regret, and the desperate desire to hold onto a lost love.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm all in my feelings
I am overwhelmed by my emotions
Nightmares and no dreaming
I am haunted by negative thoughts and cannot find peace
Right when you lost me
Just when you no longer wanted me
Now you don't want me, no
You have no desire for me now
I was smokin' and drinkin'
I turned to substance abuse to numb my thoughts
Anything to stop thinking
I did whatever it took to avoid facing my thoughts
My house feels empty
My home lacks warmth and companionship
My heart feels too heavy now, whoa
My heart is burdened with immense sadness
'Cause I, I wanna hold you
Because I long to embrace you
Like I never held you
As if our previous embraces never happened
And when I do, I'll never let you go
Once I have the chance, I will never release you
Well, I wanna love you
I desire to love you deeply
Like I never left you
As if I never parted from you
And when I do, I'll never let you go
When that love becomes a reality, I will never let you go
Let you go, let you go, let you go
I will not allow myself to release you from my life
I wish you could just walk in
I long for the moment you could simply enter the room
Hit me up without a warning
Contact me unexpectedly
Where are you tonight? 'Cause I'm losing my mind, oh
I am going crazy wondering where you are tonight
I should have told you what you meant to me
I regret not expressing the depth of my feelings for you
Should have given you my everything
I should have wholeheartedly given you all that I had
And never let you leave
I should have held onto you and not let you go
Oh, what I'd do just to change the fact
I would do anything to alter the current reality
That you are not here and you can't come back now
You are absent from my life and cannot return
I don't wanna feel this anymore
I no longer want to experience these emotions
I don't wanna be this anymore
I want to change who I have become
Take me there
Bring me to a better place
Take me there
Take me to that better place
I don't wanna wake up on my own
I do not want to face each day alone
Give me everything I've ever loved
Provide me with all the things that have brought me joy
Cause I wanna hold you
Because I have a strong desire to hold you
Like I never held you
As if our previous embraces never occurred
And when I do, I'll never let you go
Once I have the chance, I will never release you
Let you go, let you go, let you go
I will not allow myself to release you from my life
I'll never let you go
I will never allow you to leave me
I'll never let you go
I will always hold on to you
I'll never let you go
I will never release you from my grasp
I'll never let, let
I will forever keep you close to me
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Benjamin Alexander Kohn, Corey James Sanders, James Arthur, Peter Kelleher, Tom Barnes
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind