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.
SUICIDE
James Arthur Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Here we go
It ain't the gun
It's the man behind the trigger
Gets blood on his fingers
And runs
It ain't the lie
But if there is one thing that I'm guilty of
It's loving and giving when you take too much
If somebody asked how we died
Please look them straight in the eye
Call it suicide
Don't fabricate
Just tell them babe
It was suicide
Don't sugarcoat it
Just let them know
It ain't the knife
It's the way that you use it
How you abuse it in fights
It ain't about the life
You feel you were given
As long as you're living it right
If there is one thing that I'm guilty of
It's loving and giving when you take too much
If somebody asked how we died
Oh, you look them straight in the eye
Call it suicide
Don't fabricate
Just tell them babe
It was suicide
Don't sugarcoat it
Just let them know
You've been killing me softly
And finally the pain is too much
And I'm all out of whisky
To soak up the damage you've done
If there's anything I'm guilty of
It's loving you too much
If anybody asks how we died
Call it suicide
Don't fabricate
Just tell them babe
It was suicide
Don't sugarcoat it
Just let them know
Call it suicide
Don't fabricate
Just tell them babe
It was suicide
Don't sugarcoat it
Just let them know
Oh baby
Just let them know
Just
The song "Suicide" by James Arthur is a powerful and emotional ballad about the harsh reality of mental health and suicide. The opening lyrics "It ain't the gun, it's the man behind the trigger, gets blood on his fingers and runs" refers to the idea that it's not the tool, but rather the person who uses it in a reckless, harmful way that can cause harm to themselves and others. The song emphasizes the importance of being honest and open about suicide, rather than sugarcoating or denying the reality of it.
Throughout the song, Arthur points out that the truth of the matter is most important. He sings "If somebody asked how we died, please look them straight in the eye. Call it suicide, don't fabricate, just tell them babe it was suicide." The chorus repeats the phrase "Call it suicide, don't sugarcoat it, just let them know" while emphasizing that it's not about the weapon or the circumstances, but rather the painful reality of someone choosing to end their life.
The final verse is particularly poignant. Arthur sings "If there's anything I'm guilty of, it's loving you too much. If anybody asks how we died, call it suicide." It's clear that the subject of the song has been in a toxic relationship that has caused immense pain and emotional damage, which has contributed to the decision to end their life. The song sheds light on the fact that mental health struggles and suicide aren't always clear cut, but rather can be the result of numerous factors such as abusive relationships.
Line by Line Meaning
One, two, ready
Here we go
Let's get started
It ain't the gun
It's the man behind the trigger
Gets blood on his fingers
And runs
It's not the weapon, it's the person behind it who bears the responsibility for the resulting harm
It ain't the lie
It's the way that the truth is denied
Lying is not the problem, it's the act of denying the truth
But if there is one thing that I'm guilty of
It's loving and giving when you take too much
The artist is guilty of loving and giving too much, to the point of being taken advantage of
If somebody asked how we died
Please look them straight in the eye
Call it suicide
Don't fabricate
Just tell them babe
It was suicide
Don't sugarcoat it
Just let them know
In the event of their death, the artist wants to be honest about the cause and not cover it up
It ain't the knife
It's the way that you use it
How you abuse it in fights
It's not the tool, it's how it's used that causes harm
It ain't about the life
You feel you were given
As long as you're living it right
Life isn't about what you were given, it's about how you live it
You've been killing me softly
And finally the pain is too much
And I'm all out of whisky
To soak up the damage you've done
The pain inflicted by the other person has become unbearable and the artist has run out of coping mechanisms
If there's anything I'm guilty of
It's loving you too much
The artist is guilty of loving the other person too intensely
Call it suicide
Don't fabricate
Just tell them babe
It was suicide
Don't sugarcoat it
Just let them know
Again, the artist wants their death to be acknowledged for what it is, and not falsely represented
Lyrics © Ultra Tunes, BMG Rights Management, THE ROYALTY NETWORK INC., Royalty Network, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: NATHAN WALKER, BRANDON BELL, RONALD M FEREBEE, ALJA JACKSON, DESMOND PETERSON, TONY SCALES, ROBERT RIHMEEK WILLIAMS, QAADIR ATKINSON, JOHN JACKSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@assalai2565
this is why i love james, the emotions, the roughness of his voice... it's so calming to me
@wortelmachine4832
and then look at his twitter
@MariGarci-bl7or
I would say heartfelt...
@prudencejayantipala3315
after 3 years ? who's still listening to this till now 🤩♥️
@Mama-Ames
07/09/21... still here. Since I found beautiful James... I don't want to be anywhere else. To me, there is no one else.🙏♥️🇺🇲✌
@ronvlogs3668
7/22/2021 here
@princedripion6472
Try listening now😂
@Itseddiedude
Meee!!🤟🤟🤟
@divyanilodh4042
9/9/21
@millytugby6497
James Arthur is soooo under-rated😔