James Arthur

British singer and songwriter James Arthur first achieved fame when he won the ninth edition of "The X Factor" in Great Britain. Born March 2, 1988, in Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, Arthur started writing and recording his own songs as a teenager. He also uploaded many of these songs to Soundcloud and YouTube, and played in several different local bands during this time, including Moonlight Drive and Emerald Skye. In 2012, he auditioned for "The X Factor" and was one of 12 contestants to appear on the show that season. After news-making performances of such songs as "Sexy and I Know It" and "Can't Take My Eyes Off You," Arthur was named the winner, garnering 53.7% of the final vote. Following this victory, his winning song, a cover of Shontelle's "Impossible," became the fastest-selling debut song from any "X Factor" winner thus far, going to No. 1 on the U.K. Singles chart. By August of 2013, it was also the best-selling "X Factor" winner's single ever, with more than 1.4 million copies sold in the U.K., and more than 2.5 million sold worldwide. His self-titled debut album, released in November 2013, reached No. 2 on the U.K. Albums chart. His second album, "Back From the Edge," was released in September 2016, and the first single from this album, "Say You Won't Go," also reached No. 1 on the U.K. Singles chart, and ultimately sold more than 2 million copies worldwide. 2017 brought new successes for Arthur, including a U.K. arena tour and an appearance as one of the featured vocalists on a charity cover of "Bridge Over Troubled Waters," which raised funds for victims of the Grenfell Tower fire. His first book, "Back to the Boy," was released in October 2017, and that same month, Arthur was nominated for an American Music Award for New Artist of the Year.