James Arthur determined to make the most of his second chance

Everyone makes mistakes. British singer/songwriter James Arthur freely admits to making more than most people. But just as we all make mistakes, the vast majority of us always deserve to have another chance. James has certainly made the most of his. He currently holds top spot on the UK chart with his latest single, Say You Won’t Let Go.
“I do realise how lucky I am to still have the support of so many people,” remarked 28-year-old James. “I really appreciate this and the forgiveness which I’ve had. I pretty much made a mess of my professional and personal life. I’m very grateful to be given the opportunity to put things right.”
The world seemed to be at James’ feet after he won the 2012 series of British television’s X Factor. His debut single, a cover of Shontelle’s Impossible, shot straight to number one and also became a massive international hit.
His self-written follow-up, You’re Nobody ‘til Somebody Loves You, was another enormous smash. It was only held from top spot in Britain by the phenomenon that was Lorde’s Royals and, while not as successful as Impossible, gave James a second big world-wide hit.
His eponymously-titled debut album also did well. It was only denied pole position in Britain by Eminem’s The Marshall Mathers LP 2 and achieved solid spots in charts around the world including top ten placings in Switzerland, Ireland, France and Greece.
But the rot had already begun to set in. James had become embroiled in well-publicised controversies and disputes with fellow artists. This did not endear him to important people in the music business.
One critic was particularly scathing. She remarked upon his narcissism, pride, extreme disrespect for his label mates and other young artists coupled with arrogance displayed in his social media postings.
“I think those comments were a bit harsh but I can’t really deny their validity. A lot of my stupid behaviour was due to mental problems and the influence of drugs. I’d had mental issues even when I was on X Factor. I had a bad anxiety attack during the second live show. This was after I’d performed, not before which might have been understandable.”
James’ mental illness was later manifested in panic attacks when he believed he was dying.
“I’d phone for an ambulance telling them I was having a heart attack. This happened many times. I might not have felt well because of stuff I was taking, not eating properly and not getting enough sleep. In my confused mind though, I really thought I was having a heart attack.”
Virtually all of his publicity was negative. A third single, Recovery, peaked at a respectable number 19 in Britain. But his fourth single, Get Down, only reached number 96.
Many radio stations were reluctant to play the song. It was even blacklisted on some. This action stemmed from remarks James had made in a diss track aimed at battle rapper Micky Worthless. His song responded to Micky’s Stay In Your Lane which mocked James presenting himself as a battle rapper during a radio interview.
“It’s an episode which I deeply regret. I think it’s fair to say the average music fan had never heard of Micky Worthless. If I’d ignored his song, most people would never have known anything about it and those who did would have forgotten it almost immediately.
“At that time, I wanted to be accepted as a serious rapper. This was the musical direction I wanted to take. I felt like I had to hit back. I got into all kinds of Twitter feuds and ended up apologising on television to anyone I’d offended.”
James was also less than complimentary about X Factor. He criticised the show creator, and his label boss, Simon Cowell. A parting of the ways from Syco Music was inevitable.
“I wasn’t too bothered at the time. I thought I could record and release exactly the kind of songs I wanted without any interference from the label. It was only later that I came to realise and appreciate all the things a record company does for their artists.”
His life and career have now turned full circle. Apologies have been made to those with whom James had Twitter feuds. He has even re-signed to Syco Music.
“Simon (Cowell) sent me a really nice text message and everything developed from there. Getting a second chance with Syco felt a bit surreal at first. I’m so grateful to Simon and the music fans who have made Say You Won’t Let Go such a big hit. I hope they feel the same about my album, Back From The Edge, which will be out on October 28.
“But this has all come from getting myself together. I realised my life was a mess and set about trying to make things better. Dealing with my mental issues was probably the most important thing. I still have to manage my anxiety every day but I’ve learned to deal with the problem.
“I’ve even become an ambassador for the mental health charity SANE. I’m always willing to talk about my situation in the hope that I might be able to encourage other people to talk about their problems and get whatever help they might need.”

in brief
Barns Courtney
Barns Courtney is currently touring America as the support act for Tom Odell. But the English-born, American-raised singer/songwriter is gradually making his own mark in the music business.
Now 25, Barns returned to England ten years ago. His early musical activities saw him front the indie band SleeperCell and the indie-punk outfit Dive Bella Dive.
His solo work is a more blues-rock style as demonstrated by his new single, Glitter and Gold. The song was originally issued last year as a promotional track. But it has now been given the full release treatment with an accompanying video which can be seen at www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrV90gXmOpA
Glitter and Gold is the follow-up to Barns’ debut single, Fire, which was featured on the soundtrack of the 2015 film, Burnt. The song video is at www.youtube.com/watch?v=hLEoictM8p4
Barns has also released Hands as another promotional track. The video for this is posted at www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTqHhrhSFhg

Oasis
After Ron Howard’s acclaimed documentary, The Beatles: Eight Days A Week, comes a documentary on Britpop phenomenon Oasis. Directed by Mat Whitecross and produced with the help of each Oasis band member, Supersonic chronicles their rise from Manchester upstarts to international superstardom.
The London premiere was attended by frontman Liam Gallagher but his brother Noel was conspicuously absent. Although Liam said he was ready and willing to be part of a reformed Oasis, his continuous digs at Noel make any reformation seem highly unlikely.
Liam’s current insult is to refer to his brother as Potato. When asked about Noel’s failure to attend the premiere, Liam suggested “he’s far too busy in his big house. He’s probably eating tofu right now with a face peel on. That’s what they get up to, these posh people.”
Despite a two-hour running time, Liam believes Supersonic should have delved further into the band’s career. The documentary ends in 1996 and Liam insists there should be a sequel.
“We could do the downfall of Oasis. It would make an equally entertaining film, if not better. If you’re going to lose the plot, lose it properly. 1996 was just half-time.”
The official film trailer for Supersonic can be seen at www.youtube.com/watch?v=9waBd3yPOLE

The Duke Spirit
London-based quintet The Duke Spirit missed out on a Mercury Prize nomination for their 2016 album, Kin. This was no surprise as the band do not promote themselves to any great extent. They are currently on a UK tour. Despite selling out every show, they have scheduled just ten concerts.
Formed in 2003, Kin is the band’s fourth studio album. It can be heard in full at www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEJrncn9KpI&list=PLoAE2I_LQ5f3V2rbxty11_H_9vipED8_x
If you enjoy their music, The Duke Spirit’s previous album, 2011’s Bruiser, is also posted in full online. It can be found at www.youtube.com/watch?v=fuTS1BaKHDM&list=PLoAE2I_LQ5f05FbR-CArIH7n77Ijf-gux
A new song, Serenade, is at www.youtube.com/watch?v=KdzcevPxgRk. Numerous older song videos and live performances are also available to view on YouTube.