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Portrait of James Arthur

James Arthur

(1988) Singer United Kingdom

141 quotes in 596 categories

I often write from memory by walking around and talking to myself, even shouting the poem’s rhythm while at a computer. James talks about feeling disconnected from his parents and trying to stay rational when people think he’s a monster. He says that sharing problems out loud can stop the world from caving in, and he wants his poems to shift meaning for each reader.

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James Arthur is a singer from the United Kingdom, best known for Learning to Teach History in the Secondary School.

Quick Facts About James Arthur

Born: March 2, 1988
Nationality: United Kingdom
Profession: Singer
Notable works: Learning to Teach History in the Secondary School

About James Arthur

James Andrew Arthur is an English singer and songwriter who won the ninth series of The X Factor in 2012. His debut single, a cover of Shontelle's 'Impossible', was released by Syco Music after the competition final and entered the UK Singles Chart at number one. The song has sold more than 2.5 million copies worldwide, making it the most successful winner's single in the show's history.

Awards & Honors

NRJ Music Award for International Revelation of the Year

Quotes by James Arthur

'The X Factor' saved me.

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I've made some very silly mistakes.

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I'm not a shiny pop star.

Pop

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I was on the dole.

Dole

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Inside, I'm optimistic.

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I'm a big UFC fan.

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I'm not much of a public speaker.

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I had a bit of a strange childhood, to be honest.

Childhood

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Memorizing the work of others definitely made me a better writer.

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I've always looked over my shoulder, especially in my hometown.

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For me, I've always been the guy who self-sabotages.

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I've found a way to live in the here and now.

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I'm always going to have to manage my mental health issues.

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I'd say to all kids, don't have a tattoo until you're 21.

Children

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I'm a positive guy, even if I don't smile a lot.

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It makes sense to me that the polyglot wouldn't know what language he dreamed in.

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When I had my first panic attack, I believed that it was a heart attack.

Anxiety

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I have the words 'love' and 'life' on my knuckles, and I would half like those removed.

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I'm trying this thing where I don't regret as much 'cause it doesn't really work that well to regret things.

Regret

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Everybody's gone through some kind of struggle in their life, and I'd like to be the type of voice who talks about…

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I want to put out music I really believe in, and when I felt that was threatened, I lashed out at everybody.

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The thing is, I knew from the very first audition that I did not fit the classic 'X Factor' criteria.

Audition

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I didn't realise how devastating my behavior could be - looking back, I'm very embarrassed. I just buckled under the anxiety.

Anxiety

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Maybe because I can't even put together an IKEA desk, I've never been tempted to think of my own poems as built…

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Poetry isn't an efficient tool for preserving experience, any more than it's an efficient mode of communication, but who says that it…

Communication

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I think that being mindful of your own biases tends to lead you into ambiguity, not clarity, and that following those ambiguities…

Ambiguities

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I've always maintained a good relationship with Simon Cowell, and obviously I have a great respect for him, and his show provided…

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I had a style before I was signed, but now I'm developing my commercial sound as well as trying to strike a…

Balance

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Having watched 'X Factor' over the years, they just haven't got it right. The male winners haven't been believable. They look like…

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I don't think I made it clear where I was mentally when I appeared on 'X Factor.' There was so much pressure…

Chance

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I have a fan who suffered with leukemia, and apparently, the only thing that helped him through that was my music, so…

Achievement

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I can't read my poem "Distracted by an Ergonomic Bicycle" without thinking of Seattle, where the events of the poem took place,…

Bicycle

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It is hard to compare cultures without overgeneralizing, but I think a lot of American poetry has an assertiveness - an upbeat…

Assertiveness

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My dad, a mathematician, raised me to believe that mathematics is beautiful, so math is a part of my imaginative terrain. In…

Beautiful

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Anxiety is a really crippling condition, and I suffer with it myself, and I feel for anyone who suffers from it. The…

Anxiety

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Start listening to what you say. Are your comments and ideas negative? You aren't going become positive if you always say negative…

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I do like Canadian poetry. Christian Bök, Anne Carson, Carmine Starnino, and Don McKay are a few of the Canadian poets whose…

Age

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And treating poetry as a performing art emphasizes its ephemerality. A printed poem can be endlessly reprinted, photocopied, scanned, uploaded, cut and…

Art

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It's true, there aren't many explicit references to Canada in my book. And not many explicit references to the U.S., either. I…

Book

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I think a lot of things get blown out of proportion in the media.

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James Arthur by topic

Poetry (30) Thinking (14) People (12) Writing (10) Music (10)