“It was the best and worst time of my life”: James Arthur on fame after The X Factor

James Arthur has never been one to hide behind his music. Since winning The X Factor in December 2012, the singer-songwriter has been actively advocating for mental health, writing openly about anxiety, depression and the darker chapters of his life.

This World Mental Health Day, on October 10, we caught up with him over Zoom – a day before he’s set to perform at the Padang stage at the Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix – to find out more about his newest single, ‘Waste My Tears’, and have an honest conversation about self-worth, second chances and why taking life one day at a time matters more than ever.

“The best and worst time of my life”

Winning The X Factor should have been a dream come true and in many ways, it was for the singer-songwriter himself. “It was the most incredible thing that I could ever have imagined happening to me,” James recalls. “All my dreams came true, and music became my job, which is all I ever wanted.”

But behind the scenes, the sudden rise to fame in 2012 took a heavy toll on him. “It was terrible for my mental health,” he admits. “I was so young and so naive and I went through a lot when I was growing up, you know, so like I had a lot of unaddressed traumas and things like that that I was carrying around with me that weren’t really serving me when trying to navigate sudden fame.”

“It was really scary, to be honest,” he says. “It was really scary because I wasn’t very secure within myself, and anytime I was criticised, or anytime anything went wrong, I didn’t deal well with it, and so I would fall apart whenever those things went wrong, or I would deal with them in the wrong way. I didn’t have many people around me at that time, so it was the best and worst time of my life.”

A second chance

But his turning point came a few years later in 2016, when he was given the opportunity to start over. “I was given a second chance to, correct a lot of the mistakes that I made and to honour the privilege and, responsibility that I was given,” he says. That was around the release of ‘Say You Won’t Let Go’, and “it felt like a new beginning for me.”

But that’s not to say that he didn’t face other obstacles after. In fact, he’s quick to add that the road hasn’t been perfectly smooth since. “I’ve still made mistakes, and I’ve still hit, hit some walls in my life, but, I think particularly when I had my daughter, nearly four years ago now, that was kind of the best thing that could have happened to me in terms of dealing with all of that stuff.”

How music became James Arthur’s medicine

These days, James keeps his mental health in check through small, consistent habits. “I think very simple things like talking to somebody, maybe doing therapy. Not every day, but I think regularly, but I think exercise is extremely important. Just walking, things like that.”

Community plays a big part too. He makes a point of being around friends and family as much as possible, and of trying to look at life through a lens of positivity.

And then, of course, there’s music. Being creative, whether that’s playing his guitar or writing words down, “is my medicine,” he says. For anyone juggling a hectic schedule, he recommends carving out time for yourself, and at least writing down the things you want to do and achieve.

The songs he needed most

When asked whether there’s a song he needed more than anyone else, James was taken by surprise because there are many he’s “needed really badly”, and his new single, ‘Waste My Tears’, is one of them. “I needed that one,” he says. “I needed to get that confession out there. I needed to get that those vulnerable thoughts that I’d had out there.”

His favourite line from the track? He points to “learning how to love yourself”. “And that is so important, your confidence and your self-worth and self-esteem and all these things are really important,” he explains. “I think it’s a very simple and basic line, but it couldn’t be more true, I think.”

Looking back, he says ‘Train Wreck’ was a big help to him at the time, and “the song Embers was a really helpful song for me.” 

As for where his songs come from, “It’s always just a feeling. It’s always life,” James says. “I feel like God, like, just puts these ideas in my head and I’m just like a vessel for that or something like that.”

“Take each day as it comes”

As someone whose music has comforted so many people through dark times, James paused when we asked what he’d want anyone struggling right now to hear from him. “I think take some time for yourself. I think that’s important. I think recently, I got really busy and I got very overwhelmed and I think we forget that we humans are really simple. We just need to get outside, get some fresh air and things like that.”

“And we take on a lot of stress and a lot of responsibilities, and it’s just important to take time and to sometimes like, push back and make sure that you’re checking in with yourself and take each day as it comes; don’t look too far into the future. You got one day at a time.”

Coming back to Singapore

On a lighter note, James can’t wait to return. “Singapore is genuinely one of my favourite places in the world. I think it’s beautiful, and I think the people are so cool and so kind, and they love music so much in Singapore, it feels like, in that part of the world. I’ve never felt anything but warmth and love.”

This visit will be a special one. “I’m excited to, to play probably my biggest show in Singapore thus far with the Formula 1 Grand Prix, that’s just a huge honour to be doing that,” he says. 

If you or someone you know is struggling, you don’t have to go through it alone. Call the Samaritans of Singapore 24-hour hotline at 1767, or reach the National Mindline at 1771.