James Arthur won X Factor UK 2012 on December 9, 2012, against Jahmene Douglas and Christopher Maloney, who ranked 1st and 2nd runner up respectively. Since audition time, James Arthur was one of the judges’ favorites.
James had been in the Bottom 2 in Week 7, with early favorite, Ella Henderson, where Ella was voted off the X Factor UK 2012 show.
James Arthur’s debut single “Impossible” peaked at No. 1 on UK, Ireland and Scotland charts selling more than 600,000 copies, and has become a Platinum Single on December 21, barely 11 days after its release.
“Impossible” is the fastest selling single of 2012, an unprecedented record for any winner on X Factor UK. It was released December 11 by Simco Limited and Sony Music Entertainment UK.
James Arthur has a band named The James Arthur Band, and has recorded albums such as “Sins by the Sea” in 2011 and “Hold On” in 2012, among some of his records.
Official Charts.com officially recognized “Impossible” as No. 1 single in UK, IRE and SCOT by awarding X Factor UK winner, James Arthur, with a trophy.
James Arthur expressed his gratitude to fans and mentor-judge Nicole Scherzinger for his success on the X Factor UK 2012 competition.
On top of that, James Arthur has his story in a book as well. He tweeted last December 17:
James Arthur @JamesArthur23
“I will be signing copies of my book James Arthur my story at WHsmith in Midsummer Arcade, Milton Keynes tomorrow at 2:30pm #LOVE.”
To date, his book, ‘The James Arthur, My Story’, is out of stock. This is most probably because of the huge demand for it. The publishers may not have foreseen that the demand would go beyond expectations.
The book description from WHsmith goes:
“Introducing James Arthur – the winner of The X Factor 2012! I still can’t get my head around being on the UK’s biggest talent search, singing in front of millions of people every week – let alone winning it. This is the story of how my dream became reality. ‘Before the show, I felt I had no future. I’d been working so hard for so many years, through an endless succession of bands and gigs, that at my lowest point I nearly gave up on my dream. The competition changed everything. I’ve grown so much, both as an artist and as a person, and I hope I’ve finally achieved something that will make my family proud. This is the full story of how I got there – my story, in my words.”
James Arthur also performed at the Shaka Zulu, one of London’s largest South African Restaurants, last December 21, and fans say it was a stunning performance. It was one performance out of many that would still come.
After winning X Factor UK 2012, James Arthur has, indeed, arrived!
