James Arthur on his brand-new single 'September'

A new album is on the way too!

Author: Natalie ReesPublished 11th Jun 2021

Singer-songwriter James Arthur chats to Fleur East and the Hits Radio Breakfast team about his brand-new single ‘September’.

Three-time BRIT Award nominee James is set to release his fourth studio album soon, the first since ‘You’ in 2019, but is yet to confirm any details of the forthcoming record.

James spoke to us about his new track ‘September’ and discussed releasing the single in June rather than in September.

James said: "It would have made sense to release around September, there would have been a lot more promotional opportunity!”

He added: “I stuck a little bit on my TikTok just to see if I was right and my instincts were right and this had a little bit of something special about it. The reaction was good that we rethought our strategy a little bit. We thought let’s just go with the strongest songs to begin with.

The X Factor winner rose to fame in 2012 and has since gone on to collaborate with some huge artists including Anne-Marie and Rudimental.

Since James’ song ‘Train Wreck’ went viral on social media site TikTok last year, half a decade after its initial release. The singer has become a fan of the platform and has amassed over 7 million followers.

“It feels especially good with that song because it was never a single. It was brought back to life by people on TikTok. It feels like a bit of redemption for me because I always felt like it should have been a single. It’s nice to see that the song was as good as I thought it was.

“I didn’t get TikTok at first but now I love it. I find myself watching the most obscure things.”

James, who has just been announced to take part in this year's Soccer Aid, also gave some hints at what we can expect from his new album!

He continued: "It’s quite a personal album, it started out with me just getting in the studio and pouring my heart out a little bit. I was going through a bit of a rough time, and I thought I’m going to put this in the music. There was no real intention, it was more of a cathartic thing.

“I just needed to get some songs written and feel productive because I had sat around for a few months at the beginning of lockdown. Obviously for a lot of people it was an opportunity to sit still and look in the mirror and reflect. I’m not really one to look at my achievements or reflect too much, but I was forced to and that made me figure a lot of stuff out again. You can expect something honest and personal.

James Arthur’s new single ‘September’ is out now. We can’t wait to hear the album!

Take a look at some of the biggest moments of James Arthur's career:

Career beginnings

James began writing and recording songs at the age of 15, performing as both a solo artist and in bands including Moonlight Drive, Cue the Drama, Save Arcade and Emerald Skye from 2005 to 2011.
In 2011, James wrote an album called 'Sins by the Sea' which was uploaded to social media sites, before forming The James Arthur Project and releasing EPs 'Hold On' and 'The EP Collection CD'.

2012: The X Factor

James auditioned for The X Factor in 2012, attending the auditions which took place throughout May and June that year. He sang a cover of 'Young' by Tulisa, who was on the judging panel that year, then 'A Million Love Songs' at Boot Camp - a song by fellow judge Gary Barlow's band Take That. He was in the final against Jahméne Douglas, winning the show.

2013: Debut self-titled album

James released his winners' single, a cover of 'Impossible' by Shontelle in December 2012, which hit the top spot in the UK charts. His self-titled debut album was released in November 2013 and went to Number 2 in the UK, featuring songs like 'You're Nobody 'til Somebody Loves You', 'Get Down' and 'Roses' featuring Emeli Sandé. In January 2014, he embarked on his first tour, the 'James Arthur Tour', performing 37 dates around Europe.

2014: Controversy and parting ways with Syco

James caused controversy after taking part in rap battles, causing Simon Cowell to say: "I think James, unfortunately, has had so many issues with what he has done publicly – which is a real issue with me... Somebody should have told him to shut up and just put the records out." In June 2014, he announced that he had parted ways with Syco by mutual agreement.

2015-2016: Signing with Columbia Records and second album

James signed a deal with Columbia Records in September 2015 and announced that a new album was on the way. His second album 'Back from the Edge' was released in October 2016, featuring songs 'Say You Won't Let Go' - which was a Number 1 single - and 'Can I Be Him'. James became the first X Factor performer to have two singles sell over a million copies in his home country.

2017: BRIT Awards nominations

In 2017, James' single, 'Say You Won't Let Go', was nominated at the BRITs for British Artist Video of the Year and British Single of the Year. He also released his single 'Naked', and attended The Grammy Museum at one of their Spotlight events after joining OneRepublic on their massive North American tour.

2018-2019: 'Rewrite the Stars' and third album 'You'

In 2018, James teamed up with Anne-Marie on their amazing cover of 'Rewrite The Stars', for The Greatest Showman: Reimagined. He also appeared on Brazilian soap opera O Tempo não Para, singing his song 'Empty Space'. James released his third album 'You' in October 2019, debuting at Number 2 in the UK, it was certified Silver.

2020: Fourth album

James revealed on Twitter in July 2020 that he was working on a fourth album, writing, 'I've been writing the new album for the last couple of months. I couldn't be more excited to share with you this new lane I'm playing around in, I think you'll be surprised in a good way. This is the album I've wanted to make for so long! #IWAMSITE.' He also worked on song 'Lasting Lover' with DJ Sigala.

2021: New singles and release of fourth album

James delighted his fans in 2021 when he dropped a number of new tracks, including 'Medicine', 'September' and 'Emily'.


The singer's fourth studio album 'It'll All Make Sense In The End' was released on Friday 5th November 2021.

2022: James releases the deluxe version of his album

On 11th March 2022, James released the deluxe version of his album 'All Make Sense In The End'. On the day of release he shared a heartfelt message to his fans saying: 'I love you all so much it hurts my heart ❤️❤️❤️❤️'.


In 2022, James also bagged the Award-Winning Song gong, for his track 'Lasting Lover' with Sigala, at the BMI London Awards.

2023: James announces collab with Alok

In January 2023, James announced he and Brazilian DJ Alok have a new song called 'Work With My Love', it was released on 13th January. The song samples 'Lola's Theme', by The Shapeshifters.

2023: James teases his fifth album

On top of that, James announced in January 2023 that not only did he have a fifth album on the way, but he was putting the finishing touches on it! Despite not letting any details slip on a release date, it certainly got fans excited for the year ahead.

2023: Big wins for James

In June 2023, James took to Instagram to celebrate some pretty huge wins! As well as bagging a Brits Billion Award from BPI, for over a billion streams in the UK, he also celebrated a diamond award, for going 10 x Platinum in America... Impressive!


Sharing a snap of him holding his shiny new awards, James wrote: 'What amazing year so far. I managed to pick up a diamond award for going 10 times platinum in America and a @brits billion award for over a billion streams in the UK alone. Thank you for all your continued support on this bizarre rollercoaster we're on.'

2023: New singles

On 12th May, James released a brand new single titled 'A Year Ago'. Fans were elated with new music from the singer.

On top of teasing his fifth album, James then announced another single on 24th July. The song, which was released date of 4th August, is called 'Blindside' and showcases a more upbeat vibe from the award-winning singer.

2023: James releases his fifth album

James took to Instagram in September 2023 to finally reveal the name and release date of his highly-anticipated fifth album. Titled 'Bitter Sweet Love', the album was released on 26th January 2024.

2023: James Arthur announces his 'Bitter Sweet Love' tour

James Arthur's 'Bitter Sweet Love' tour will see the artist perform eight UK dates as part of a wider world tour. He starts the UK leg of his tour in Bournemouth in March 2024.

Read more:

James Arthur: How the X Factor hopeful became a chart topping singer

James Arthur's career timeline so far

How to listen to Hits Radio:

For the biggest hits, the biggest throwbacks and incredible competitions tune into Hits Radio on our Hits Radio app, your DAB radio, Smart Speakers or online.