James Arthur at Cork Opera House

At the start of 2012, James was living in a cramped bedsit in Saltburn-by-the-Sea near Middlesborough. Blessed with a voice aching with longing and pure spine-tingling soul, James could see no way to share his unique talent with the world.

Fast forward to early 2013 and 24-year-old James is performing to more than 10,000 people each night in arenas around the UK as the deserving headliner of ‘The X Factor Live Tour’. James never imagined he might find himself here - with a huge No1 single under his belt, a burgeoning fan base and demonstrating every day why he is being lauded as Britain's next big star.

Mentored by Nicole Scherzinger on X-Factor, James instantly wowed the country with his first appearance – a spellbinding version of Tulisa’s ‘Young’. Having honed his craft from a young age, his extraordinary renditions of ‘The Power of Love’, ‘Let’s Get It On’ and Adele’s ‘Hometown Glory’ cemented his status as a hugely promising and supremely talented musician.