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James Arthur says he’s as good as likes of Lewis Capaldi but isn’t taken seriously as an X Factor winner
JAMES Arthur bucked every trend for an X Factor winner by becoming a genuine international superstar with more than a billion streams on his global hit Say You Won’t Let Go.
But as he released his highly anticipated third album You today, he told me he feels like snobby music industry luvvies are still judging him because he came from Simon Cowell’s reality TV show.
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In an exclusive interview, he said: “I don’t know whether the music industry really wants an X Factor winner to reach the kind of heights I have.
“There’s a lot of guys that come up and have a lot of success very quickly and get a lot of accolades, that are doing a pretty similar thing to what I’m doing.
“I’d be lying if I said that didn’t hurt sometimes ’cause I’m still here and I feel like the quality of what I’m doing is above a lot of these guys who get so much praise.”
Lewis Capaldi, James Bay and Rag'n'Bone Man are among those who have received the sort of critical acclaim James should have had — but he still has a huge and growing fan base.
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I joined James today along with hundreds of fans on London’s Southbank for the unveiling of an incredible mirrored art installation — which you can visit tomorrow — to celebrate the release of his brilliant album, which is riding high at No1 on the iTunes chart.
He delivered an impromptu performance, but I’d like to see James gracing the stages he rightfully should at festivals like Glastonbury or Reading and Leeds.
But proving the industry’s snobbery because of his rise from the X Factor, he added: “It’s not like we’ve gone to them and they’ve turned me down or anything. They just haven’t asked.
“That’s what I dreamed of and I get the feeling it’s because there’s a bit of a block there, ’cause there’s not many UK artists that have been as successful as me.
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“So the only reason I can think I haven’t been invited to those things is maybe that.”
Earlier this week I revealed James had previously had a fling with Spice Girls star Mel B while she was a judge on America’s Got Talent.
James told me it’s “confusing” as to why the story has only emerged now — with one of Mel’s friends since posting a photo of them together for the first time on Instagram. But he assured me he is still in a serious relationship with his dancer girlfriend Jessica Grist.
Speaking about her, James said: “It’s all good. It is a long-term relationship.
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“It’s been on but there have been some offs. She’s always been there for me.
“I’ve been through a lot over these past six years. I needed time and space to figure out this stuff. I found fame overnight and then went straight into a serious and quite intense relationship. And we had to cool off.
“I needed to find out who I was. She is my best friend.”
Evie Clair and James Arthur perform on America's Got Talent in 2017
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