James Arthur is back!On Tuesday, Arthur released the music video for his single “September,” which follows Arthur as he meets the literally insane family of his love interest. When writing the song, Arthur tells PEOPLE he took part of his own experience with his past relationship and also integrated “a little bit of imagination.““I always draw from experiences past or present. And then I also put a little bit of imagination into it. So it’s for other people really; I mostly write to nourish other people,” Arthur, 33, tells PEOPLE. “It’s a bit about me, a bit of a story and like some other songs you might’ve heard from me, I also throw in a couple of fictional things in there as well.“Arthur — who recently split from his girlfriend of nine years, Jessica Grist — shared what it’s like to release music that takes inspiration from his personal life. (On “September,” he sings, “That first time that I kissed you, I could look in the mirror / And like who I was.")“I’m sure you’ll understand and respect I don’t want to get too much into that situation. But it’s always nervewracking putting out music into the world that documents things that have happened in your life,” Arthur says candidly. “And yeah, it’s difficult. You’re making yourself vulnerable to people. But like I said, I love the idea that lots of people might relate to the song, and that makes me happy.“Columbia Records"It’s for the fans,” he adds. “Certainly the place I’m at right now is I want to make the best music I can make for my fans.“However, the singer makes clear that he may stray from making songs meant to be played on the radio and instead tap into “obscure music.” (His new tracks have a rock-heavy tinge compared to some of his more acoustic-driven songs.)“I’m already getting to that place where I’m probably coming to the end of the cycle in terms of making pop music for the mainstream, for the radios, because I’m kind of sick of trying to strike that balance between sort of production that I would like to have,” he says. “That heavier rock production is something that is close to my heart. And you’ve got to sometimes cater to your audiences, I suppose, with maybe diluting certain things. But I’ve definitely not done that on this album.""‘September’ and ‘Medicine’ are the most pop songs from this album,” he adds referring to the forthcoming album’s two singles. “The rest is uncompromising.“Columbia RecordsThe singer also opened up about some of the health struggles he faced over the last year. At the start of 2020 Arthur was admitted to the hospital for a “health scare,” which allowed him to begin addressing “some mental health issues that I was going through.““I started putting in that work. And then the pandemic struck, and I went back to square one and I was in just a bit of a s—ty place,” Arthur says. “And after a couple of months of feeling sorry for myself, to be honest, I started making this album. I started writing and that’s always the best therapy for me.““It was a really therapeutic experience making this record and writing these songs,” he adds. “I basically unpacked a lot of stuff that I was going through during that time. And where I am now is I’m feeling pretty stable, pretty excited about the future. I’m excited about sharing more and more music from this particular album.“RELATED VIDEO: Conversations with Bring Change to Mind: Men and Mental HealthArthur says he feels “a bit of a duty” to be open about his mental health so his followers don’t feel alone in their own struggles.“It’s a subject that’s close to my heart, and I’ve seen how it can affect people that I love and care about,” he says.“I’m lucky that I’ve got an outlet with music that always provides me with that stillness and that focus and keeps me present. And that’s the key really. I think anything that keeps you from looking too far ahead or too far back is important because anything that’s external that is out of your control is only going to cause you anxiety and stress and affect your mental health,” he adds. “So you have to do your best to stay in the moment as much as you can. And that’s what I try and do every day. And talking like this, and being honest with you about how I’m feeling is always helpful too.““September” is out now and his albumIt’ll All Make Sense In The Endis out Oct. 8.
James Arthur is back!
On Tuesday, Arthur released the music video for his single “September,” which follows Arthur as he meets the literally insane family of his love interest. When writing the song, Arthur tells PEOPLE he took part of his own experience with his past relationship and also integrated “a little bit of imagination.”
“I always draw from experiences past or present. And then I also put a little bit of imagination into it. So it’s for other people really; I mostly write to nourish other people,” Arthur, 33, tells PEOPLE. “It’s a bit about me, a bit of a story and like some other songs you might’ve heard from me, I also throw in a couple of fictional things in there as well.”
Arthur — who recently split from his girlfriend of nine years, Jessica Grist — shared what it’s like to release music that takes inspiration from his personal life. (On “September,” he sings, “That first time that I kissed you, I could look in the mirror / And like who I was.")
“I’m sure you’ll understand and respect I don’t want to get too much into that situation. But it’s always nervewracking putting out music into the world that documents things that have happened in your life,” Arthur says candidly. “And yeah, it’s difficult. You’re making yourself vulnerable to people. But like I said, I love the idea that lots of people might relate to the song, and that makes me happy.”
Columbia Records
“It’s for the fans,” he adds. “Certainly the place I’m at right now is I want to make the best music I can make for my fans.”
However, the singer makes clear that he may stray from making songs meant to be played on the radio and instead tap into “obscure music.” (His new tracks have a rock-heavy tinge compared to some of his more acoustic-driven songs.)
“I’m already getting to that place where I’m probably coming to the end of the cycle in terms of making pop music for the mainstream, for the radios, because I’m kind of sick of trying to strike that balance between sort of production that I would like to have,” he says. “That heavier rock production is something that is close to my heart. And you’ve got to sometimes cater to your audiences, I suppose, with maybe diluting certain things. But I’ve definitely not done that on this album.”
“‘September’ and ‘Medicine’ are the most pop songs from this album,” he adds referring to the forthcoming album’s two singles. “The rest is uncompromising.”
The singer also opened up about some of the health struggles he faced over the last year. At the start of 2020 Arthur was admitted to the hospital for a “health scare,” which allowed him to begin addressing “some mental health issues that I was going through.”
“I started putting in that work. And then the pandemic struck, and I went back to square one and I was in just a bit of a s—ty place,” Arthur says. “And after a couple of months of feeling sorry for myself, to be honest, I started making this album. I started writing and that’s always the best therapy for me.”
“It was a really therapeutic experience making this record and writing these songs,” he adds. “I basically unpacked a lot of stuff that I was going through during that time. And where I am now is I’m feeling pretty stable, pretty excited about the future. I’m excited about sharing more and more music from this particular album.”
RELATED VIDEO: Conversations with Bring Change to Mind: Men and Mental Health
Arthur says he feels “a bit of a duty” to be open about his mental health so his followers don’t feel alone in their own struggles.
“It’s a subject that’s close to my heart, and I’ve seen how it can affect people that I love and care about,” he says.
“I’m lucky that I’ve got an outlet with music that always provides me with that stillness and that focus and keeps me present. And that’s the key really. I think anything that keeps you from looking too far ahead or too far back is important because anything that’s external that is out of your control is only going to cause you anxiety and stress and affect your mental health,” he adds. “So you have to do your best to stay in the moment as much as you can. And that’s what I try and do every day. And talking like this, and being honest with you about how I’m feeling is always helpful too.”
“September” is out now and his albumIt’ll All Make Sense In The Endis out Oct. 8.
source: people.com
