James Arthur Covers Emeli Sande & Performs His New Hit On ‘Live Lounge’

Mike Wass | October 26, 2016 6:52 pm
Future Hit: James Arthur's "Say You Won't Let Go"
James Arthur is in the middle of an unlikely comeback with "Say You Won't Let Go."

James Arthur has a global hit on his hands with “Say You Won’t Let Go.” The future wedding staple raced to number 1 on the UK charts in September and recently repeated the feat in Australia. Don’t be surprised if it follows suit stateside with the song already top 40 on Spotify with more than six million streams. You only have to watch his live performance on BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge to get the appeal — heartfelt, romantic lyrics and the crooner’s velvety vocals. While there, he also covered Emeli Sande’s “Hurts” and made it his own.

To put things into perspective, this is a stunning turn of events for the singer, who won X Factor UK in 2012. The newcomer got off to a great start when his cover of Shontelle’s “Impossible” turned out to be a worldwide hit, but everything fell apart when James used a homophobic slur in one song and rapped about terrorism in another. (He later apologized and opened up about his battle with drug abuse and depression). After getting his personal demons in check, the 28-year-old resurfaced and pretty much picked up where he left off.

James’ appropriately-titled sophomore LP, Back From The Edge, drops October 28. Watch him perform “Say You Won’t Let Go” up top and his cover of Emeli’s “Hurts” below.

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