James Arthur gets candid about mental health with young superfan: 'I struggled with fame'

James Arthur has reflected on the relationship between his music and mental health struggles in conversation with a young superfan for a special edition of Big Issue.

As part of a young person’s takeover of the Big Issue out tomorrow (23 June), Arthur has sat down with 18-year-old Chloe Jones from Chorley for a frank conversation about their respective mental health challenges.

“Did your love of music and having it as an outlet change when you won The X Factor?” Chloe asks Arthur for Big Issue.

Read more:

• X Factor star Grace Davies on music, mental health and Liam Payne: ‘I’m glad that show isn’t on now’
• Our approach to mental health isn’t working – here’s what needs to change
• Kids are struggling with anxiety and panic attacks. Could nature be the answer?

“That’s a deep one. I don’t want to give you a really dark answer, but something shifted,” he responds. “Because, like you, music was a coping mechanism for my past traumas. So when you start having to treat it like a business, it takes time to adapt.

“It is well documented that I struggled with fame. I have been trying to get back to the love of it and I’m there now. I’m touring America and get to sing every night and see how this music heals and affects people. It’s the most rewarding thing imaginable.”

Chloe Jones was first taken to a James Arthur concert by her mother, who is blind and deaf. It kickstarted a passion that’s led her to follow him on tour, seeing him perform live 23 times. To her, Arthur’s music “expresses what it feels like to suffer with mental health issues and shows there is a way out of them”.

She is one of nine young people who have been invited to ‘takeover’ the Big Issue for one week, with all the articles reflecting the ‘big issues’ they face in their lives.

“I was struck by music from an age I don’t even remember,” Arthur tells Chloe. “I was pretty ADHD from early on and realised that if I could mimic some of the things my mum loved about music, I would get her attention. I think I got addicted to that. It gave me something to channel this hyper nervous energy into.

“I think I was a bit of a weirdo, a bit of an outcast. I struggled to find my place. Then I started making funny songs up and putting them on the internet. When the popular kids found out, they were like, ’Sing us a song, mate.’ And it spiralled from there – I was the funny kid that made up songs.”

You can read Chloe’s full interview with James Arthur in this week’s special youth-led takeover of the Big Issue, which goes on sale tomorrow. Find your local vendor to buy a copy, or subscribe online.

Promises are easy to break. Sign Big Issue’s petition for a Poverty Zero law and help us make tackling poverty a legal requirement, not just a policy priority.

Do you have a story to tell or opinions to share about this? Get in touch and tell us more. Big Issue exists to give homeless and marginalised people the opportunity to earn an income. To support our work buy a copy of the magazine or get the app from the App Store or Google Play