James Arthur grew up through some tough and turbulent times. His parents divorced when he was two, and since then, he never felt like he belonged anywhere. James was a troubled child who “went off the rails” and got suspended from school too. 

But this unemployed young man’s life-changing audition was viewed more than 100 million times because we all love a good underdog story. 

Jesus often sought out the broken, the poor, the homeless, and those who lived on the fringe of society. James was one of those people who lived on the fringe but was created to do something great. After ending up in foster care, James turned to music as a way to cope. 

He knew then that he had to find a way to make a better life for himself. “One day, I had to stop behaving like a child and just grow up,” he said. After this realization, God began working on his heart as James poured himself into his music. 

His mother said there had been times when she’s listened to Jame’s original songs and thought his lyrics were deep and full of soul. When he decided to audition for the X-Factor, his prayers had come true. Both sides of his family set aside their differences and came together to support him. 

He said it was the first time in 22 years that his parents had been in the same room. How incredible is that? 

After James introduced himself to the judges, he was confident in his performance and told the judge and the audience he would sing an acoustic version of Tulisa's Young. His voice captivated the crowd and blew the audience away. His voice is a combination of For King and Country and Ed Sheeren. 

His performance was absolutely mind-blowing as he seemingly got lost in the music and gave it his heart and soul. Jame’s audition has now been viewed over 100 million times. In fact, it’s been viewed more than 102,428,702 times. You don’t want to miss one of the most soul-filled, incredible performances of all time. 

James 1:7 “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”