After two years since his 2019 record You, James Arthur is back with a new album titled It'll All Make Sense In The End.
Released on 5 November, the 14-track record was mostly conceived during lockdown in the singer's Surrey home. "This is the first time I’ve made an album all in one place and you can hear this in the music," Arthur explained. "There’s something really comfortable about working in your own home – I was able to be more vulnerable than ever."
It’ll All Make Sense In The End is out now! It’s a project that got me through the lockdown and a particularly tough period in my personal life. It’s full of honest and authentic stories, I love the sound of it and I hope you enjoy it too. Love JA x https://t.co/84X9nze5re pic.twitter.com/vtVnYgvYFM
— James Arthur (@JamesArthur23) November 5, 2021
The latest single off the album is a heartwarming ballad titled 'Emily', a track written to his daughter in the future. "Being a songwriter, I'm always looking for interesting angles to write songs from and stuff. At that moment in time, I was forced to think about being a father. And it was kind of both exciting and scary at the same time," Arthur explained.
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The song features some of Arthur's most poignant lyrics to date, where he sings about how his daughter "make[s] [him] a better man than [he]'ll ever be".
"You know, like, I've made a lot of mistakes in the public eye. I rose to fame overnight being part of The X Factor. So there's been a lot written about me and I've made a lot of mistakes in the spotlight as I said, and so yeah, I was even thinking about that kind of thing. Like what if my daughter was to disapprove of the way that I was and things like that."
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According to the 'Say You Won't Let Go' act, the stirring track was also the hardest song to write on the album.
"I think once I decided that I was going to write this song, it was kind of like: I don't want to miss the right thing to say, I don't want to not capture the essence of what this is. And I think that was the strongest concept on the album, you know, the idea of writing a letter. And that's why the lyrics say, 'I really want to write this carefully'. It took the longest to complete and to resolve."
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Arthur has undeniably come a long way since his time on the British music competition show The X Factor, and this album is a testament to that. From the electronic-rock anthem 'Losing You' to the expressive 'SOS' which features elements of rock, the singer's fourth album is according to him, his "favourite album so far".
"I definitely see I've just grown as an artist, in the sense that when I look at the way that I was on my first album, just coming off of The X Factor, you know, perhaps I would be deterred from exploring those kinds of things," he said.
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"I might have, you know, a label executive or someone being like, we need to kind of dial down this rock stuff, and I suppose remaining true to myself and having conviction has been the thing that I've kind of evolved as an artist. It's just that conviction and trusting my instincts, really."
The singer is also set to take the stage at the iconic Royal Albert Hall on 14 November as well as in March next year. The prestigious venue in London has seen the world's greatest acts such as The Beatles, Eric Clapton, David Bowie, and more perform.
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"It's hard to really put into words what it feels like to perform there. Because I know that so many greats have performed a lot, but I've never had the opportunity to do it. And it's going to be 10 years, my 10 year anniversary of my career, I suppose, when I do perform there, so it's going to be a special moment," he reflected.
"But yeah, it's such a historic venue. All of the greats have played – Eric Clapton, Stevie Wonder, and just all these amazing artists. So to have my name etched in the history books, as someone who played there, it's just a dream come true."
If "It'll All Make Sense In The End", what is "it" exactly? According to Arthur, "it" is anything one would like it to be. "Who knows? Just who knows? I guess the message is not to worry about it – not to try and control the outcome."
Listen to James Arthur's It'll All Make Sense In The End here:
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