#MusicPH - James Arthur showcases grit, emotion and raw edge in new single “Blindside”

Following his recent return with new music, singer-songwriter James Arthur today serves up a superb offering in new song ‘Blindside’. Watch the Tim Mattia-directed video HERE.

‘Blindside’ is James at his very best, featuring a killer, top-down driving chorus and another belter of a vocal. Of the track, James comments, “Blindside is a song I’ve wanted to write for years, about falling in love with the right person at the wrong time. It’s an energetic song with a sad lyric and it really suited this new rawer style I was after.”

The anthemic single also comes with a visual helmed by Tim Mattia. The MV director shares, “Blindside is such a raw and emotional track, and when James and I spoke about how it came to be written, and the meaning behind the lyrics, I immediately knew we had to capture some epic performances from him, carrying on with the Americana feel of our previous video for ‘A Year Ago.’ We tied in a series of dramatic and emotional narrative scenes, showing the sudden loss of love in relationships, and a scene in which James gets literally more and more bloodied and bruised as the song progresses - the physical embodiment of his emotional pain.”

James recently received the BRIT Billion award which celebrates surpassing one billion career UK streams. Presented to him live on BBC’s The One Show, the award puts him in elite company, alongside recipients including ABBA, Anne-Marie, Coldplay, Ellie Goulding, George Ezra, Lewis Capaldi, Mariah Carey, Rita Ora, Sam Smith & Whitney Houston.

The Middlesbrough-born, recent Brit Billion-certified artist has scored 4 top 10 albums, with 2016’s Back From The Edge hitting the Number 1 spot and over his career has collaborated with the likes of Anne-Marie, Sigala, Rudimental, Marshmello and many more.

James is one of the world’s biggest streaming artists, with over 37 million monthly listeners on Spotify alone. ‘Say You Won't Let Go’ became his breakthrough hit in the US. It was officially the UK's most streamed song in 2016 and has gone on to be enjoyed via 4 billion streams while the song's official video has achieved 1.5 billion views on YouTube. Earlier this year, the track became his first RIAA Diamond Single with 10 million certified units – making James one of just 100 recipients of an RIAA Diamond Single certification in the programme's history.

Other huge hit singles include: ‘Impossible’, ‘Can I Be Him’, ‘Sun Comes Up’, ‘Naked’, ‘Empty Space’, ‘Rewrite The Stars’, ‘Falling Like the Stars’, ‘Train Wreck’ and ‘Lasting Lover’, which are all certified platinum records. The song Cars Outside is currently becoming another global hit for James. 

Back from the Edge was released on October 28, 2016 and entered the UK Albums Chart at #1. James’ last album, 2021’s It’ll All Make Sense In The End, was a lockdown project recorded at home that leant heavily on programmed beats. Playing it live he found himself tweaking the songs to give them an organic band feel.

James Arthur is currently in the studio working on a new record.

James Arthur’s “Blindside” is out now on all digital music platforms worldwide via Sony Music Entertainment.