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James Arthur rejoins Syco, two years after being dropped

By | Published on Monday 19 September 2016

James Arthur

Two years ago, former ‘X-Factor’ winner James Arthur was dropped by the Syco label, but now he’s been welcomed back into Simon Cowell’s fold. Let’s see how that goes.

Arthur and Syco parted ways following a string of controversies, which culminated in a dispute over a song called ‘Follow The Leader’, which included the line “I’m gonna blow up your family like I’m a terrorist”. At the time, Arthur said that he had decided to “move on and do something different”.

For the last two years, that “something different” has largely meant dropping out of the public eye and not really doing a great deal. Though last September he signed a new worldwide deal with another Sony label, the German division of Columbia.

Earlier this month he released new single ‘Say You Won’t Let Go’, the lead track from his second album ‘Back From The Edge’, which is due out on 4 Nov. That album will now be distributed by Syco in UK, a spokesperson for the label has confirmed to The Sun.

“We can confirm that James Arthur is now once again signed to Syco Music in the UK”, they said. “We are delighted to welcome him back into the Syco fold”.

Arthur, meanwhile, says that he’s a changed man now, and that past erratic behaviour was down to him struggling with the pressures of sudden fame off the back of ‘X-Factor’. “I suffered with the pressure”, he said on ITV’s ‘This Morning’. “I wasn’t prepared for scrutiny and attention. It felt super quick. I pressed the self-destruct button. I didn’t realise the repercussions and the devastation my behaviour would cause”.

All’s well now though. ‘Say You Won’t Let Go’ went straight to the top of the iTunes chart last week. Although it only went to number 25 in the actual chart, which again highlights the waning influence of iTunes on this recorded music lark. Still, Arthur’s back everybody!



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