EXCLUSIVE: James Arthur has always loved rock, metal and alternative music, but does that mean he kickstarted a secret life as Sleep Token’s frontman Vessel? If not, he has lined up another rockstar to collaborate with.
James Arthur is today celebrating the release of his fifth album, Bitter Sweet Love; a powerful and sombre window into the 35-year-old’s life.
But has Arthur already been baring his soul (and his teeth) all year through the latest album from Sleep Token, Take Me Back To Eden?
If you aren’t aware, Sleep Token are the UK’s biggest band around, right now – an anonymously masked group of rockers who revel in the sadness and passion of their own lyrics to an extreme degree.
At the end of 2023, Sleep Token headlined Wembley Arena, a venue they sold out minutes after tickets went on sale.
While no one knows who Sleep Token’s members are, some fans have begun to suggest James Arthur is the group’s frontman: The macabre maestro known only as Vessel.
Speaking exclusively to Express.co.uk, Arthur recently opened up on being called out for being Vessel behind the scenes.”I used to be in post-hardcore bands,” the ballad singer explained. “And they did mental breakdowns and stuff. I’ve always done that kind of thing.”
Even in the star’s upcoming tour, where he’ll be playing arenas around the country, he has brought guitars to the forefront of his shows.
“The rock stuff is really important,” he assured me. “It is quite a big part of the live show, so it’s been fun trying to … put all that together.”
However, it seems as if he would like to keep his face and name at the forefront of his work.
“It’s funny,” Arthur smiled. “You know that band Sleep Token? When anything ever comes along like that, you always get people being like: ‘Is that James Arthur?’ And I think people are, kind of, a little bit aware of my affinity with rock music and that kind of thing.”
While Arthur didn’t concretely confirm or deny whether he is secretly Vessel, he did reveal he has lined up another rocker to team up with in the near future.
Arthur revealed: “I’ve kind of threatened it for a long time – that I’ll do a side project like that – me and my MD, we always talk about it like, will we do it?
“I was talking to [Busted star] Charlie Simpson recently and he was saying like: ‘Should we do a thing? Like, should we just do the, you know, metal thing?'”
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