X Factor winner James Arthur to play Birmingham

The sometimes-controversial singer enjoyed a huge hit with his debut single, Impossible, which hit No1 and sold 2.5 million copies.

His self-titled debut album reached No2 in 2013 and returned this year with his second album, Back From The Edge.

The star is back on the road and will headline Birmingham's Institute on Wednesday.

BRIT Award nominee Arthur felt he had unfinished business and was thrilled by the success of his new release. "It has been literally insane," he said.

"It's such a whirlwind and I don't think it has actually sunk in yet. It has gone way beyond my expectations and I am so grateful people have connected with the song.I think lyrically it relates to a lot of people as it tells a story. It's a love story that can be adapted to suit any situation someone might be going through.

"I didn't think I had a hit but knew it was special, to me anyway. I definitely felt like I had unfinished business. I know what I am capable of as an artist and what I can do."

Arthur admitted despite his first album's success, he had 'made some mistakes along the way', with drug binges taking him to the brink of suicide.

"I have a very loyal fanbase that has stuck with me, so was great to give something back to them," he said.

"I genuinely was at the end of my tether. I'd never been a guy who suffers from suicidal tendencies but I had taken all I could take from life.

"I thought that was my chance and I'd ruined it. You never see an X Factor winner make a comeback. It doesn't happen. I got lost in the whole fame thing. I saw all these past X Factor winners and thought, 'why do they never do anything? I've got to make a stamp here. If I'm going to do this, I want to be great'.

"It manifested some way that with all the other stuff I was doing, I ended up becoming a control freak."