James Andrew Arthur (born 2 March 1988) is a British singer and musician who won the ninth series of The X Factor in 2012 . His debut single, "Impossible", was released after the final and debuted at number one on the UK Singles Chart in its first week of release. It has since gone on to sell over 1.3 million copies, making it the second best-selling The X Factor winner's single of all time, beaten only by Alexandra Burke's version of "Hallelujah".