James Arthur switched up sound 'couldn't do another ballad'

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James Arthur switched up his sound because he got tired of doing ballads.

The 31-year-old singer rose to fame on 'The X Factor' in 2012 and is known for slow tempo hits such as 'Say You Won't Let Go', 'Impossible' and 'Naked', but he has admitted that's "not [him] at all" as he is more of a hip-hop lover, which is why he teamed up with rapper Ty Dolla $ign on new single 'Treehouse'.

Asked why he's changed direction, James told OfficialCharts.com: "Because I couldn't do another ballad! [laughs] Over the last couple of years, I've put out a few slower tempo songs.

"I've been in the album-making process and the stuff that was mixed and mastered was that radio friendly [sound].

"It's nice now that I've finished this particular project because there's so much to choose from.

"I can show a bit more diversity. My hardcore fans know I'm a huge hip-hop fan and that's where my heart is."

James insisted that he felt last year's single 'Falling Like Stars' was more of a "risk" than 'Treehouse' is and admitted that he doesn't really care if the song is a hit.

He said: "I feel like it's a good move at this point, for me.

"I feel like 'Falling Like The Stars' was a risk more so than this.

"Maybe the general public will be relieved not to hear me do something like that again.

"I've been hard-positioned as this guy who just does ballads - that's not me at all.

"I enjoy taking on a lot of styles.

"It had to be something like this.

"It might not have any impact at all but I'm sort of at a point where I don't give a s**t. I've got an album coming and it's sick."

Meanwhile, James admitted earlier this year he was considering becoming an actor as he feels "overlooked" as a singer.

The 'Empty Space' hitmaker feels like his music career is limited after being on 'The X Factor', and although he's proud of what he's achieved thanks to the show, he wants to explore other ways of expressing his creativity and thinks acting is in his future.

He said: "Sometimes I feel like there's only so far I can go when you take into consideration where I came from, you know, I can only feel like I'm gonna be overlooked for so long in this field. It's amazing what I've been able to do since 'The X Factor' and sometimes I feel like I kind of used to make music for myself and to inspire other people and my competitive ego sometimes gets in the way. Acting is a good, pretending to be other people and exploring another avenue of creativity."