24 year old James from Middlesbrough is set to shine on tonight’s X Factor episode.

The singer, songwriter and guitar player turned up to audition for the show in London earlier this year and before taking to the stage told Dermot O’Leary that he comes from humble beginnings but hopes to make it big. He explained:

“I live in a flat, it isn’t the Ritz, more like a bedsit than a flat

“My mum and dad split up when I was very young, the difficult thing for me was the fact that my mum and my dad didn’t have any sort of relationship for my entire life, I went off the rails especially at school, I used to get suspended, thrown out, I ended up like sleeping rough sometimes, so I volunteered myself into foster care, I didn’t want to be involved in any of the arguing anymore, I just wanted to get away, so initially music was a coping mechanism.”

James’ mum was there to support him and added:

“The lyrics are so…there’s some deep stuff in there. There’s times I feel have I don’t enough, did I do enough. He put a lot of his feelings and his emotions and his anxieties into his music.”

After a performance of a mash up of own song and Tulisa’s hit single Young, the judges seemed stunned and raved about his singing saying:

Tulisa: James when you’re up there I just see you get lost in that world, it’s just you, the microphone, the guitar, best audition of the day.

Gary: we sit here all day and we watch lots and lots of people stand on this stage and 99% of those people, I sit there and go okay we need to change this, we need to do that, they need to try this… if anyone dares touch what you do, because it’s so good, you should be very proud today that was a fantastic audition, well done.

Louis: James you’re a real original and I think from today on, your life is totally going to change.

Nicole: well James, now I see why your mum and your dad put their differences aside, I came on this show and people are like why are you coming on this show and I say, because I am looking for an artist who inspires me and that’s exactly what you did today, you inspired me and that’s because you sat on that stage and you bared your soul to us.

Tune into the X factor at 7.45 this evening to see James’ full audition and to find out if he wins a place at bootcamp. Do you think he can do it? Leave your comments below…