James is one of the biggest musical success stories of the past 12 months, He’s been applauded by music experts and fans alike, having won the BRIT Critic’s Choice Award for 2015 and come second in the BBC’s Sound of 2015 poll; his debut hit Hold Back The River left an indelible mark on the charts across Europe and beyond, his album Chaos and the Calm is doing likewise, and he just tore the tent pegs out of the ground at the In New Music We Trust stage at this year’s Radio 1 Big Weekend.

It’s all a long way from his scuffling start as a singer-songwriter putting out EPs of fresh hand-made material every few months. And as with every ‘overnight’ success, there were a few big stepping stones along the way. The first being the crucial early support from BBC Introducing, then the support slots with Tom Odell and Hozier (not to mention the Rolling Stones). Or the time he stood in at short notice for a poorly Lana Del Rey in the Live Lounge—at the drop of a hat, you might say—and ended up trending worldwide on Twitter.