I'm American, but I'll probably still find a way to vote for "The X Factor U.K." contestant James Arthur.

Yes, we know -- paying homage to a current "X Factor U.K." contestant may be a smidge controversial for several reasons, but we're gonna go ahead and do it anyway. The first issue is that we're in AMERICA and should probably be discussing the U.S. version of "The X Factor," which we'll just get out of the way right now -- go Carly Rose Sonenclar! Done and done. The second issue is that "The X Factor U.K." hasn't even chosen a winner yet, so maybe we shouldn't use this platform to persuade you to vote for one particular contestant. But again, we don't really care, because all rules get thrown out the window when it comes to U.K. contestant James Arthur. He's JUST THAT GOOD.

Read more about Buzzworthy Obsession: James Arthur after the jump.

Rocking the singer/songwriter/rapper combo, plus an ADORABLE accent to boot, James will probably bring in obvious comparisons to one of our faves, Ed Sheeran. But James' voice is different -- it's grittier, organic, and overflowing with raw emotion. Why so sad, you ask? After sufficiently stalking James on The Internets, we learned the kid had it pretty rough growing up (parents divorced, rebellious childhood, etc). And yet it seems all of that pain and hardship has been channeled into James' music in a positive (and beautiful) way!

On the bright side, James should be feeling pretty damn good these days -- after all, he's one of "The X Factor U.K."'s main front-runners! Looking for tangible examples? Let us direct you to his rendition of Kelly Clarkson's "Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)," as well as his original tune, "Faded" -- the very song that initially sparked our severely intense James Arthur obsession. (And no, James' "Faded" is not a cover of soulDecision's groundbreaking classic, but that'd be pretty dope if it was, not to mention prime karaoke material.) Also, how about that one extraordinary time he turned Adele's "Hometown Glory" into a dubstep record? James, we know you're probably gonna win and stuff, but on the off chance that you don't, we'd like to personally invite you to visit America for some R&R (and LOTS of Kelly Clarkson covers)! We'll do our part to make sure the entire country falls in love with you. FYI: We're currently in the process of figuring out how to vote for you from across the pond. The inevitable international text charge is totally worth it.

+ Watch James Arthur covering Adele, No Doubt, and more on "The X Factor U.K."

Photo credit: itv