James Arthur Gets Tips From Mary J Blige

James Arthur has been lucky enough to get some tips from surprise mentor Mary J Blige ahead of his performance on The X Factor this weekend.

The Sun reports that the singer called to offer James a few words of wisdom after hearing that he would be performing her song No More Drama on tonight’s show.

On the call, which was filmed by ITV for the show, James says: “This is just blowing my mind right now. I’m such a big, big fan."

He then asks for tips on how to approach the song, which is all about love and heartbreak, saying: “How would you advise me to do what you did with the song and do it justice?”

She replied: “Sing the song like you want something to change in your life, like you really, really wanna change something and that’s it.

“Nicole (Scherzinger) was raving about you – you must be amazing. I don’t wanna wish you luck, just go get it.”

Meanwhile, X Factor hopefuls District 3 have been mobbed by female fans in scenes reminiscent of One Direction’s early days.

The boys were surrounded by fans as they posed on a motorbike outside their hotel last night, reports The Daily Mail. After laughing and joking with fans, the three-piece boy band led the group in a conga down the street.

Whether Louis Walsh and Gary Barlow are in a laughing mood after last week’s bust up is another matter.

The X Factor is on ITV tonight (13 October) at 20.20.

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