The Australian James Martin studied at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, London and at the Staatliche Hochschule für Musik Mannheim. Masterclasses followed with Helmut Deutsch, Emma Kirkby, Graham Johnson and Nancy Argenta. He was also a scholarship holder of the Richard Wagner Association, Mannheim.

During his studies he was engaged in various roles as a guest at the Nationaltheater Mannheim and appeared at the British Youth Opera, at the Lindbury Theater of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden in London. At the Deutsche Oper am Rhein Düsseldorf he could be heard in Mozart's Magic Flute, Lortzing's Zar and Zimmermann, Verdi's Otello and Rigoletto, Gilbert and Sullivan's The Gondoliers and in the world premiere of Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben. He works with famous directors like Yoshi Oida, Christof Loy and Sebastian Baumgarten.

At the Staatstheater Stuttgart he took part in the world premiere of Mike Svobodas Erwin, das Naturtalent (Prof. Hoggins) and sang Svobodas Der unbelievable Spotz (King) in the Theater Dortmund. He made his debut at the Bregenz Festival as Ben Benny in Britten's Paul Bunyan. At the Musiktheater im Revier Gelsenkirchen he sang in Marriage of Figaro - Cherubino intervenes in the role of Almaviva. James Martin could be heard in Puccini's La Bohème (Schaunard), Benatzky's Im Weißen Rößl (Leopold), Straussen's Die Fledermaus (Falke) and Rossini's La Cenerentola (Dandini) at the Cologne Chamber Opera. In 2014 he was at the Opéra de Lyon for the first time with the role of Hobson in Peter Grimes and at the beginning of this year he sang again at the opera festival in Schreker's Die Gezeichen (Gonsalvo Fieschi).

In addition to his operatic activities, James Martin devotes himself intensively to the concert repertoire. For example, he sang Rossini's Petite Messe solennelle, Verdi's Requiem, Beethoven's Ninth Symphony and Missa Sollemnis, Mozart's Coronation Mass and Requiem or Schubert's Mass in G major. He went on tour with Bach's Johannes Passion and Mass in B minor under Helmuth Rilling.