Rhydian James Roberts (born 14 February 1983), also known

mononymously A mononym is a name composed of only one word. An individual who is known and addressed by a mononym is a mononymous person. In some cases, a mononym selected by an individual may have originally been from a polynym, a word which refers to one o ...

as Rhydian, is a Welsh

baritone A baritone is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the bass and the tenor voice-types. The term originates from the Greek (), meaning "heavy sounding". Composers typically write music for this voice in the ...

singer, television presenter and musical theatre actor. He made his name by finishing second in series 4 of ''

The X Factor ''The X Factor'' is a television music competition franchise created by British producer Simon Cowell and his company Syco Entertainment. It originated in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for '' Pop Idol'' (2001–2003 ...

'', and has since become more widely known.

Early years

Born in

Sennybridge Sennybridge ( cy, Pontsenni) is a village in the historic county of Brecknockshire, Wales, now within the unitary authority area of Powys, situated some from Cardiff and from Swansea. It lies west of Brecon on the A40 trunk road to Llan ...

, Rhydian attended the Pontsenni Cylch Meithrin in Brecon and then Ysgol y Bannau Welsh medium school. He played

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In it ...

for the Gwernyfed rugby football club as a junior and later for his school, as well as

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by st ...

for Powys County Junior teams. Following a gap year teaching in a small school in South Africa, Rhydian won a bursary to the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire at the

University of Central England , mottoeng = "Do what you are doing; attend to your business" , established = 1992—gained university status1971—City of Birmingham Polytechnic1843— Birmingham College of Art , type = Public , affiliation = ...

Career

Concerts, galas and solo tours

Rhydian toured the UK in 2008, 2013 and 2014–15. The title of his third tour "One Day Like This", came from his fifth album. During 2018 he toured the UK in ''Les Musicals'', co-starring with Jonathan Ansell.

Stage

Rhydian made his debut in the 2010 European tour of ''The War of the Worlds – Live on Stage!'' (Parson Nathaniel), and has toured the UK in musical theatre since then. From 2010 to 2013 he appeared in ''

We Will Rock You "We Will Rock You" is a song written by Brian May and recorded by British rock band Queen for their 1977 album ''News of the World''. ''Rolling Stone'' ranked it number 330 of " The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" in 2004, and it placed at num ...

'' (Khashoggi, Chief of Police), '' Grease'' (40th anniversary tour, playing "Teen Angel") and ''

Rocky Horror Show ''The Rocky Horror Show'' is a Musical theatre, musical with music, lyrics and book by Richard O'Brien. A humorous tribute to the Science fiction film, science fiction and Horror film, horror B movies of the 1930s through to the early 1960s, the ...

'' (Rocky). He has played

pantomime Pantomime (; informally panto) is a type of musical comedy stage production designed for family entertainment. It was developed in England and is performed throughout the United Kingdom, Ireland and (to a lesser extent) in other English-speakin ...

leads in ''Beauty and the Beast'', praised for carrying the show "rather spectacularly" with "remarkable gravitas", and ''Cinderella''. In 2015 he played

Pontius Pilate Pontius Pilate (; grc-gre, Πόντιος Πιλᾶτος, ) was the fifth governor of the Roman province of Judaea, serving under Emperor Tiberius from 26/27 to 36/37 AD. He is best known for being the official who presided over the trial of ...

in ''

Jesus Christ Superstar ''Jesus Christ Superstar'' is a sung-through rock opera with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice. Loosely based on the Gospels' accounts of the Passion, the work interprets the psychology of Jesus and other characters, with ...

'' and in 2016 the Dentist in ''

Little Shop of Horrors Little Shop of Horrors may refer to: * ''The Little Shop of Horrors'', a 1960 film directed by Roger Corman ** ''Little Shop of Horrors'' (musical), a 1982 musical based on the 1960 film ** ''Little Shop of Horrors'' (film), a 1986 film adaptati ...

''. During Christmas 2017 he appeared in ''Aladdin'' at the

SSE Arena, Belfast The Odyssey Complex, formerly Odyssey Centre, is a sports and entertainment complex located within the Titanic Quarter in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The complex originated in 1992 and came into fruition in June 1998. It opened in December 20 ...

Recordings

2008's highest-selling album by a male newcomer (600,000 copies), was Rhydian's

eponym An eponym is a person, a place, or a thing after whom or which someone or something is, or is believed to be, named. The adjectives which are derived from the word eponym include ''eponymous'' and ''eponymic''. Usage of the word The term ''epon ...

ous debut, '' Rhydian''. It incorporated material by

Jim Steinman James Richard Steinman (November 1, 1947 – April 19, 2021) was an American composer, lyricist and record producer. He also worked as an arranger, pianist, and singer. His work included songs in the adult contemporary, rock, dance, pop, mus ...

Apple iTunes website
Accessed 21 April 2014. His second, ''

O Fortuna "O Fortuna" is a medieval Latin Goliardic poem which is part of the collection known as the ''Carmina Burana'', written early in the 13th century. It is a complaint about Fortuna, the inexorable fate that rules both gods and mortals in Roman an ...

'' (2009), co-produced by composer Karl Jenkins, included duets with

Kiri te Kanawa Dame Kiri Jeanette Claire Te Kanawa , (; born Claire Mary Teresa Rawstron, 6 March 1944) is a retired New Zealand opera singer. She had a full lyric soprano voice, which has been described as "mellow yet vibrant, warm, ample and unforced". Te ...

and

Bryn Terfel Sir Bryn Terfel Jones, (; born 9 November 1965) (known professionally as Bryn Terfel) is a Welsh bass-baritone opera and concert singer. Terfel was initially associated with the roles of Mozart, particularly '' Figaro'', '' Leporello'' and '' ...

. Rhydian was a guest on

Morriston Orpheus Choir The Morriston Orpheus Choir ( cy, Côr Orpheus Treforys, link=no), based in Morriston, near Swansea, Wales, is a male voice choir, one of the best-known in the UK. History The Choir was formed on April 23, 1935, by Ivor E. Sims and in its early ...

's CD ''To Where You Are'' (Sain, 2011). There were two further albums during 2011: ''

Waves Waves most often refers to: * Waves, oscillations accompanied by a transfer of energy that travel through space or mass. * Wind waves, surface waves that occur on the free surface of bodies of water. Waves may also refer to: Music *Waves (ban ...

'', with covers of classic 1980s pop"X-factor's Rhydian to go from Opera star to pop star,"
Rachel Mainwaring, ''Wales on Sunday'', 24 July 2011. Retrieved 1 August 2011. and ''Caneuon Cymraeg'' (''Welsh Songs''), a mix of classic Welsh songs and original songs. Returning to his core repertoire of classics and pop anthems, Rhydian's fifth album, '' One Day Like This'' featured duets with

Kerry Ellis Kerry Jane Ellis (born 6 May 1979) is an English actress and singer who is best known for her work in musical theatre and subsequent crossover into music. Born and raised in Suffolk, Ellis began performing at an early age before training at La ...

and

Bonnie Tyler Gaynor Sullivan (née Hopkins; born 8 June 1951), known professionally as Bonnie Tyler, is a Welsh singer who is known for her distinctive husky voice. Tyler came to prominence with the release of her 1977 album '' The World Starts Tonight'' a ...

. Within a week of release, it topped the Official Classical Album charts, occupying the spot for ten weeks. It also reached 19 in the Official Album charts,The Classic FM Chart
Retrieved 28 April 2014. and topped the Classic FM Chart. His sixth album, ''The Long Road'', was released in 2018 and added to Spotify in 2020.

Television

During 2009, ''Rhydian, One Year On'' was aired by

S4C S4C (, ''Sianel Pedwar Cymru'', meaning ''Channel Four Wales'') is a Welsh language free-to-air public broadcast television channel. Launched on 1 November 1982, it was the first television channel to be aimed specifically at a Welsh-speaking ...

. In 2011, Rhydian presented an eight-part television entertainment series for

, with his album ''Caneuon Cymraeg'' (''Welsh Songs'') being released to tie in with it.

''The X Factor''

Rhydian has said: "I'm very proud of what I achieved on '' X Factor''. I'm a showman and it gave me the chance to put on a show". Amongst other songs, he sang: * A full theatrical account of "

The Phantom of the Opera ''The Phantom of the Opera'' (french: Le Fantôme de l'Opéra) is a novel by French author Gaston Leroux. It was first published as a serial in from 23 September 1909 to 8 January 1910, and was released in volume form in late March 1910 by Pier ...

" * "

Get the Party Started "Get the Party Started" is a song by American singer Pink, released on October 16, 2001, as the lead single from her second album, ''Missundaztood'' (2001). It received positive reviews and became an international success and reached the top ten ...

" * " Go West" During the live stages of competition, eventually his "trademark white hair and flamboyant dress sense made him an audience favourite."Rhydian biography from Classic FM website
Retrieved 16 March 2010. His version of " The Impossible Dream" became the keynote track on his first album.''Rhydian'' (2008), recorded for

Sony BMG Sony BMG Music Entertainment was an American record company owned as a 50–50 joint venture between Sony Corporation of America and Bertelsmann. The venture's successor, the revived Sony Music, is wholly owned by Sony, following their buyou ...

, who offered him a recording contract the day after finishing as runner-up. He fulfilled a long-held dream by duetting in the final with Katherine Jenkins.

Discography

References

External links

*
Rhydian Roberts at BBC WalesRhydian Roberts biography from BBC Wales MusicWhat's On Wales interview"Rhydian's new album"
movie video at YouTube
Rhydian on Premier Christian TV
{{DEFAULTSORT:Roberts, Rhydian 1983 births Welsh-language singers Welsh operatic baritones Opera crossover singers British male musical theatre actors British pop singers British television presenters Living people The X Factor (British TV series) contestants People educated at Llandovery College Alumni of Birmingham Conservatoire 21st-century Welsh male singers