Chris Richardson
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Christopher Michael Richardson (born February 19, 1984) is an American singer-songwriter who was the fifth-place finalist on the sixth season of ''
American Idol ''American Idol'' is an American Music competition, singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle (company), Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It a ...
''.


Personal life

Richardson was born in
Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe The Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) is the military headquarters of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's (NATO) Allied Command Operations (ACO) that commands all NATO operations worldwide. SHAPE is situated in the villag ...
Hospital in
Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...
to Phyllis and Danny Richardson. His father spent 20 years in the
United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...
. Richardson moved to Chesapeake,
Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...
, in 1999. He admitted during the March 6, 2007 edition of ''
American Idol ''American Idol'' is an American Music competition, singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle (company), Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It a ...
'' that he used to be overweight as a child and teenager. He graduated from Great Bridge High School in 2002 and studied music composition at Christopher Newport University in
Newport News, Virginia Newport News () is an Independent city (United States), independent city in southeastern Virginia, United States. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 186,247. Located in the Hampton Roads region, it is the List of c ...
, for a year, playing
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
there as well. He continued his musical studies at Tidewater Community College. Before Idol, Richardson was a kitchen supervisor for a
Hooters Hooters is the registered trademark used by two American restaurant chains: Hooters, Inc., based in Clearwater, Florida, and Hooters of America, Inc. based in Atlanta, Georgia, and owned by the private investment firm Nord Bay Capital (with Tr ...
restaurant. Chris plays guitar, drums and piano. His favorite male singers include
Jason Mraz Jason Thomas Mraz ( ; born June 23, 1977) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. He rose to prominence with the release of his debut studio album, ''Waiting for My Rocket to Come'' (2002), which spawned the single "The Remedy (I Won't Wo ...
,
Justin Timberlake Justin Randall Timberlake (born January 31, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, actor, record producer, and dancer. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Prince of Pop", ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' honored him as the b ...
,
James Brown James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, musician, and record producer. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th-century music, he is referred to by Honorific nick ...
, and
Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Michael Jackson, one of the most culturally significan ...
. His favorite female artists are early 1990s
Mariah Carey Mariah Carey ( ; born March 27, 1969) is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Songbird Supreme" by ''Guinness World Records'', Carey is known for her five-octave voc ...
, and
Christina Aguilera Christina María Aguilera ( , ; born December 18, 1980) is an American singer-songwriter, actress and television personality. Recognized as Cultural impact of Christina Aguilera, an influential figure in music and having received Public imag ...
. He has a Bulldog named Tommy. Chris and fellow idol Blake Lewis had said on Chris' elimination night that they are best friends. On April 11, 2016, he and girlfriend, Maryfrances Jerez, welcomed a baby girl.


''American Idol''

Richardson had auditioned for
American Idol ''American Idol'' is an American Music competition, singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle (company), Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It a ...
in two previous seasons before being cast on season 6. Richardson auditioned in
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
, holding number 8963. The judges warmed to him, and he got through the audition process. Richardson was grouped with Paul Kim and AJ Tabaldo in the Hollywood group round. During American Idol, Chris received many comparisons to Justin Timberlake, including from judge Randy Jackson. "To be even mentioned in the same sentence as someone so successful, it's great," Richardson told the Associated Press on Thursday the day after his elimination in a phone interview. "They might be surprised whenever I come out with my album, that it's completely different than his. So that's when other people might one day be, like 'Hey, you sort of sound like Chris Richardson.'"


American Idol Performances

*Audition: A Song for You (originally sung by Leon Russell, covered by
Donny Hathaway Donny Edward Hathaway (October 1, 1945 – January 13, 1979) was an American soul singer, keyboardist, songwriter, backing vocalist, and arranger who ''Rolling Stone'' described as a "soul legend". His most popular songs include " The Ghetto" ...
) *Hollywood Week: I Love You More Than You'll Ever Know (originally sung by Donny Hathaway) * When Ryan Seacrest announced the results in the particular night, Richardson was in the bottom two but declared safe when Stephanie Edwards was eliminated. * Richardson was saved first from elimination. * Due to the Idol Gives Back performance, the Top 6 remained intact for another week.


Post ''Idol''

Richardson participated in the Season 6 tour along with the rest of the Top 10 after Season six ended. He started working on his debut album after the tour, then tentatively titled ''Come Right Back to You'', which he said will be a mix of both rock, soul/R&B. "It'll be a mixture of a Maroon 5 sound with a little bit of
Jason Mraz Jason Thomas Mraz ( ; born June 23, 1977) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. He rose to prominence with the release of his debut studio album, ''Waiting for My Rocket to Come'' (2002), which spawned the single "The Remedy (I Won't Wo ...
," said Richardson. "I love rock and roll but I have this soulful type voice and I just like to infuse both of them." On February 22, 2008, a new song leaked onto the internet from Richardson, entitled "All Alone." The song was then released commercially, being available on
iTunes iTunes is a media player, media library, and mobile device management (MDM) utility developed by Apple. It is used to purchase, play, download and organize digital multimedia on personal computers running the macOS and Windows operating s ...
among other places. Richardson performs the song on over 30 radio/TV stations as part of his 10 city tour, sponsored by Breyers. On May 20, 2008, the album was put on the fast track and was recorded in Los Angeles, Miami and Virginia. Producers include Ill Factor, Brent Paschke and Troy "Radio" Johnson. Richardson co-wrote the track "What'cha Got 2 Lose?" on Blake Lewis' debut album A.D.D. (Audio Day Dream), as well as the bonus track "Human" released exclusively via iTunes. He has also said in an interview that he has written songs for winner
Jordin Sparks Jordin Sparks (born December 22, 1989) is an American singer and actress. She rose to fame in 2007 after winning the American Idol (season 6), sixth season of ''American Idol'' at age 17, becoming the youngest winner in the series' history. He ...
and Phil Stacey and plans on writing with Gina Glocksen. On April 19, 2008, Richardson appeared as a surprise guest at Jason Mraz's "Music, Magic and Makepeace Tour." He sang a duet with Mraz called " Geek in the Pink". On March 20, 2009, Richardson was the opening act for Josh Hodge in New York City at the Canal Room, performing a couple of songs, including "All Alone." In May 2009, he appeared on the red carpet for the ''American Idol'' finale, as well as a " Relay for Life" charity event at Currituck County High School. He also sang in the ninth season finale of ''American Idol'' in 2010 with other seasons' finalists in a tribute to
Simon Cowell Simon Phillip Cowell (; born 7 October 1959) is an English television personality and businessman. He has judged on the British television talent competition shows ''Pop Idol'' (2001–2003), ''The X Factor (British TV series), The X Factor UK ...
's last show. In 2011, Richardson collaborated with
Tyga Micheal Ray StevensonMicheal Ray Stevenson
on the single " Far Away". The single was released on May 17, 2011 and reached number 86 in ''Billboard'' Hot 100. In 2012, Richardson signed a record deal with Cash Money Records and
Republic Records Republic Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group (UMG). Based in New York City, it was founded by Avery Lipman and Monte Lipman as an independent label in 1995, and was acquired by UMG in 2000. Republic was initially ...
. In January 2012, he released the single "In the Name of Love" which was followed by a music video. Later that year, he released his official debut single "Joy & Pain" featuring
Tyga Micheal Ray StevensonMicheal Ray Stevenson
on August 28, 2012. In mid-2012 it was announced that Universal Republic Records was going defunct, making Richardson and other artists move to
Republic Records Republic Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group (UMG). Based in New York City, it was founded by Avery Lipman and Monte Lipman as an independent label in 1995, and was acquired by UMG in 2000. Republic was initially ...
making the label itself revived. In 2013, he released two new songs "Collecting" and "Why You Mad" which were followed by a
Kickstarter Kickstarter, PBC is an American Benefit corporation, public benefit corporation based in Brooklyn, New York City, that maintains a global crowdfunding platform focused on creativity. The company's stated mission is to "help bring creative project ...
campaign in 2014 to help fund a mixtape and tour which did not make its goal. In 2015, he announced that he and YMCMB had parted ways and that he'd be releasing his music independently. Additionally, he announced work on two EPs: ''Press Play'' and ''Murder She Wrote''. Later that year, he was featured on the international single "Bigger Better Faster" with Follow Your Instinct and
Busta Rhymes Trevor George Smith Jr. (born May 20, 1972), known professionally as Busta Rhymes, is an American rapper, singer and actor. Chuck D of Public Enemy gave him the moniker Busta Rhymes, after National Football League, NFL and Canadian Football Lea ...
which hit the Top 3 in Japan. On December 7, 2015, he premiered a cover of Bryson Tiller's hit "Don't" on his official media handles which garnered positive reviews. His new single "Rear View" will be released on February 19, 2016.


Discography


Albums

*''Chris Richardson - EP'' (June 12, 2007) *''Press Play - EP'' (TBA 2016) *''Murder She Wrote - EP'' (TBA 2016)


Singles

*"All Alone" (March 12, 2008) *"Floating off the Ground" (November 1, 2009) *"In the Name of Love" (January 12, 2012) *" Far Away" (featuring
Tyga Micheal Ray StevensonMicheal Ray Stevenson
) (July 31, 2012) *"Joy and Pain" (featuring
Tyga Micheal Ray StevensonMicheal Ray Stevenson
(August 28, 2012) *"Collecting" *"Why You Mad" (featuring Caskey) (August 7, 2013) *"Bigger Better Faster" (with Follow Your Instinct &
Busta Rhymes Trevor George Smith Jr. (born May 20, 1972), known professionally as Busta Rhymes, is an American rapper, singer and actor. Chuck D of Public Enemy gave him the moniker Busta Rhymes, after National Football League, NFL and Canadian Football Lea ...
) (2015) *"Rear View" (February 19, 2016)


As featured artist


References


External links


Official website
*


Chris Richardson Interview on Fox News Radio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Richardson, Chris 1984 births Living people 21st-century American singers American Idol participants American keyboardists American contemporary R&B singers American rock singers Cash Money Records artists Christopher Newport University alumni Singers from Virginia People from Chesapeake, Virginia People from Soignies Guitarists from Virginia American male guitarists 21st-century American drummers 21st-century American guitarists 21st-century American male singers Drummers from Virginia American male drummers