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 singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It aired on Fox from June 11, 2002, to Ap ...

''.

Personal life

Richardson was born in Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe Hospital in

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

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 service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...

. Richardson moved to

Chesapeake Chesapeake often refers to: *Chesapeake people, a Native American tribe also known as the Chesepian * The Chesapeake, a.k.a. Chesapeake Bay *Delmarva Peninsula, also known as the Chesapeake Peninsula Chesapeake may also refer to: Populated plac ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

, in 1999. He admitted during the March 6, 2007 edition of ''

'' that he used to be overweight as a child and teenager. He graduated from

Great Bridge High School Great Bridge High School is a public secondary school in Chesapeake, Virginia, United States. It is part of Chesapeake City Public Schools. History Great Bridge opened in 1907, holding students from 1st through 12th grade. Another larger build ...

in 2002 and studied music composition at Christopher Newport University in

Newport News, Virginia Newport News () is an independent city in the U.S. state of Virginia. At the 2020 census, the population was 186,247. Located in the Hampton Roads region, it is the 5th most populous city in Virginia and 140th most populous city in the Uni ...

, for a year, playing

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

there as well. He continued his musical studies at

Tidewater Community College Tidewater Community College (TCC) is a public community college in South Hampton Roads, Virginia, with campuses in Chesapeake, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Suffolk, and Virginia Beach. It is part of the Virginia Community College System and is accredit ...

. Before Idol, Richardson was a kitchen supervisor for a Hooters restaurant. Chris plays guitar, drums and piano. His favorite male singers include Jason Mraz,

Justin Timberlake Justin Randall Timberlake (born January 31, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He is one of the world's best-selling music artists, with sales of over 88 million records. Timberlake is the recipient of numerous awards and ac ...

James Brown James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, dancer, musician, record producer and bandleader. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th century music, he is often referred to by the honor ...

, 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 one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...

. His favorite female artists are early 1990s

Mariah Carey Mariah Carey (; born March 27, 1969) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and record producer. Referred to as the " Songbird Supreme", she is noted for her five-octave vocal range, melismatic singing style and signature use of the whi ...

, and Christina Aguilera. He has a Bulldog named Tommy. Chris and fellow idol

Blake Lewis Blake Colin Lewis (born July 21, 1981) is an American musician, singer and actor who was the runner-up on the sixth season of ''American Idol''. His major label debut album ''A.D.D. (Audio Day Dream)'' was released on December 4, 2007, through ...

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

in two previous seasons before being cast on season 6. Richardson auditioned in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, holding number 8963. The judges warmed to him, and he got through the audition process. Richardson was grouped with Paul Kim and

AJ Tabaldo The sixth season of ''American Idol'' premiered on the Fox Broadcasting Company as a two-night, four-hour premiere special on January 16 and January 17, and ran until May 23, 2007. Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, and Randy Jackson returned to judge once ...

in the Hollywood group round. During American Idol, Chris received many comparisons to Justin Timberlake, including from judge

Randy Jackson Randall Darius Jackson (born June 23, 1956) is an American record executive and television presenter, perhaps best known as a judge on ''American Idol'' from 2002 to 2013. Jackson began his career in the 1980s as a session musician playing bas ...

. "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 "A Song for You" is a song written and originally recorded by rock singer and pianist Leon Russell for his first solo album '' Leon Russell'', which was released in 1970 on Shelter Records. A slow, pained plea for forgiveness and understandin ...

(originally sung by

Leon Russell Leon Russell (born Claude Russell Bridges; April 2, 1942 – November 13, 2016) was an American musician and songwriter who was involved with numerous bestselling records during his 60-year career that spanned multiple genres, including rock and ...

, covered by

Donny Hathaway Donny Edward Hathaway (October 1, 1945 – January 13, 1979) was an American soul singer, keyboardist, songwriter, and arranger whom ''Rolling Stone'' described as a "soul legend". His most popular songs include " The Ghetto", "This Christmas ...

) *Hollywood Week: I Love You More Than You'll Ever Know (originally sung by Donny Hathaway) * When

Ryan Seacrest Ryan John Seacrest (born December 24, 1974) is an American media personality and producer. He is the co-host of ''Live with Kelly and Ryan'', as well as the host of multiple media shows including ''American Idol'', ''American Top 40'', and '' ...

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 ''Idol Gives Back'' was the name of a charitable campaign that spanned two episodes of ''American Idol'' during its sixth season. A second ''Idol Gives Back'' concert and fundraiser occurred on April 9, 2008, during the seventh season of the s ...

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 Maroon 5 is an American pop rock band from Los Angeles, California. It currently consists of lead vocalist Adam Levine, keyboardist and rhythm guitarist Jesse Carmichael, lead guitarist James Valentine (musician), James Valentine, drummer Matt ...

sound with a little bit of Jason Mraz," 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 software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mul ...

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

' debut album

A.D.D. (Audio Day Dream) ''A.D.D. (Audio Day Dream)'' is the debut studio album by Blake Lewis, the runner-up on the sixth season of ''American Idol''. It was released in the United States and Canada on December 4, 2007. The first single is " Break Anotha" and was relea ...

, 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-Thomas (born December 22, 1989) is an American singer and actress. She rose to fame in 2007 after winning the sixth season of ''American Idol'' at age 17, becoming the youngest winner in the series' history. Her self-titled debu ...

and

Phil Stacey Joel Philip Stacey (born January 21, 1978) is an American singer who first gained national attention on season 6 A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On ...

and plans on writing with

Gina Glocksen Gina Glocksen (born July 4, 1984) is an American singer, who was the ninth-place finisher on the sixth season of ''American Idol''. She was eliminated on April 4, 2007. She previously appeared in season 5. Glocksen is the first among the few con ...

. 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 "Geek in the Pink" is a 2006 single by Jason Mraz from his album '' Mr. A–Z''. In 2007, ''American Idol'' contestant Chris Richardson performed "Geek in the Pink." "Geek in the Pink" peaked at #22 on the U.S. iTunes Store on March 10, 2007. '' ...

". On March 20, 2009, Richardson was the opening act for Josh Hodge in New York City at the

Canal Room Canal Room was a music venue located at 285 West Broadway between Canal Street and Lispenard Street in the Tribeca neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. The space was formerly known as "Shine". It underwent a $1 million renovation in 2003 ...

, 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's last show. In 2011, Richardson collaborated with Tyga 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 a New York City–based American record label owned by Universal Music Group (UMG). 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 an ...

. 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 on August 28, 2012. In mid-2012 it was announced that Universal Republic Records was going defunct, making Richardson and other artists move to

making the label itself revived. In 2013, he released two new songs "Collecting" and "Why You Mad" which were followed by a

Kickstarter Kickstarter is an American public benefit corporation based in Brooklyn, New York, that maintains a global crowdfunding platform focused on creativity. The company's stated mission is to "help bring creative projects to life". As of July 2021, ...

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, songwriter, record producer and actor. Chuck D of Public Enemy gave him the moniker Busta Rhymes, after NFL and CFL wide receiver ...

which hit the Top 3 in Japan. On December 7, 2015, he premiered a cover of

Bryson Tiller Bryson Djuan Tiller (born January 2, 1993) is an American singer and rapper. Born in Louisville, Kentucky, he began his career in 2011 with a mixtape entitled ''Killer Instinct Vol. 1''. Tiller initially gained mainstream success in 2015 follow ...

'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) (July 31, 2012) *"Joy and Pain" (featuring Tyga (August 28, 2012) *"Collecting" *"Why You Mad" (featuring Caskey) (August 7, 2013) *"Bigger Better Faster" (with Follow Your Instinct &

) (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