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 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. ACO's and SHAPE's commander is t ...

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 Aerial warfare, air military branch, 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 ...

. Richardson moved to Chesapeake,

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 Christopher Newport University (CNU) is a public university in Newport News, Virginia. It was founded in 1960 and is named after Christopher Newport, captain of one of the ships which carried settlers of Jamestown, the first permanent English ...

in Newport News, Virginia, for a year, playing football 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 ...

restaurant. Chris plays guitar, drums and piano. His favorite male singers include

Jason Mraz Jason Thomas Mraz (; born June 23, 1977) is an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. 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 ...

, Justin Timberlake, James Brown, 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, and

Christina Aguilera Christina María Aguilera (; ; born December 18, 1980) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and television personality. Known for her four-octave vocal range and ability to sustain high notes, she has been referred to as the " Voice of ...

. He has a

Bulldog The Bulldog is a British breed of dog of mastiff type. It may also be known as the English Bulldog or British Bulldog. It is of medium size, a muscular, hefty dog with a wrinkled face and a distinctive pushed-in nose. 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 most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

, 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) *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

," 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 among other places. Richardson performs the song on over 30 radio/TV stations as part of his 10 city tour, sponsored by

Breyers Breyers is a brand of ice cream started in 1866 by William A. Breyer in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. History In 1866, William A. Breyer began to produce and sell iced cream in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, first from his home, and later via hor ...

. 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), 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 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 co ...

. 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, entrepreneur and record executive. He is the creator of '' The X Factor'' and ''Got Talent'' franchises which have been sold around the world. He has judged on ...

's last show. In 2011, Richardson collaborated with

Tyga Michael Ray Nguyen-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 Cash Money Records is an American record label founded in 1991 by brothers Ronald "Slim" Williams and Bryan "Birdman" Williams. Distributed by Republic, formerly known as Universal Republic, the label has been home to a roster of mostly hip ...

and Republic Records. 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 Michael Ray Nguyen-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 making the label itself revived. In 2013, he released two new songs "Collecting" and "Why You Mad" which were followed by a Kickstarter 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 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 follo ...

'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 Michael Ray Nguyen-StevensonMicheal Ray Stevenson ...

) (July 31, 2012) *"Joy and Pain" (featuring

Tyga Michael Ray Nguyen-StevensonMicheal Ray Stevenson ...

(August 28, 2012) *"Collecting" *"Why You Mad" (featuring Caskey) (August 7, 2013) *"Bigger Better Faster" (with Follow Your Instinct & Busta Rhymes) (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