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'Idol' Chris Richardson comes back to town
By MALCOLM VENABLE, The Virginian-Pilot
© September 18, 2007

Yeah! An article basically on Chris!

Video: 'Idols' party at a Norfolk club Monday night
Craig Kimberley | HamptonRoads.tv

[b]Pop culture moves at such a dizzying pace, it's easy to forget that just three months ago Chris Richardson was the official talk of Hampton Roads. [/b]

The Chesapeake native captivated America - but especially the Seven Cities - with his passionate performances on Fox's "American Idol" singing competition. There were pep rallies in Portsmouth and viewing parties so packed at the Chesapeake Hooters where he worked as a kitchen manager that a person practically needed a stun gun to guarantee a seat.

For a while there, C-Rich looked like a serious contender for the top spot,but he tied with Phil Stacey, a Navy man formerly based in Norfolk; they got dismissed from the competition in May when voters chose the final four.

Placing in the top 10 guaranteed him a spot on the "American Idol" concert tour, which hits town today. The tour began in July and finishes Sunday in New Hampshire - a whirlwind of just under 60 coast-to-coast appearances, one every day or two, for Richardson and the Idols. The shows include "Idol" winner Jordin Sparks and the contestant everyone loved to hate, Sanjaya Malakar.

The "Idol" odyssey has jump-started Richardson's hopes for a solo music career. From here on out, his name could pop up in many places besides Chesapeake.

We caught up with HR's newest musical celebrity on the road, while he's working on the album he hopes to release.

How long will you be in town this week?

Just for a day, but after the tour I hope to be around for a week.

What are you going to do after the tour is over?

I'll be traveling and doing my album, but when I get home from the tour, of course, just trying to see some friends and family.

What's it like being on the road? Is it grueling?

Oh, yeah. It gets grueling at times and you get tired, but you have fun with it. I think everybody looks forward to it ending, but then they don't. It's like one of those bittersweet times where you don't want to tell everybody goodbye, but you have to just carry on.

Is there any one thing - like I don't know, a cheese steak from somewhere - that when you come home you have to have?

Foodwise, not really. I enjoy going to Fuddruckers in Chesapeake, but I just enjoy being in the company of my family and friends. And taking that down time, because you're always going - getting noticed everywhere - not that that's bad, I love it - but you do need that down time.

Well this is good preparation for your solo career, right?

Yeah, it is. That's what this whole show is about for me. It's how to become a successful solo artist. From being on television trying to adapt to the nervousness that it emits, then going on tour doing press, just learning how to live in that world, how to be careful with the things that you do so you show yourself in the most positive of lights.

What was the one thing you splurged on when you got a little bit of cash?

To be honest with you, I have not splurged on anything. The only thing I bought was another computer. I already had one, but I bought another laptop for the tour. Oh, and I bought another guitar. But other than that I don't really spend any money. I save it, try to invest it. For me it's all about real estate. Once I get done purchasing my home, I'll get an apartment complex or something. I think you should always have a backup plan for anything that you do.

When's your album coming out? Do you have a date yet?

I don't have a date yet. I'm working on it as we speak. I've been writing on it, but I'm not officially signed with anyone yet. But I do have three songs that'll be on Blake's (second-place winner Blake Lewis) album. I've been writing with him. Hopefully I'll have a couple on Jordin's. (Jordin Sparks, first-place winner.) On the tour I've just been songwriting. I've been trying to build credibility in different fields, not just as a solo artist but songwriting. I think in the music business you gain more respect the more stuff you dip your hands in.

When you first started on Idol I was a little captivated by your performance, but you looked shy. Do you think you were? Are you still?

I think sometimes on a show you come off a certain way and you're completely not that way. I was never shy. I was an open book, man. I think on the show you get captured at certain times where people think, 'He could be a shy person,' but really when I came out there I wanted to show the sincerity I was raised with, the politeness, the Southern hospitality. I felt like that was important to be professional. When there was video behind the scenes I tried to be more myself - well, not myself, but show more personality and joking around having fun and trying to make people laugh. That's how I am.

I also thought you had cool style. Are you dressing yourself, or do you have a stylist?

Oh, yeah, I always dressed myself. It was weird because I always went through different stages in dressing the way that I dress. You have to differentiate yourself on the show. It's about what makes you stand out amongst the other people on there. I would read where people would say, 'What in the world was he thinking wearing jeans and a tie and a blazer?' But it didn't matter to me what they said about my clothing. I wore what I wanted to wear. I'm never going to change.

So I have two gossip questions.

What's up?

I think you know the first one: Lauren Conrad... (the star of MTV reality show "The Hills," whom Chris is rumored to have dated.)

Lauren Conrad. Good friend of mine. Never dated her.

Whom are you dating? Sorry, I have to ask.

Nobody! I'm actually just single and focused on my career.

It must be hard to date. You're touring on a bus right?

Yeah, there's a guy and a girl bus. It's hard. I mean... I wouldn't recommend dating anybody while you're on a tour. It's hard enough trying to keep up with the people back home. It's hard enough trying to keep up with my friends. I don't know how in the world I would do it with a woman.

There's also a rumor that when you were at the Gwen Stefani show here in Virginia Beach some little kids came up to you trying to get autographs and you wouldn't sign them. True or false?

False! That would never happen. Wow, that's weird. I never heard that one before. I would never turn down an autograph. I would never turn down a picture either. There's people that do because they're in a hurry, but I enjoy that kind of stuff. We were in her backstage, so maybe I said to wait because I didn't want to be intrusive.

Are you going to record your album here? In Virginia?

I don't know. If I end up linking up with the right people, like Chad from the Neptunes or Tim (Timbaland), again that would be cool.

You worked with Timbaland?

I was in the studio with him prior to the show. I never laid down any work with him. I was friends with him and his brother and was in the process of trying to get with their camp, and then I got on the show. Who knows? There are so many producers that I want to work with, I became friends with them from the show, trailing, being in L.A.

Are you planning on moving back? After the tour is over where are you going?

I haven't really decided yet. It's about me prioritizing where I need to be to get the most out of my album and further my career in the music business. If it's in L.A. to do the album, or if I get pitched to be cast on a TV show, sometimes you have to make that change. It'll be a big step: I've always been on the East Coast, and that's my type of thing. Virginia, the whole Southern hospitality thing, that's my lifestyle. It's almost like the military - you get stationed somewhere because of your job. But I'm never going to forget where I came from or my family - never lose touch.

Malcolm Venable, (757) 446-2662, malcolm.venable@pilotonline.com
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