Chris Richardson On 'Joy & Pain,' Dream Collaborators, Working Out

From the Air Force base to the American Idol stage, Chris Richardson, 28, has had a wild ride. And with the upcoming release of his new single "Joy & Pain," featuring Tyga, Richardson is amped to bring his eclectic mix of sounds, which he describes as “blue-eyed soul,” to his fans.

Richardson’s father was in the Air Force and so he spent much of his childhood moving around, from Belgium, where he was born, to Colorado, then North Carolina, before finally settling down in Virginia Beach. Richardson's father helped instill a love for music in him at a young age. “My dad inspires me a lot because he was where the whole music excitement came from,” Richardson told Uinterview exclusively. “This man was jumping on tables when I was a kid playing air guitar with his headphones on, singing, just acting a fool, being a character. I think I grew into his personality as a kid, his energy, and it translated into my entertainment.”

After finishing first runner-up in a competition hosted by Teddy Riley, he was invited to Riley’s studio and decided he wanted to pursue music as a career. His career received the boost it needed when he qualified for American Idol (on his third try, in New York City, after auditioning in New England and Greensboro, N.C. before that). He finished in fifth place on the sixth season of Idol, and subsequently collaborated with a number of popular artists. He is perhaps best known for his collobaration on Tyga’s 2011 hit “Far Away.” Shortly thereafter, in January 2012, Richardson signed with Cash Money Records, who's extensive artist list includes Lil' Wanye, Drake and Nicki Minaj, among many others.

Tyga, a fellow Cash Money member, is also featured on Richardson’s upcoming album, “Joy & Pain.”