Rhydian Roberts Interview

After X Factor 2007 drew to a close and crowned Leon Jackson its new pop king, Rhydian Roberts was at his lowest ebb. The 25-year-old classically-trained singer from Sennybridge, Powys, was inconsolable after his defeat. Twelve months on from that gut-wrenching result, Rhydian is reflecting on what he calls the greatest year of his life.

Rhydian cuts a relaxed figure in Hampstead, London, beaming over the last twenty four hours that reads likes an A-lister’s social dairy. Rhydian explains, “I was asked to perform at The Welsh Sports Personality of the Year last night – it was an absolute honour for me. I got to meet a few heroes too – (rugby player) Shane Williams and (boxer) Joe Calzaghe amongst a few others. I’m just amazed these people have even heard of me.”

The morning after the night before, Rhydian was sharing breakfast with one of the biggest voices in the world of opera; “I met Bryn Terfel for breakfast this morning” he says, extending his enthusiasm further, “That’s the great thing about this job – I’m meeting heroes all the time.”

Rhydian was thrown into the public consciousness on reality TV show The X Factor. Initially touted as a pantomime villain, he was accused of being arrogant and conceited by both judges and viewers. As the show progressed though, Rhydian’s huge voice and even bigger character turned public perception towards his favour – he was now the clear favourite to win.

After singing in the final with Welsh soprano Katherine Jenkins, a lucrative recording contract looked inevitable. It wasn’t to be though as Rhydian was ousted into second place by Scottish singer Leon Jackson. Rhydian remembers the result coming through vividly, “I was absolutely gutted when I lost The X Factor, I felt like I’d let everyone down. A spent a few days feeling sorry for myself and then all of a sudden a call came through from (X Factor judge) Simon Cowell offering me a recording contract.”

Ironically, Rhydian is relieved at not winning The X Factor, “Looking back, coming second did me a huge favour. I’ve got a better contract than Leon and having that extra time away has allowed me to play more events and take more time on my debut album. Leon’s doing well for himself now though, we both are.”

Rhydian’s eponymous debut album, simply-titled Rhydian, has been a huge success – debuting at number three in the UK album chart and only missing out on the top spot due to huge comeback albums from The Killers and Guns N Roses. Rhydian explains the recording process; “The album was recorded in Los Angeles and Stockholm. I was incredibly lucky to work with some of the best producers and writers in the world - Per Magnusson, David Krueger, Steve Mac, Jim Steinman – these people have written absolute classics for the likes of Meatloaf, Aerosmith and Britney Spears.”

So, how much influence did the legends behind the mixing desk have on such a unique voice? A great deal according to Rhydian, “All of these fantastic people have made this album a success and created a pop edge for me. I was confident it would do well but not overly confident. It’s always difficult to judge how you’re going to be received, especially after being out of the limelight for almost a year.”

Following the success of his debut album, Rhydian has announced his first headline UK tour and he can’t wait to hit the road, “The X Factor tour earlier in the year gave me a taste of what it would be like but headlining my own tour is going to be something a little bit special. I’m in the process of planning the tour and I think it’s going to surprise a few people. We’re going to have an orchestra as well as a band so it should make for a huge sound.”

And what else does 2009 hold for the Welsh baritone? It seems as though Rhydian has it all mapped out; “We’ve already got down some great ideas down for the second album, so hopefully we’ll start recording after the UK tour. I want to try my hand at everything so don’t expect a duplicate of the first record - as an artist you want to evolve.” Rhydian Roberts has almost certainly done that.

Michael Took

Rhydian Roberts’ debut album, Rhydian, is out now.