Born Rhydian Roberts on February 14, 1983, in Sennybridge, Wales, classical crossover vocalist Rhydian came to prominence when he was a contestant on the fourth season of The X-Factor in 2007. One of the most striking acts to emerge from the TV series, Rhydian's career continued to flourish after his unexpected defeat by Leon Jackson in the final. A native Welsh speaker, he was head boy at Llandovery College, a fitness fanatic, and accomplished cricketer. He had planned to be a professional rugby player before becoming a star student at Birmingham University Conservatoire, graduating in 2007 with honors. He appeared in the opera Carmen and various other productions and, prior to X-Factor, unsuccessfully entered BBC's Any Dream Will Do TV contest to take the lead role in Andrew Lloyd Webber's new production of Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Accused of arrogance in the early stages of X-Factor, he soon won over audiences with the range and versatility of his singing. Although he was only runner-up on the show, he was a fan favorite and released his self-titled debut album in 2008. The album, which included covers of classic songs such as “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” “Somewhere,” and “I Believe,” reached Number 3 on the UK album charts and was the highest selling album by a male newcomer that year. His second album, O Fortuna (2009), featured duets with Kiri te Kanawa and Bryn Terfel. In 2011, Rhydian released the album Waves, which found him embracing electronic music and covering songs from the 1980s. Later that year, he issued the album Welsh Songs: Caneuon Cymraeg. His next album, One Day Like This (2014), was a return to his mixture of classical and pop anthems. The album hit Number 1 on the Classical Albums chart for 10 weeks straight while also cruising to Number 19 on the Official Albums chart. Rhydian’s 2015 album, Carry the Fire, included his recording of “World in Union,” which was the official theme of the Rugby World Cup. His album The Long Road (2018) featured covers of songs by Ed Sheeran, Simon & Garfunkel, and others. In February 2023, he released Classical Album – Hymns, Songs & Arias, which was his second album to reach Number 1 on the Classical Albums chart. Outside of his recording career, Rhydian also appeared on stage in such musicals as The War of the Worlds – Live on Stage, We Will Rock You, Grease, Rocky Horror Picture Show, Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella, Jesus Christ Superstar, Little Shop of Horrors, and Aladdin.
