Former American Idol contestant Chris Richardson has set out to make a sound all his own with the new release of his next album.

The handsome Chris Richardson finished 5th on Season 6 of American Idol.  Chris has recently signed with Cash Money Records to release his new album, and has set out to define a sound all his own. He sums up the sound best saying, “It’s blue-eyed soul, but there’s an organic feel to the music.” We don’t care what you call it, we just know that we  want more! Chris took some time to talk to RyanSeacrest.com about being a part of the infamous Cash Money team, and why the fans (especially the ladies) will love to hear what he’s got to offer on the new album.

Here is Chris’ latest single “Joy and Pain” ft. Tyga!

On How He Got Signed To Cash Money Records:
“I ended up meeting my manager in Virginia Beach, my hometown, and he works pretty hands on with Cash Money and got me a call about playing my music to Birdman and Slim, and they loved it. Sort of from that moment on, I’ve been a part of Cash Money and that whole family camaraderie which has been really cool. They’ve given me the chance to just be an artist and be me.”

On ‘American Idol’ Being His ‘Launching Platform’:
“I was working in the whole music scene prior to Idol. I was using Idol as a launching platform, which is ultimately what I wanted to do in my career. It’s been a four year journey, I worked really hard to get here. I look back at Idol as an experience and a cool journey, and I learned a lot from it.”

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How Does Chris Feel About Nicki and Mariah As Judges?
“I think I’m going to enjoy watching Nicki [Minaj] and Mariah [Carey] go back and forth this year. I think its great entertainment value. I think it’ll be interesting. Nicki is pretty straight forward with things so I’m excited to see how she’s going to be on the panel. I’m sort of interested to see how it’s going to pan out. It’s sort of unpredictable right now. What we’re watching now is a little bit of a cat fight!”

If you missed Chris’ Idol audition, check it out here!

Chris has done two collaborations now with Tyga, including Tyga’s “So Far Away” and Chris’ “Joy and Pain.” But what about a collaboration with an artist beyond the grave? Chris says, “I’d definitely love to work with Elvis. That would be a really cool collaboration for me. He definitely was a cool ladies man. Elvis added that sexy edge to his music. He had age and maturity. It’s always good to have a suave [demeanor]. I think you have to add your interpretations of things or situations and maybe make things sound a little more sexy than you normally would.”  No complaints, here.

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Chris Tells Us About An Emotional Song Based On A True Story:
“I wrote the song maybe 10 years ago called “Sober Reality.” I haven’t played it in public much. It’s about a drunk driver; it goes into this story about what you can lose not only as the person who’s committing this drunk driving crime, but also the other side of it too. It really just gives an insight into losing someone in a drunk driving accident, because I have lost someone in a drunk driving accident. That’s a record I like personally because it’s the sober person’s reality to losing someone to a drunk driver. You don’t always think about that.”

All we know is, we’re looking forward to what’s coming for this steamy singer. Stay tuned to RyanSeacrest.com for the latest Chris Richardson news!