[Red Moon]

Why Britney was right to mime - X factor runner up Rhydian Roberts

Rhydian Roberts has a message for the boo-boys: lay off Britney Spears. "Britney's act involves a lot of dancing, so naturally she's not always going to sing. If you're dashing around the stage, it's understandable you might have to mime," says The X Factor finalist of Spears' widely ridiculed appearance on the show last week.

"You're not going to tell Britney what to do, are you? She could have said 'no' to their offer to come on. It was a huge coup for The X Factor to get her in the first place."

It's a chilly afternoon in London, and Rhydian is sipping coffee in his record company's upscale Kensington offices. Though pipped to first place in last season's finale by boy-next-door crooner Leon Jackson, he confesses his feet have hardly touched the ground since The X Factor.

"I was devastated when I lost, although, at that point, I knew a few record companies were interested," says Rhydian in a Welsh lilt so thick you could hang your coat on it.

"But I had entered to win, not come second."

Besides, it's one thing for labels to express an interest, another for them to actually stump up a record contract.

"I had a sleepless night after the results. I thought 'oh no -- is that it then?' Then the very next day, Simon Cowell phoned me up and offered me a deal. I can't tell you how relieved I was."

On screen, Cowell clearly relishes his role as the judging panel's resident pantomime villain. "He's much the same in real life," says Rhydian.

"He certainly doesn't turn into a teddy bear. He's an incredibly straight-talking person. What you see on the telly is what you get. I have a good working relationship. I reckon that's 'cos I treat him like a regular guy.

'I think a lot of people look upon him as some kind of god, especially in America [where Cowell reprises the Judge Nasty role on American Idol]. They're in total awe of him over there. He's like a deity."

What's Rhydian's take on Cowell's cuddly arch-foe Louis Walsh?

"Louis is just the funniest guy when the cameras stop rolling. "He's a comic. Really quick and clever. But also incredibly sweet."

Surely he's got a ruthless side, too?

"Oh, absolutely. Louis is a pro at this business. He's the guy who makes things happen. Look at all he's achieved. Nobody gets that far by being a pushover."

As X Factor devotees will know, Rhydian had a more strained relationship with the female judges, Sharon Osbourne and Dannii Minogue, who initially found him conceited and big-mouthed.

"Yeah, Sharon got a bit crabby with me at the start," he recalls. "There was a lot of b******t about us not getting on. You have to remember that things were being spiced up for the cameras.

"I was made look like a bit of a bad guy. They painted me as arrogant and too ambitious for my own good." (His opinion of Osbourne's replacement is more straightforward: "Cheryl Cole -- she's gorgeous, isn't she?")

Indeed, Rhydian was subject to so much red-top vitriol he admits he considered quitting The X Factor.

It was a millionaire uncle who intervened, reminding the budding star that in the music industry there is no such things as bad publicity (unless your name is Michael Jackson -- or, as of last Saturday night, Britney Spears).

"I ended up using it to my advantage," says Roberts. "They wanted to cast me in a certain light. However, that actually made me more distinctive, which ultimately helped me to progress."

Notwithstanding his resemblance to Harry Potter villain Draco Malfoy, Rhydian is a picture of good manners -- very much at odds with the snotty persona he cultivated on The X Factor.

He doesn't even pull a face when it's put to him that, nine times out of 10, reality television stars can rarely hope for anything beyond flash-in-the-pan success.

"Funnily, I think that's changing now," he says. "The snobbery has gone.

'Look at someone like [one-time winner of The X Factor] Leona Lewis. It was obvious from the outset that she had tremendous ability, and the fact that she's come to our attention through television hasn't held her back in the slightest.

"A lot of people who succeed on these shows aren't talented in the least -- they're just lucky. However, in the long term, it's the ones with the ability who will do well and have long lasting careers. Leona is obviously in that category. I hope I am too."

And anyway, it's not as if Rhydian has aspirations to be your everyday chart totty. A trained choral singer (and one-time under-age rugby sensation) the 24-year-old has his gaze fixed firmly on the classical market, as does his label, Sony Records, which believes he could be a break-out talent with the superstar potential of Katherine Jenkins or Josh Groban.

No doubt his clean-living ways -- he's a committed Christian who doesn't drink or smoke and won't be found chatting up groupies backstage -- will assist in endearing him to the Daniel O'Donnell demographic.

But is his pure-as-the-driven-snow image too good to be true? After all, in a recent interview, Rhydian admitted to a weakness for holiday flings and hinted at losing his virginity at 14.

Does he fear horrified grannies might take to burning his records in public?

"Actually. I don't think I have one specific fan base," he says. "A lot of The X Factor contestants are pitched at the teenager demographic. My fans range from eight to much older. That's a good situation to be in, isn't it?"

With The X Factor 2008 approaching its penultimate stages, Rhydian reckons big-haired Co Derry warbler Eoghan Quigg has an outside chance of going all the way.

"This year seems even more closely matched than ever," he says. "If I was to be put on the spot, I think we won't be seeing the last of Eoghan in the semis. I fancy him to make the final."

Roberts, it transpires, has a long-running love affair with Ireland -- it was at his express insistence that Irish dates were included on his 2009 itinerary.

"I told my management 'you know what, I'm going to play Ireland. I want you to make it happen'. I feel a deep connection with the country. I suspect it's because of my Celtic roots. I pushed hard to perform over there and it worked -- I'm playing the Olympia in May."

Source: independent.ie