X-Factor Star can't wait to perform
16th May 2011
X-Factor star can't wait to perform
X-FACTOR star Paije Richardson can’t wait to take to the stage at the Ricoh Arena.
The 20-year-old, who survived in last year’s X-Factor live shows until week seven, is performing pre-match at The FA Women’s Cup Final on Saturday (May 21).
The match between Arsenal and Bristol Academy will kick-off at 2pm and Paije is looking forward to entertaining fans before the game gets underway.
He said: “It’s going to be amazing. It will hopefully be a full, packed out stadium and it should be great. Hopefully everyone else is as excited as me!
“This is my first outdoor arena show and I am really looking forward to it. You see this kind of thing on TV and now I am finally getting to do it.
“I am not a massive football fan but I do watch a little bit. I wasn’t in a team when I was a kid but I did play a bit. I was more the performer rather than the sporty one in the family!”
Playing to a big crowd will not be new to Paije since he performed in front of millions on TV on the X-Factor and then to tens of thousands live during the spin-off tour.
“As soon as X-Factor finished, I did a few gigs, a few personal appearances and then went straight onto the tour,” he said.
“I’ve been in the studio and done some recording and I have been gigging a lot too. Hopefully there will be an album before Christmas and I am just working really hard to carve out a career for myself.
“The tour saw us playing to huge arena venues – up to 40,000. It’s been crazy. It’s a dream come true. It’s great to be able to perform on stages that big and do this for a living now. Everything is going really well.”
Changes are afoot on the X-Factor with Simon Cowell giving up his role as a judge but Paije believes it will remain a success.
“I’ll watch – I’ve always watched it and used to say: ‘I want to go on there, I want to go on there’. Finally it happened for me.
“It will be quite weird without Simon in it. Hopefully it will still be good and, if not, well our year was great!”
But Paije has only got one thing on his mind at the moment – his performance at the Ricoh Arena.
“I want everyone to come along, watch the football, enjoy the game, have a nice day and hopefully have a load of fun,” he said.
