Richard and Adam Johnson, performing as Richard & Adam, are Welsh classical singers, best known for finishing in third place on the seventh series of Britain's Got Talent. They come from Holywell in Flintshire, Wales.[1] Their debut album The Impossible Dream topped the UK Albums Chart and spent four consecutive weeks at number one, making it the longest-running number-one album of 2013 in the UK.
Richard & Adam | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | The Johnson Brothers |
| Born | Holywell, Flintshire, Wales |
| Genres | Classical, opera, popera |
| Years active | 2012–present |
| Labels | Sony Music |
| Members |
|
| Website | richardandadamofficial |
Early career
editAfter working in a sandwich shop,[2] the brothers performed on cruise ships one of which was the P&O Cruises ship 'Azura' and also performed on Loose Women as "The Johnson Brothers".[citation needed]
Career
editBritain's Got Talent
editRichard and Adam auditioned for Britain's Got Talent in January 2013 and was aired in April 2013. They performed 'The Impossible Dream' and were put through to the next round by the judges. The duo performed on the first live show with "Somewhere"[3] and won with the most votes cast with over 66% of the vote, putting them through to the final.[citation needed]
In the Britain's Got Talent final, Richard & Adam once again performed "The Impossible Dream".[4] In the middle of their performance, one of the members of the orchestra performing behind them—later identified as violinist Natalie Holt—stood up and started throwing eggs at Simon Cowell.[5] The producers immediately escorted her off the stage while the duo continued. They finished third with 15.4% of the vote.[6]
The Impossible Dream, The Christmas Album and At the Movies
editIn June 2013, Richard & Adam were signed to Sony Music. They released their debut album, The Impossible Dream, including the single cover of the same name on 29 July 2013. The album was released by Arista Records, the duo's current label.[7] The album debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart on 4 August.[8] In its second week on sale, despite competition from US duo The Civil Wars, Richard & Adam held onto the Official Albums Chart Number 1 spot for a second week.[9] The album contains covers of songs such as "Somewhere", "Amazing Grace" and "Bring Him Home".[10] The album stayed at number one for four consecutive weeks.[11]
On 12 September 2013, Richard & Adam announced details of their second album, The Christmas Album, which was released on 2 December. The album put an operatic twist on Christmas songs such as "Away in a Manger", "Silent Night" and "Once in Royal David's City".[12]
In May 2014, it was announced that Richard & Adam's third album would be called At the Movies, composed of songs from soundtracks. The album debuted at number five on the UK Albums Chart.[13]
In 2019 they took part in Britain's Got Talent: The Champions, though were eliminated in the preliminaries.
Discography
editAlbums
edit| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Sales | Certifications | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK [14] |
SCO [15] | ||||
| The Impossible Dream |
|
1 | 1 |
|
|
| The Christmas Album |
|
24 | 37 | ||
| At the Movies |
|
5 | 13 | ||
| Believe – Songs of Inspiration |
|
9 | |||
Singles
edit| Year | Title | Title |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | "I Saw Three Ships Come Sailing In (On Christmas Day)" |
The Christmas Album |
Tours
editFollowing The Impossible Dream retaining number one on the charts, the brothers toured the UK in 2014.[18]
References
edit- ^ "Richard and Adam Johnson". Keeping it live. Retrieved 6 August 2013.
- ^ ""Incredible": Adam and Richard do Nan proud – Britain's Got Talent – Auditions". Talent.itv.com. 27 May 2013. Retrieved 9 June 2013.
- ^ "Britain's Got Talent finalists Richard and Adam discuss final song choice". STV shows. Retrieved 16 August 2013.
- ^ "Britain's Got Talent 2013 final: Richard & Adam Johnson sing The Impossible Dream as audience member eggs Simon Cowell!". Unreality TV. 8 June 2013. Retrieved 16 August 2013.
- ^ "Britain's Got Talent Egg-Thrower, Natalie Holt, Apologises to Richard and Adam for Disrupting Their Performance". HuffPost. 9 June 2013. Retrieved 14 August 2013.
- ^ Bagnall, Steve (9 June 2013). "Richard and Adam 'disappointed' after woman runs on stage to pelt judges with eggs". Daily Post. Retrieved 14 August 2013.
- ^ "The Impossible Dream". Amazon UK. Retrieved 6 August 2013.
- ^ "Britain's Got Talent's Richard and Adam Johnson top UK album chart". BBC. 4 August 2013. Retrieved 6 August 2013.
- ^ Lane, Daniel. "Britain's Got Talent's Richard And Adam spend second week on top". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 15 August 2013.
- ^ Owens, David (4 August 2013). "Richard and Adam Johnson are tipped to reach Number One today". Wales Online. Retrieved 6 August 2013.
- ^ Drewett, Meg (25 August 2013). "Richard and Adam retain No.1 album". Digital Spy. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
- ^ Copsey, Robert (12 September 2013). "Richard & Adam announce 'The Christmas Album'". Digital Spy. Retrieved 25 October 2013.
- ^ Eames, Tom (20 May 2014). "Richard & Adam announce new album". Digital Spy. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
- ^ "Richard & Adam > UK Charts". Official Charts Company. officialcharts.com/.
- ^ Peak positions for albums in Scotland:
- For The Impossible Dream: "Chart Archive > August 10, 2013". Official Charts Company. 10 August 2013.
- For The Christmas Album: "Chart Archive > December 14, 2013". Official Charts Company. 14 December 2013.
- ^ Porter, Gary (22 August 2013). "Richard and Adam Johnson: Debut album goes Gold". Daily Post. Retrieved 25 August 2013.
- ^ "British album certifications – Richard & Adam – The Impossible Dream". British Phonographic Industry.
- ^ "Singing brothers Richard and Adam stay at number one and announce UK tour". Wales Online. 12 August 2013. Retrieved 14 August 2013.