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Lil' Chris
Lil Chris 2006.jpg
Lil' Chris performing in 2006
Background information
Birth name Christopher James Hardman
Born 26 August 1990
Lowestoft, England, United Kingdom
Died 23 March 2015 (aged 24)
Lowestoft, England, United Kingdom
Genres
Occupations
  • Singer
  • songwriter
  • television personality
  • actor
Years active 2006–2015
Labels

Christopher James Hardman (born 26 August 1990 – died 23 March 2015), known as Lil' Chris, was a singer, songwriter, actor, and TV star from Lowestoft, England. He became famous in 2006 after being on the Channel 4 TV show Rock School. On the show, KISS singer Gene Simmons helped create a rock band at Lil' Chris's school. Later that year, Lil' Chris released his first song, "Checkin' It Out", which became a top 3 hit. He also released his first album, called Lil' Chris. In 2008, he even had his own TV show, Everybody Loves Lil' Chris.

Early life

Christopher Hardman was born in Lowestoft. His dad was Ian Hardman, and his mom was Karen Elizabeth Hardman. He had an older sister named Hannah and a younger brother named Nathan.

He got the nickname 'Lil' Chris' because he was quite short. When he was 15, he was 4 feet 11 inches tall. He was the shortest boy in his year at Kirkley High School.

Career

Becoming a Star on Rock School

Lil' Chris became well-known in January 2006 when he was 15 years old. This happened after he appeared on the second season of Channel 4's Rock School. The show featured Gene Simmons from the famous band KISS. Gene tried to form a rock band with students from Kirkley High School (now called East Point Academy).

During the show, everyone quickly saw that Lil' Chris was very talented. He could sing, play guitar, play drums, and write songs. Because of his many skills, he was chosen to be the lead singer and frontman for the band. The band was named "Hoax UK," inspired by a slogan on Lil' Chris's cap. In the final episode, the band got to perform before big rock groups like Judas Priest, Rob Zombie, and Anthrax at a concert in Long Beach, California.

Starting a Solo Music Career

Just one week after his performance in California, record producers Ray Hedges and Nigel Butler contacted Lil' Chris. They had helped the Rock School class with songwriting. Lil' Chris then signed a record deal with RCA Records.

His first song, "Checkin' It Out", came out in September 2006. It quickly became a hit, reaching number three on the UK Singles Chart. In December 2006, he released his first album, also called Lil' Chris.

On 14 October 2006, he performed at the Big Gig at Wembley Arena for 20,000 Girl Guides. He continued to promote his album and release more songs throughout 2007. He also opened for the band McFly on their 24-show tour across the United Kingdom.

Lil' Chris also appeared on several TV shows. He was on BBC Three's Celebrity Scissorhands and made guest appearances on CBBC shows like SMart and TMi. He even appeared on Weakest Link in 2007.

More TV and Music

In 2008, Lil' Chris did even more TV work. He appeared on Hider in the House, Dani's House, and Never Mind the Buzzcocks. He also hosted the 4Music stage at the T4 on the Beach music festival in July 2008.

From October to November 2008, he hosted his own show called Everybody Loves Lil' Chris. This show was on the T4 part of Channel 4 on Saturday mornings. It featured interviews with celebrities, live music, and fun challenges that Lil' Chris took on. His second album, What's It All About, was released in October 2008 around the same time. He also went on tour with the band Alphabeat in the UK.

In 2009, Lil' Chris made appearances as a DJ at different places around the UK. He also appeared on the BBC1 game show Hole in the Wall. He was also in an episode of the CBBC comedy show Sorry, I've Got No Head.

From June to July 2012, Lil' Chris starred in Loserville: The Musical at the West Yorkshire Playhouse in Leeds. He played the role of Francis Weir. The musical then moved to the Garrick Theatre in London's West End from October 2012 to January 2013.

In October 2013, he shared on Twitter that he was working on a new album. For Christmas 2013, Lil' Chris released a new song called "Christmas Number One (#FeedEmYellowSnow)" with Lloyd Wilkinson. He also went on a Christmas tour with Tom Mann and Giles Potter from The X Factor 2013. The tour was called The Lil' Chris-tmas tour.

In 2014, Lil' Chris started his own clothing brand called MAML. It featured his own designs and was sold online and in a store in his hometown of Lowestoft. He continued to create new music, hoping to release an EP with new songs in 2015.

Death

Christopher Hardman passed away on 23 March 2015 at his home in Lowestoft. He was 24 years old. His memorial service was held in Gorleston on 8 April 2015. It was a private event for his family and close friends. Later that day, a private funeral was held in Lowestoft. Those who attended, including James Bourne from the band Busted, were asked to wear green, which was Chris's favorite color. After the funeral, his family and friends released green balloons at the Claremont Pier in Lowestoft.

Discography

Albums

List of albums, with selected chart positions
Title Album details Peak
UK
Lil' Chris 54
What's It All About 94

Singles

  • "Checkin' It Out" (September 2006) No. 3 UK
  • "Gettin' Enough??" (December 2006) No. 17 UK
  • "Figure It Out" (February 2007) No. 57 UK
  • "We Don't Have to Take Our Clothes Off" (October 2007) No. 63 UK

TV appearances

Images for kids

  • Lil Chris 2006

    Lil' Chris performing in 2006

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Lil' Chris para niños

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