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Richard Mason (born April 24, 1985), is an American singer-songwriter, actor, record producer, businessman, and philanthropist. He is a member of pop music group The Night Runners, featured on Simon Cowell's first season of The X Factor.

Early life
Mason was born in Miami, FL. He grew up in Hialeah, FL.

Career
Mason began singing professionally at the age of 11, songwriting at the age of 14, and studying acting and guitar at age 15.

In 2011, Mason auditioned for the first season of The X Factor. Along with two other singers, he was in a group named Illusion Confusion. They competed and made it to the Top 8 Group Finals. In 2012, Mason wrote a demo submission for English-Irish pop boy band One Direction (commonly initialised as 1D) titled "With You". The song received positive reviews from fans around the world which helped make the song go viral on YouTube, reaching over 300,000 views that summer.

The Night Runners
After his time on reality television, Mason and his group The Night Runners recorded a 4-song EP but it was their debut promotional release, "Single" that generated a quick online interest. The song was written & produced by Mason himself. A music video, directed by Michael Tang for "Single" was released on June 2013 which featured NEXT Model Lilly Sanders. The Night Runners have performed twice for the 2012 & 2013 NBA Championship team the Miami Heat; as well as having a feature story on FOX Deco Drive, and an exclusive interview with CNN.

Discography

 * One Direction


 * "With You"


 * The Night Runners


 * "Single"