We met the members of R5, and they are really funny!
We got up-close and personal with the 5-piece band R5 consisting of Ross Lynch, Riker Lynch, Rocky Lynch, Rydel Lynch, and (Ellington) Ratliff. What’s it like touring the world? What are their favorite things about each other? Find out the answers to these questions and more below!
Q: Do you guys have any pets?
Ratliff: I was the only one with pets and I had dogs, cats, and a little bird. I don’t know what kind of bird it was but it was a little bird. I always had pets.
Rocky: I got two baby turtles for my birthday one time and they were really small, and they lived for, like, a year.
Q: Are you guys classically trained musicians?
Ross: No. Actually we’re all self-taught musicians, but being a band for five years, you learn quite a bit.
Riker: We started at a really young age, just performing for basically anyone who would watch. We pretty much grew up doing it. And we were all best friends. We all loved each other’s company and there was really no one else we would rather do it with. And then we moved to California and met Ratliff at a performing arts center, and he fit in quite nicely.
Ratliff: I did.
Riker: So, we started playing gigs around California. One set led to another and now we’re here.
Q: Ratliff, you didn’t even have to change your name.
Ratliff: Yeah. My real first name’s Ellington and my last name is Ratliff. So at first they were like, “No, we can call you Roger…”
Q: Could each say something about another member of the band?
Ratliff: Rydel is . . . we like to call her the secret weapon of R5 because, you know, without her we would just be another boy band and who wants that? But, yeah, she brings the fun. She’s really giggly. She’s really into fashion and things like that. She doesn’t like shopping, but she always looks good.
Rydel: Thanks. Riker is our fearless leader.
Ratliff: Well, he’s afraid of spiders, so he’s not totally fearless!
Rydel: That’s true. I have to kill all the spiders for all of them. But Riker’s captain of the ship and he is a very hard worker. He has the best work ethic ever and he has a really cute nose.
Riker: Thanks, sis. Ross is our awesome front man, and he leads us into every show. Ross is very creative. He’s a total artist. He’s always striving for us to be different and try new things. He definitely keeps it fresh. It’s good.
from left to right: Ross, Riker, Rocky, Rydel, and Ratliff
Q: Ok, Ross, it’s your turn now.
Ross: All right, Rocky can be quiet sometimes. He’s also a thinker. He’s very smart. He always did well in school. He’s the one who taught himself how to play guitar first. So he’s really wise for such a young age, but he’s also somewhat of a realist. Surprisingly, even though he’s all those things, he’s also really funny with a dry sense of humor when it’s appropriate!
Q: All right, Rocky, you do Ratliff.
Rocky: He’s the alien.
Ratliff: I’m the onion?
Rocky: The alien! Ratliff is the UFO in the group, the unidentified object. He’s the only one not related.
Ratliff: I mean, I think we’ve covered that one. What else you got?
Rocky: You probably have the biggest vocabulary in the group, which is helpful for these interviews.
Ratliff: I DO have the biggest vocabulary in the group.
Rocky: Ross is a close second.
Ross: I just make words up. Or I’ll use words without totally knowing what they mean. I’ll learn the meaning soon after if someone tells me I’m stupid.
Rydel: Yeah, he learns really big words and then he just kind of throws them out, and we’re like, “Is that . . . what did he say?”
Q: What’s the best thing about touring?
Ross: I feel like there’s something that you learn from traveling so much.
Rydel: Definitely. Like riding a camel.
Ross: I don’t know how much we learned from that.
Rydel: That they smell really bad.
Ratliff: Well, you learn about the culture. That’s what you really learn about. How people live.
Ross: It opens up your mind to how other people think.
I totally wish I could hang out with R5. They seem like such hilarious, chill people! Of course, it’s not like I’ll show up at their front door asking them to be my friends . . . What do you think? Are you a fan of R5? Be sure to check out our earlier interview with R5, watch this video interview with Ross Lynch, and leave your thoughts in the Comments below!
See ya,
— Interview by Marie Morreale
Images courtesy of Disney Channel
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