Rebels, in Their Own Nice Way
Yesterday, They Were Pretending to Be a Band. Today, They're Headliners.

By Moira E. McLaughlin
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, March 14, 2008

It should be easy to dismiss RBD -- the Latin pop group recently nominated for two Billboard Latin Music Awards -- their sexy hip swivels, their limited vocal range, their squealing fans and their tunes that are as sugary as Bubbaloo blueberry gum. It should be, but it's not. On stage, in interviews, in videos, they just come across as so nice.

"I am trying to do my best to express myself. I haven't practiced my English much," says Alfonso "Poncho" Herrera Rodr¿guez, 24, one of the six singers in RBD. The group of 20-somethings -- which includes Dulce Mar¿a Espinoza Savi¿¿n, Maite Perroni Beoriequi, Anah¿ Giovanna Puente Portillo, Christopher Alexander Lu¿s Castillas Von Uckermann and Jos¿ Christian Ch¿vez Garza -- are from Mexico and make up RBD (short for "Rebelde" or "Rebel.")

They do not play instruments, nor do they write their own songs. What they do is sing, for the most part in unison. The crew gained popularity while acting in the Mexican soap opera "Rebelde," which ran from 2004 to 2006. They played kids at a private school who rebelled by forming a band.

A la Hannah Montana, fiction and reality blurred, and the group on the show became the group in real life.

"We feel very good being with each other," Herrera Rodr¿guez says, "and we help each other and have a good time. That is something really special."

See? Nice.

In 2006, the group toured in the United States for the first time, performing for 65,000 at the Los Angeles Coliseum. That winter, the singers released their first English album, "Rebel," which sold 4 million copies in the United States. RBD comes Saturday to the DC Armory as part of its second tour, where fans can expect sexy outfits, confetti, smoke and lyrics (in Spanish or English) like "See I know what's up papi. I'm a locked in a sexy body. I know that you wanna party. The kind of party that we both know."

All this might make you wonder about their success. But then Herrera Rodr¿guez says this: "We are still young people. . . . In ways, we are like a mirror for young people. Sometimes we have the same problems. Because we are artists, that doesn't mean we don't cry or have problems or struggle with something. I would say we are human beings."

In other words, RBD can relate.

"People enjoy our music. Youngsters, teens have the same tensions, the same needs, the same problems. What we want to transmit with our music is that it's the same. Everything is the same. Maybe that's what draws people to our music. They feel good with our music," Herrera Rodr¿guez says.

The group welcomes the chance to introduce its fans to a different kind of Mexican music. "It's a great opportunity to show what Mexican music is," Herrera Rodr¿guez says. "There are lots of Latin groups that have many, many talented voices. [There is] not just the mariachi of our culture, in a way [we want] to change that stereotype."

Definitely no fear of mistaking RBD's music for mariachi. No violins or wide-rimmed hats here. Like the group, the songs are nice and mostly about romantic love in all its ways, shapes and forms.

So how does RBD explain its success? "You know what? I don't know," Herrera Rodr¿guez says. "We were in the right place with the right people. I really thank life that I have been put in this special place."

And (you have to ask) are you all rebels? "The most important thing in being a rebel is just being yourself. Be yourself and follow what you want to do and follow your dreams," Herrera Rodr¿guez says.

Nice.

RBD Appearing Saturday at the D.C. Armory, 2001 East Capitol St. SE. Show starts at 7. Tickets:$36-$96; available through Ticketmaster, http://www.ticketmaster.com or 202-397-7328. The Download: For a sampling of RBD's music, check out: ¿ The title track from the group's 2007 album, "Empezar Desde Cero" ("To Start From Zero"). ¿ "El Mundo Detras" ("The World After"). From "Rebels"¿ "Cari¿o Mio" ("My Baby"), with lyrics in English. RBD Appearing Saturday at the D.C. Armory, 2001 East Capitol St. SE. Show starts at 7. Tickets:$36-$96; available through Ticketmaster, http://www.ticketmaster.com or 202-397-7328. The Download: For a sampling of RBD's music, check out: ¿ The title track from the group's 2007 album, "Empezar Desde Cero" ("To Start From Zero"). ¿ "El Mundo Detras" ("The World After"). From "Rebels"¿ "Cari¿o Mio" ("My Baby"), with lyrics in English.