Riley Pendleton: The next Justin Timberlake?
By Katherine Peters

Chesterfield teen Riley Pendleton performs in the Radio Disney AM 1290 pop group, RD Frequency.

Years ago, Disney launched Justin Timberlake's rise to fame on The Mickey Mouse Club. Today, the magic of Disney is at work again, this time starring Riley Pendleton of Chesterfield.

The 16-year-old Chesterfield resident joined the Richmond Radio Disney team last October when he signed on with the new Radio Disney AM 1290 pop group, RD Frequency. The group debuted in February at the Richmond Kids' Expo.

The group of seven members, ages 10-18, originated as part of a concept Radio Disney is promoting nationwide, pulling local talent from station areas to perform at community events, says Amy Garelick, promotions manager for Radio Disney AM 1290.

"The pop stars are great, but why not have them locally?" she asks.

Since rehearsals started last January, RD Frequency has become a huge part of Riley's life. "We have pretty good chemistry," he says of his fellow singers. "It's really become another family." Considering the minimum of 10 hours a week the group rehearses, this is no surprise.

Performing on stage is not a completely new experience for Riley. Earlier this year, he played the part of "Rolfe" in the Lee Theater's production of "The Sound of Music." He is also involved in the show choir at his school, Appomattox Regional Governor's School, where his focus area is musical theater.

"I hope to [continue performing after this ends]," says Riley. "I'd love to be a performer for my profession."

Still, Riley occasionally finds himself marveling at the crowd sizes RD Frequency draws, mentioning his part in the Richmond tradition of Easter on Parade. "That was a pretty big crowd, and it was really full of energy," he says.

He laughs as he talks about signing autographs before and after shows, when the pop group interacts with the audience and encourages future performers to participate in the group's karaoke events.

The group performs many Radio Disney hits, including songs from Jesse McCartney and High School Musical. Classic Disney songs find their way into the non-stop halfhour show as well. Riley comments on how many times he's sung "I Just Can't Wait to Be King."

But life as a performing artist isn't always easy. During the school year, Riley arrives home from school at 4 p.m., and is often out the door for rehearsals an hour later. Yet part of his contract with Radio Disney includes keeping up his grades.

"We try to be role models," he explains.

Garelick emphasizes that group members need to be well-rounded. "Somebody's going to look up on the stage and say 'I want to be that performer.' "

Whether he is the next generation's Justin Timberlake or not, Riley definitely has his fans. And the magic isn't finished yet.