With the new reboot released this month on Netflix, ET is taking a look at where the OGs are now.
It's been over 17 years since Rebelde, the beloved Mexican teen telenovela, premiered -- and the nostalgia is greater than ever. Interest in the show only intensified after Netflix released the new reboot this month, and confirmed on Monday that it had been renewed for a second season.
The new iteration introduces a new batch of young aspiring musicians at the prestigious boarding high school in Mexico City, called Elite Way School (now dubbed EW), while also touching on the events that happened in the telenovela, which premiered Oct. 4, 2004.
Just like in the original, scandalous storylines, music and memorable fashion are a major part of the eight-episode series. It also gives major nods to the novela's pop group RBD. In the 2000's version, six distinct students -- Mía Colucci (Anahí), Roberta Pardo Rey ( Dulce María), Lupita Fernandez (Maite Perroni), Miguel Arango (Alfonso Herrera), Diego Bustamante (Christopher von Uckermann) and Giovanni Méndez Lopez (hristian Chávez) -- from all walks of life joined forces to form the epic band.
In real life, the on-screen and real-life band became one of the best-selling Latin music artists, producing hits like "Rebelde," "Sálvame" and "Sólo Quédate en Silencio." They released a total of nine studio albums, selling over 15 million records worldwide. After earning two Latin GRAMMY nominations, they became the most successful Latin pop group of all time, before parting ways in 2009.
In 2020, the band's entire discography was put on streaming platforms for the first time ever. And on Dec. 26 of that year, Anahí, Christian, Maite and Christopher reunited for a virtual concert, where they treated fans to their greatest hits and iconic dance moves.
"That was a great experience, the live show. It was tough with all these changes in the world but it was fun and I love them," Christopher told ET last year, before teasing a reunion tour. "They're like a family to me and it was a great experience and now probably a tour in 2022."
"We spoke with [Dulce] and she's going to be part of this tour. She's excited about it," he added.
As the nostalgia continues and a potential tour is in the works, ET is taking a look at what all six band members are doing now.
Christopher von Uckermann -- Diego Bustamante
Diego was the handsome, preppy, rich politician's son, who was stuck up and pretentious. While he had a slew of girlfriends (some to make Roberta jealous), he also had a kind heart.
Christopher went off to become a solo artist, releasing his debut album, Somos, in 2010. In 2017, he also dropped an EP titled La Revolución de los Ciegos. He also continued acting and starred in the series Kdabra, which ran from 2009 to 2012. After a break in acting gigs, he returned to television in 2016 in the show 2091 and went on to star in films like Casi Una Gran Estafa (2017), How to Get Over a Breakup (2018), El Hubiera Sí Existe (2019) and more.
For now, he's focused on music and getting ready to release an album. In August 2021, he dropped the English-language single "Healing Together," which he wrote and composed.
"I've been working on this song for about eight months. This song talks about unity, about empowerment. I think it's my favorite song that I've composed so far in my career," Christopher told ET, before sharing how the track came to be. "I've been meditating and I received this message about empowerment, about inspiring people to make a change in their lives and question everything, about being brave and listening to your intuition and being yourself."
"That song doesn't belong to me… I believe that message came from somewhere else and when I received that message, it told me to share it with the world in English, for some reason, and talk about what the world needs right now," he added.
As for what's next for Christopher, "I'm focusing on my music. I'm planning the whole album, I'm composing. I'm still studying music. I'm playing piano, the drums every single day, like, two hours a day. My singing lessons, and I want to keep growing as a singer and as a person. I'm studying philosophy, I studied Kabbalah, I question everything that's going on in the world right now and I'm vegan. I try to connect every single part of my life with my ideology and share that with the world. I believe in being proactive and not reactive in this world," he said.
As for creating new music with RBD, he added, "Maybe, we'll see what happens. But that's my plan, writing music for the band. I'm excited about that."
Alfonso Herrera -- Miguel Arango
Alfonso played Miguel, a down-to-earth, yet hot-headed heartthrob that attended Elite Way School by way of a scholarship. He would always stand up for the students who didn't come from wealthy families, like himself, and wasn't afraid to take risks.
"This project had an amazing reach," Alfonso exclusively told ET about his time on the show. "We got to meet and entertain people from all over the world, Europe, South and Central America and a big part of the U.S. It is something that marked a generation and it was a great honor for me."
After leaving the band, Alfonso continued acting in telenovelas and Spanish-language projects -- Terminales, Camaleones, El Equipo -- movies -- including Venezzia (2009), Espectro (2013), La Dictadura Perfecta (2014) -- and theater productions, such as La Sociedad De Los Poetas Muertos (2018).
The Mexico native made his crossover to the U.S. starring as Father Tomas Ortega on The Exorcist, opposite Geena Davis for two seasons. While on the Fox show, he also appeared on Netflix’s Sense8 as Hernando Fuentes and was the lead in the TV movie Urban Cowboy, all while continuing to work on projects in Mexico. He also starred as Javier on Telemundo's Queen of the South and had a mini reunion with Maite in Cómo Sobrevivir Soltero. Other projects include Me casé con un idiota, El baile de los 41, Dead Noon and Ozark.
As for a return to music, Alfonso previously told ET that he doesn’t see himself singing anymore unless it’s "in the shower" or when he’s with "family and friends."
Maite Perroni -- Lupita Fernandez
Lupita was the sweet and shy student who attended Elite Way School on a scholarship. Coming from a lower-middle-class family, she worked hard and, at times, put too much pressure on herself.
In real life, Maite quickly rose to fame as a telenovela actress following her stint in the teen drama, starring in a slew of soaps, including Triunfo del Amor (2010-2011), Cachito de Cielo (2012), La Gata (2014), Antes Muerta que Lichita (2015-2016) and Papá a Toda Madre (2017-2018). She continues to dominate the screen with even more projects in the works. While also starring in the series, she would also record songs for the telenovelas. She recently starred in the Amazon show Cómo Sobrevivir Soltero and the steamy Netflix series Dark Desire, as well as El juego de las llaves and has Sin ti no puedo in the works.
In 2013, she released her first solo album, Eclipse de Luna, and has since released one-off singles such as "Bum Bum Dale Dale," "Soltera," "Sin Ti" and "Roma."
Christian Chávez -- Giovanni Méndez Lopez
Giovanni was a social and mischievous guy, who was the comedian of the bunch. Ashamed from coming from a poor family, who became rich after winning the lottery, and then losing it all, he would keep his personal and family life a secret. He was also a ladies' man.
Christian continued his singing career, releasing his first solo album, Almas Transparentes, in 2010, and a second, Esencial, in 2012. In 2018, he also dropped the EP Conectado and is working on new music. Just last month, he dropped his new single "Celos," and has more music in the works.
All the while, he continued acting and -- after going through some personal lows -- Christian returned to the screen, starring in Despertar Contigo (2016), and the series Rosario Tijeras (2018) and Like (2018). He also had a role in the 2019 film En Las Buenas y En Las Malas. In early 2020, he also had a prominent role in the third and final season of Casa de Las Flores, and stars in the Telemundo telenovela La Suerte de Ada.
Christian previously told ET about their reunion concert, "Every one of us is so excited about it and it shows us that pop music is still there, and the rebels are still there."
Anahí -- Mía Colucci
Mía was known as the rich, popular girl who, at times, was spoiled and self-centered, but really had a heart of gold.
Since her days on Rebelde, Anahí continued her singing and acting career, taking the lead role in the telenovela Dos Hogares, which ran from 2011-2012. Following RBD's breakup, she released two solo albums, Mi Delirio (2009) and Inseperado (2016). Both LPs charted well on the Top Latin Album Billboard charts, with Anahí becoming the best-selling ex-RBD member in the U.S.
Since then, she married the governor of Chiapas, Mexico, Manuel Velasco Coello. They welcomed their first child together, a son named Manuel, in January 2017, and their second son, Emiliano, was born on February 2, 2020.
She's also started to create new music, including a remix of "Nuestro Amor" with Mexican rock band Moderatto.
Dulce María -- Roberta Pardo Rey
Roberta was a wild child and the most rebellious of the bunch. Known for being reckless and fiercely independent, she desperately tried to get out of the shadow of her famous mother, Alma Rey (Ninel Conde), a singer who had her at a young age.
As for Dulce, she released three solo albums -- Extranjera (2010), Sin Fronteras (2014) and DM (2017) -- following her RBD days and is currently working on her fourth. She also continued acting in telenovelas, including Verano de Amor (2009), Mentir Para Vivier (2013), Corazón Que Miente (2016) and Muy Padres (2017), among others. She also starred in the drama Más Allá de la Herencia, and can be seen on Falsa identidad.
Dulce was expected to join her band mates in the virtual reunion, however, on June 8 she announced that she was pregnant with her first child with husband Paco Álvarez. She gave birth in December 2020, and hopes to join future RBD plans.
"Si soy rebelde, cuando no sigo a los demás"
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