When asked if they like each other as much as it seems, they light up like fireflies.
Logan: Yeah. We argue like brothers, but we love each other.
It was the band members themselves who came up with the name Big Time Rush, or BTR to fans.
Logan: [Nickelodeon] had Go Big Time, but we couldn’t stand it.
They’re serious about their music; like prefab boy bands before
them, they’re learning to exercise creative control. They cowrote eight
of the songs on Elevate.
James: The second time around we were like, ‘This is our band. We should be contributing to what it is.’
Kendall: We also decided, ‘Hey, we’re grown men. We can pick out our own shoes for the cover.’
And they take special care with their fans. They know what it feels like to be treated badly by someone they admire.
Kendall: How many artists have you seen just walk away and act like it’s not important?
Carlos: I hate meeting my favorite bands because then it just ruins it.
James: Yeah. They act like they’re better, and nobody’s better
than somebody else. By all means, we’re not perfect, but I think the
least we can do for our fans is be nice.
Logan: For us to even say hi to someone, to change their day around or change something inside of them—that’s a pretty cool feeling.
On keeping their dating lives private.
James: “I like to share my life with my fans because I know that’s
what they want. But when it comes to my personal life and family
relationships, I don’t feel the need to convey every detail of that. We
need some privacy. [Talking about it] can ruin a relationship.”
Logan: “If it’s not good for both
people’s lives, then you just don’t usually talk about it. The other
day someone asked me about my last breakup and I didn’t say who it was,
but I was like, ‘Yeah, I broke up with my girlfriend, like, a year and a
half ago.’ And I was surprised because I expected her to ask, ‘And who
was that?’ And she didn’t. I was like, that’s good.”
Carlos: “I hate to use the word famous because I just don’t
like that word, but the more famous you get, the more impossible
[keeping things private] becomes. We’ve actually been really lucky to
stay under the radar. It hasn’t been really, really crazy for us.”
On their school experiences and inspirations:
James: “I’ve had some amazing teachers who influenced my life in
positive ways, and I’m grateful for them. But one of the most powerful
motivations I’ve had was a specific teacher who basically told me I
would never make it. I was always competitive and wanted to be the lead
in the show we were doing, and she wanted someone else to do it. She
came to me at one point and was like, ‘Why do you want to do this?
You’re never going to be the lead in anything.’ I just smiled at her and
kind of plopped back, but it was a fire that burned inside. It made me
realize it’s often the people who tell you you can’t do something who
motivate you to do it bigger and better.”
Carlos: “I had one drama teacher who was amazing, Ms. Perkins.
She really tried to inspire me and get me going. But the real
[inspirations] were my parents, who came from the Dominican Republic,
got married, moved to Missouri, went to college, started a preschool,
and kind of built a life from nothing and became very successful.
Growing up with my dad, whenever I wanted to try something, he would let
me try it but he wouldn’t let me give up on it. If soccer was too tough
and I said, ‘I’m going to quit,’ he’d be like, ‘No, you’re going to try
everything and keep going at it.’ He wouldn’t force me to do it, but
he’d be very inspiring. He would tell me stories about himself as a kid
and how fortunate we were, and that really drove me to be the best that I
could be.”
Kendall: “I was home-schooled with a charter school program
from sixth grade on. I didn’t go to prom or any of that. So I had to
self-motivate. I had to do all my own classes; if I didn’t do the work, I
would’ve failed. I had to go in and take tests every week, and I ended
up with straight A’s.”
Logan: “With my school being in Texas, there was such a focus
on things that were not what I wanted to do or what I enjoyed doing. It
was kind of like, ‘Oh, no,’ if you didn’t do football or sports in high
school. I probably felt pretty alone, like, ‘This is definitely not the
spot for me.’ I was always a class clown, so I never had trouble fitting
in; I just had trouble finding out where I really wanted to be. That’s
why at 18 I moved out to L.A. and was kind of like, ‘I’m just going to
do this.’ I didn’t really have a plan B. It was always Plan A. And this
is exactly where I’m supposed to be.”
