Richard Porter Dillon Jr. is an American
YouTube personality and singer. Over his ten years on YouTube, Dillon has amassed over 3.2 million subscribers on his channel, as well as more than 415 million views on his videos.
Early life and education
Dillon was born in North Carolina. His family moved to
Tuscumbia, Alabama
Tuscumbia is a city in, and the county seat of Colbert County, Alabama, Colbert County, Alabama, United States. The population was 9,054 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, and was estimated to be 9,169 in 2023. The city is part of ...
when he was one year old. He has two older sisters, named Tara and Lexi. Dillon attended high school at
Hoover High School where he also marched in the band. Dillon then attended college at
Auburn University
Auburn University (AU or Auburn) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Auburn, Alabama, United States. With more than 26,800 undergraduate students, over 6,100 post-graduate students, and a tota ...
to study film but dropped out after three years.
Career
Dillon began his career on YouTube, uploading his first public video to his channel, PICKLEandBANANA, in 2009. Dillon also gained exposure due to the YouTube supergroup Our2ndLife where he,
Connor Franta,
JC Caylen
JC Caylen (born Justin Caylen Castillo; September 11, 1992) is an American YouTube personality from Houston, Texas.
Early life and education
Jc Caylen was born in Houston, Texas. He and his family moved to San Antonio, Texas, where he grew up. ...
,
Kian Lawley
Kian Robert Lawley (born September 2, 1995) is an American YouTuber, influencer and actor.
Lawley launched his personal YouTube channel, superkian13, in 2010. Lawley has also been a part of collaborative YouTube channels, including ''Our2ndLife' ...
,
Trevi Moran and Sam Pottorff went on an international tour and amassed a total 2.7 million subscribers before the group broke up in December 2014. He is also partnered with
Fullscreen and has participated in their InTour festival.
Dillon uploads original songs and covers, as well as music videos on his channel. He also starred in a scripted
Sour Patch Kids
Sour Patch Kids (also known as Carambar Very Bad Kids in France, and known as Maynards Sour Patch Kids in Canada and previously in the UK) are a brand of soft gummy candy with a coating of invert sugar and sour sugar (a combination of citric ...
series, titled ''Breaking Out''.
In 2014, Dillon released his debut single, titled "Ordinary". Dillon's debut EP, titled ''RPD'', was released on January 26, 2015. In July 2015, Dillon released his sophomore single titled "Beat". In an interview with ''
People
The term "the people" refers to the public or Common people, common mass of people of a polity. As such it is a concept of human rights law, international law as well as constitutional law, particularly used for claims of popular sovereignty. I ...
'' magazine at
VidCon
VidCon is an annual convention for influencers, fans, executives, and online brands. The event primarily features prominent video stars from across the internet. It was founded by veteran YouTube creators John and Hank Green ( Vlogbrothers), a ...
2015, Dillon hinted towards a new personal song called "Gold", told to be featured as one of the tracks on his second EP.
Dillon has mentioned in multiple interviews that
Demi Lovato
Demetria Devonne "Demi" Lovato ( ; born August 20, 1992) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. After appearing on the children's television series ''Barney & Friends'' (2002–2004), she starred in the Disney Channel short series ...
is a major influence to his musical career. He has covered several of her songs on his YouTube channel some of which were released to iTunes.
On December 1, 2015, Dillon announced the release of his debut album ''Gold'', which was released on January 15, 2016. The 10-track set (produced by
Bobby J Frausto) is preceded by the lead single "Steal the Show" (featuring Trevi Moran) released on December 28.
Snoop Dogg
Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. ( ; born October 20, 1971), better known by his stage name Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg), is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. Rooted in West Coast hip-hop, he is widely regarded as one of t ...
and fellow YouTube personalities Trevi Moran and Shelby Wadell are featured on the album. The music video for the second single "Problematic" (featuring Snoop Dogg) was released on January 15.
Personal life
Dillon, who has previously dated both men and women, posted a video in September 2016 entitled "My Sexuality", in which he said that, "If I were to label myself, I would be the closest to
asexual
Asexual or Asexuals may refer to:
*Asexual reproduction
**Asexual reproduction in starfish
*Asexuality, the lack of sexual attraction to anyone or lack of interest in or desire for sexual activity.
**Gray asexuality, the spectrum between asexualit ...
." In a February 2019 video named "My Coming Out Video Was a Lie", Dillon distanced himself from earlier comments on his asexuality, remarking on the 2016 video that "I no longer 100% relate to that video, I don't have a label for myself for the time being, I am figuring myself out, and I don't label myself as asexual". In February 2020, Dillon posted a video in which he came out as gay (titled "I'm Gay").
Discography
Studio albums
Extended plays
Singles
Filmography
Television
Films
Bibliography
* ''
Follow Me: A Memoir in Challenges'' (2016)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dillon, Ricky
1992 births
21st-century American LGBTQ people
21st-century American musicians
American gay musicians
Fullscreen (company) people
Hoover High School (Alabama) alumni
LGBTQ people from Alabama
LGBTQ people from North Carolina
LGBTQ YouTubers
Living people
People from Morrisville, North Carolina
YouTubers from North Carolina