Ross Lynch fulfilled students’ childhood dreams on March 12 as he shared his experiences of working in the entertainment industry with an easy-going humor and surprised his audience with an acoustic set of covers and original songs.

Screams of excitement emanated from University Chapel as Cate Brien, ’26, and Luke Fountain, ’25, asked the star questions about his upbringing, musical career and future plans. 

Singer and actor Ross Lynch is best known for his debut role as Austin in Disney Channel’s comedy TV show “Austin and Ally” and his role of Brady in musical films “Teen Beach Movie” and “Teen Beach 2.” Lynch’s acting roles in the Teen Beach film series and his time on “Austin and Ally” from 2011 to 2016 joined other Disney Channel classics to form a beloved part of many W&L students’ childhoods.

Lynch and his brother, Rocky Lynch, now perform in the band The Driver Era, which was founded in 2018. The duo has been on tour since March 7 and stopped in Lexington between shows.

At the discussion, Lynch recounted his upbringing in a musical family. He said that he and his family started a family band before his debut in “Austin and Ally” and would perform at public events, even performing at bars and being kicked out for being too young.

When asked how his family influenced where he is today, Lynch responded by saying that “family gave me a good foundation. I wouldn’t be here at all if it weren’t for them.” He shared memories of making art with his brothers, from acting as a stunt double in mock James Bond films to learning dances for lip-sync music videos.

He credits his four siblings for helping him create his own genre-less band, too. The Driver Era allows Lynch to explore song-writing and production and become “obsessed with studio work,” he said.

Their music-making process is spontaneous and non-linear, involving collaborative teamwork and playing around with different ideas, Lynch said.

“We try to find something that is unique, being inspired by the goal of being creative and open-minded,” he said.

Cayla Nelson, ’28, one of the VIP students who got to meet Lynch after the event, said she resonated with his genre-less music because “his variety of music interests shows how he’s open to experimenting and innovating.”

Lynch also recounted growing up outside of a normal educational system, learning to become adaptable and flexible while in constant movement, and ultimately finding creative independence through The Driver Era.

His Q&A was followed by a performance of audience favorites such as the “Austin and Ally” theme song and the “Teen Beach Movie” hit “Cruising for a Bruisin’.” He also took requests from the audience and sang “San Francisco,” “Malibu” and “Afterglow” from his Driver Era albums.

Contact Committee President Trip Wright, ’25, said he intended to use Lynch’s visit to strike a balance between past political and social-activist speakers with a more lighthearted, pop culture figure to appeal to a variety of audiences on campus and spark buzz about the Committee’s role in assembling high-profile events.

“The Contact Committee’s mission is to bring speakers from various scopes of life and expertise, and Lynch both fit that criteria and was willing to take a break from his tour to visit us. It was perfect timing,” Wright said.

The strategy worked. Wright announced at the beginning of the event that the chapel was filled with the largest audience the Contact Committee has hosted in the past four years.

Lynch walked students through his personal and professional developments, saying he had enough confidence in his acting skills to evolve from comic roles on Disney to more serious roles like Jeffrey Dahmer on “My Friend Dahmer.” He said he felt called to take on roles in “impactful cinema that move people in positive ways” for future acting jobs.

Overall, students enjoyed the event and left feeling thrilled to have met a celebrity. Leilany Calderon, ’25, met him after staying at the end of the event and said she found his answers funny and insightful. One of her favorites, she said, was “a sound is a sound, a vibe is a vibe” — his answer to how he writes his songs for The Driver Era.

Wright said he hopes that the Lynch event will incentivize more students to attend future speaker discussions and join in on amplifying campus excitement about famous visiting figures.