'5 Questions With': Royal

EQ: Your sound is influenced by gospel, punk and hip hop, as well as lofi. A very eclectic and great blend! Which artists did you grow up listening to?

R: I grew up listening to a lot of gospel & Soul music, that’s how I got into playing the drums. In the early years, I remember listening to Kirk Franklin and Fred Hammond. I remember when my mum used to blast Boyz 2 Men and Luther Vandross in the car on the way to school. After that, I started listening to artists like 50 Cent, Tupac & Dmx. These all had a huge influence on me in my early years.

EQ: Previously you’ve also performed at BBC’s The Apprentice, how was this experience for you and what has it done to you in terms of gaining more popularity?

R: Back when I had the chance to perform my track on the Apprentice it was all a very new experience to me. It was my first time even singing to a large crowd! The fact that it was also In front of a TV crew and going to be broadcast to millions made it even more of a nerve-racking time, but I dealt with it.

Performing on The Apprentice definitely filled me with confidence and made me want to fully pursue my music career. It let me know that I can step up to any challenge.

EQ: You’ve just released your brand new track ‘Precious’ accompanied by a music video that highlights the relationships of the 21st century. Do you base your tracks on personal experiences or just based on your surroundings?

R: My tracks are always based on some aspect of my personal life. I feel as an artist if I’m going to put myself out there, I have to be honest and share life experiences with people that take the time to listen and vibe with the music. I hope with every track I release people learn something new about me and what type of person I am.

EQ: What is usually your creative process when writing a new song or planning a music video? Do you just freestyle in the studio or how do you do it? Everyone’s process is different so I’m really curious to find out.

I feel I write the best songs when it just comes naturally. I’m a very musical person so there is always a potential song floating around in my head that just needs to be put down in the studio. I like to make sure I always enjoy the process, which might involve getting in a room with other musicians and improvising, freestyling until I’ve got something that sounds hard!

EQ: What else can we expect to hear from you this year - have you got an EP or project in the works?

R: I’ve got 2 maybe 3 singles to share with the world before the end of the year, hopefully, this will help to build up some anticipation to an EP release early next year. I’m really in my zone at the moment so my aim is to keep surprising people and put out music & content that is exciting!