Formed in 2008 in Los Angeles, global rock band Royal Pirates is made up of guitarist and vocalist Moon, bassist James, and drummer Sooyoon.
You can check their reputation by viewing the hits on their youtube channel. Their k-pop covers are already particularly popular among k-pop fans. Moon, who immigrated to America, met Sooyoon at church and gave life to the videos and sparked the first formings of the name the Royal Pirates.
"With the words “let’s make a band” we performed at the Korean Festival from church, and did other festivals and performances in a lot of places. Sometimes we found some mannerisms (?) but then suddenly we met with the fun youtube moment.” (Moon)
“Youtube was the start. We tried filming ourselves and uploaded it. We posted our own songs but also k-pop idol songs that we arranged into a rock version for fun.” (SY)
The first to be uploaded was Wonder Girls’ “Nobody” cover, then Super Junior’s “Sorry Sorry”. Between them the “Sorry Sorry” cover made these boys youtube stars and started a huge movement.
“Surprisingly as the days passed the views went up. We were excited too, so we kept uploading k-pop songs and eventually our own songs, too.”
With the brilliant idea paired with awesome playing skills, who didn’t fall for them in the blink of an eye? The result was that the youtube video was seen by their current agency and they started activities in Korea.
“We received calls from “Super Star K”, “Star King”, and “K-POP Star” but as we were in talks with the agency, we respectfully declined.” After that James joined and the three member band Royal Pirates rose to greatness.
The reason for the team name is also simple. “When we first started uploading videos to youtube we thought we would need a name to put them under. I liked the word “royal” and Moon-hyung liked the word “pirates”, so we just stuck them together.” (SY)
Without any special meaning, the meeting of these two unique words created a very unique Royal Pirates. “It’s a little ironic, I think putting two opposite-like words together is interesting. The sort of classical feel of “royal” and the liberal image of “pirates”… doesn’t it seem like something’s there? ha ha.”
We offer some history that’s fitting of the new generation; Before debut, the Royal Pirates were chosen by Cho Yongpil to be Super Rookie, and stood on their debut stage at SuperSonic 2013. In August of that year they released their debut single “Shout Out” and looking back on it they comment plainly , “Since it was our first (stage) there are a lot of things we feel we could have done better.”
“It was a good experience. Since it was our first time there were a lot of things I didn’t see that were obviously there, and we missed a lot of moments(?). There were a lot of regrets during our debut days but they are never bad things. We learned from them.”
They spent half a year working furiously and finally released an album unlike any other, Royal Pirates’ first EP “Drawing the Line”, which shows their true ambition. They were determined to make waves in the music industry with their title song “Drawing The Line” which is composed using R&B rock, alternative, retro old-pop, and rock ballad genres to maximize emotions.
“The
songs on this album are songs we wrote a year and a half ago. The songs
we’ve been writing recently are a bit different and after listening to
these after some time we found that they had a pure quality to them. The
tone isn’t raw but a more pure feeling.” (Moon)
“It has our own color but we incorporated a lot of different genres. After working on them so long a time I grew both attached and sick of them. It’s this love-hate relationship that makes it all the more special.” (SY)
Other than the title song. the members personally took a liking to “On My Mind”. “Considering its wide popularity, “Drawing the Line” was chosen as the title song, but between us members we wanted [OMM] to be the title.”
Twenty-five in Korean age. Time to reflect on the first half of your twenties and think upon what sort of member in Royal Pirates you want to be in your later half.
“While I tried out various things, there were regrets to them. When I was young I did a lot ridiculous things, even tried … [hip hop, rap, r&b]and liked it, but I was pretty much blind to everything but band music. Now I like and listen to all genres.” (Moon)
“For me, rather than just band music I listened to a lot of things so the fact that we couldn’t find our own color very quickly is regretful. In the first half of my twenties, after I pursued various things our own color emerged and I regret that I couldn’t make it faster. Even now I feel that way but I am the way I am now because I have my experiences from those times. So rather than regret that I couldn’t do it faster, I’m more…sorrowful?” (SY)
Even so, the color of a band may sometimes put limits on their creativity, which can be a set-back. However in regards to music they have a well-defined philosophy; Though Royal Pirates’ color is gradually becoming clearer it will never become something burdensome.
“We’d
like to try a lot of things but at some point, when we have an obvious
base and structure, we’d have to stop. Because without those two things,
we would lose our identity. With this album, we worked hard on (base
and structure). We learned what we are good at, and how to best improve
in the future. Basically the band sound; Moonchul-hyung’s voice fits
well with pop and is a popular tone, so we learned how to best harmonize
with it.” (SY)
“So saying, the melody line is not purely rock-based. Club music, R&B hip hop, punk, groove, etc., we like a lot of genres. We’re performing with band instruments but we also have a sense for pop, and we try to incorporate not just one bit of a century, but whether it’s hip hop or punk-groove, various elements.” (Moon)
Ready
to take their first step into the world of pros, what do the Royal
Pirates think is good music? “I think music with authenticity is good
music, as well as music you can relate to. When you can communicate
through music you are a professional musician. You can have good music
even if you play alone but I don’t think that has any big meaning. Music
you can communicate is good music.” (SY)
“For
example you can have a common wine and an expensive wine, and you ask
which wine is better, the one that is better to me is the better wine.
Music is like that too. No matter what genre the song is, as long as the
people listening like it, it is good music.” (Moon)
Royal Pirates, who dream of communicating with everyone with their stages, like any other band, dreams of having their own solo concert. “The goal this year is to release a lot of songs and make a repertoire that will be enough to take Royal Pirates’ solo concert to a stadium or even a hall.” (Moon)
Based
on their success in Korea, the Royal Pirates reveal that they someday
wish to return to stand on overseas stages. As long as there’s a stage -
festival, in particular - not matter where it is, it is their dream
stage.
“Three
years ago we went to the Jisan Valley Rock festival. We went there to
play, really. We played really excitedly while watching our favorite
bands, but when we stood on stage last year at SuperSonic it was like a
dream. Since we were a band with no awareness, we hoped that anyone
would come to watch our stage; It was a 30 minute performance and a lot
of people enjoyed our music. We were really happy at that time, and it’s
a stage we definitely want to stand on again.”
*
Their dream of music is in full swing and to vent the ripening
atmosphere at the end of the interview, we threw them a light question.
You are carrying on the lineage of the ‘Flower boy band”. With
disbelieving expressions and waving of their hands the three flower
boys postponed answering the question but in the end the voice went to
James.
“Thank you very much for thinking of us that way but we’re trying to compete with our music. If you could focus more on the “music” that contains our words we would be all the more thankful. Please anticipate us.” (James)
[StarToday Reporter Park Seyeon]
