Two friends who moved to America when they were in elementary met at church while they were in middle school and naturally hit it off. The two were different, like water and oil, and the one thing that brought them together was music. The music the two started four years prior became richer after meeting bassist James. The idol songs they rearranged into the rock style and uploaded on youtube became a crucial part in their release of an album in Korea. After coming across their youtube videos by chance, they came into contact with a company and flew to Korea. They believed in their music, and believed in their Korean roots. This is the story of the Royal Pirates.
Korea welcomed them, who came from America. In August of last year they faced odds of 50:1 at “SuperSonic 2013” and moved on to carry the title of Super Rookie; once again, they were met with joy. That they were directly chosen by Song King Cho Yongpil holds great meaning, and to participate in the recording of a campaign song together with senior musicians meant they felt greatly honored. After that they broke into the music industry with the release of their official debut song “Shout Out”. In 2014 they dream of shaking the industry. On the 15th of January their new mini album “Drawing the Line” was dropped, and the Royal Pirates were well on their way to creating rock music only they could play. The effect was like a particularly explosive bomb.
Q. First off, we are curious about your group name. How did you pick a name like the “Royal Pirates”?
S: Simple. (laugh) I liked the word “Royal”, and Moon liked “Pirates.” They are words that can be representative of our different personalities.
M: If the word “royal” is classy and expresses luxury, then “pirates” represents no hesitation and feeling free. We added later that this is the double-sided music we want to capture. (laugh)
J: When I joined and first heard the team name, from an American’s perspective, it was childish. (laugh) Since it was like a some sort of fairy tale. But after coming to Korea it seems that a lot of people have trouble pronouncing the name.
S: That’s why I say it’s better that people call us “RP.”Q. We heard you came from America. It doesn’t seem like you have any trouble writing lyrics in Korean.
S: I came to America when I was in elementary school, so I’m good at Korean. For this album we received a lot of help from professional lyricists. We also received a lot of help in order to adapt our music to what’s popular now.
M: Personally, writing based on one’s own emotions is easier to me, but it was ideal that the ensemble was complete. We had Producer Kim Taesung and he lead the way for us. He helped to clean things up.
J: I came to Korea two years ago and starting learning Korean, but I’m still awkward (at it).Q. How did you come to debut in Korea?
S: In America we made rearranged popular idol songs into rock version covers and uploaded the videos on youtube. After seeing those, we got in contact with what is now our current agency. Q. Your current agency is popular for being Daniel Henney’s agency. It’s not an agency that specializes in housing singers… is there any reason you chose to sign with them?
M: It matched well with our heart/mind. I liked that it thought of its artists. We didn’t meet with a lot of other companies but I thought it would be great to work with such people.
S: Since it is Daniel Henney-hyung’s agency, whether by culture or by language, it fit us well. The people at the agency all speak English well. (laugh) * Q. After debuting in the entertainment industry you must have found a lot of things amazing.
S: The most amazing thing was seeing Daniel Henney. (laugh) And SNSD’s Sooyoung! Before we would watch SNSD videos, and there’s been instances where we upload our videos at around the same time as one came out… seeing the person in the video actually in person was a really strange feeling.Q. If you could introduce your new mini album, please?
S: We tried out a lot of different genres this time. There are also things that we’ve never tried before on it. We are originally hard rock biased, but this time we tried to cater to popular music. We all participated in the composition and lyric making processes, and really tried to put in our band’s own color.Q. Since you have popularized your music, what type of rock is the music that the Royal Pirates release?
M: Previously we liked the strong sound but after continuing to make music we started being attracted to more pop and funky music. Now we release music with some elements of what’s popular. The title song “Drawing the Line” is the one with the most of our color. Also, it hasn’t been long since we debuted in Korea, so we wanted to face the public with a brighter feeling. Q. You say you’ve tried out many genres, so please introduce the other tracks.
M: There is a song called “You” that has a poetic and bright meaning and brings out a sad feeling. I feel like it goes well with the sentiment of Korea. “Fly to You” has a 60’s Beatles-like old-pop feel. The sound of the drums are rough and the melody is sweet, making for a lovely song. “If You See” is also a ballad but the lyrics are beautiful. It’s the most sentimental.Q. The music that you release as the Royal Pirates is pop-y and funky but there has to be music you like, personally.
M: I have a preference for rock, but I like the hybrid sound. Even though we’re a band I like the vocals in hip-hop beats or R&B arrangements. In regards to Korean artists, I like Dynamic Duo, Verbal Jint, and Bumkey.
S: I like the more acoustic and simpler sounds, and lyrics that are special. For that reason I like Kim Kwangseok and Lee Juck.
J: The songs I compose are of the acoustic pop-rock genre but nowadays I’ve been listening to Daft Punk a lot. Sound making is really fun. Q. You gained a lot of attention for having Busker Busker’s Brad make a cameo in your music video. How did you make his acquaintance?
S: There are not lot of people in the entertainment industry who have come from America, so there were opportunities that put us together. Because of other acquaintances, there were many opportunities to see each other. So we naturally became closer.Q. How was shooting the music video? From the pictures, it looked fun.
J: There are two versions of it. The first version is a drama version that feels like you’re watching the song as you listen to it. If you watch the band version, you get the rock feeling. I thought it was interesting how different the music felt upon different visual effects.
S: The drama version is like a sitcom, comical and lighthearted, while the live version is more chic. Brad came out in the drama version.* Q. Since it was a sitcom you guys had to act on the sly.
S: It was fun. I’ve seen a lot of movies and dramas, and since I had an interest in acting I even took a class, so it was even funner.
M: My personality is a little sly to begin with so it was fine. (laugh)
J: There was a part where I posed in front of a sportscar with models. It was really awkward. Also actor Hwang Shinhye-sunbaenim’s daughter took part in our music video, and Hwang Shinhye was on the set too, so I was really nervous.
Q. At “SuperSonic 2013” you advanced to the finals and won Song King Cho Yongpil’s pick as Super Rookie. How did you feel then?M: I was eating when I received the call.. I think I got indigestion.
S: What’s more, that was our first audition as a band.Q. What do you think qualified you as Super Rookie?
M: I think it’s that we weren’t burdened, we enjoyed ourselves. We wanted to show that we were having fun, and that got across.
S: Seeing that we came from abroad, I think he thought we had something unique.
J: I think it was important that we enjoyed ourselves.* Q. You stood on the festival’s stage, do live performances in Hongdae, and as idols have performed on music broadcasts. The three are sure to have a different feel.
S: At the music broadcasts the audience members are younger, there are a lot of people who don’t even know who we are, and they are situations where we can’t play live. There are a lot of things we want to show but that suffer because we have to adapt to the time. On that front the lives are more comfortable for us because we can showcase more.
M: The people who came to watch the festival were those who were ready to enjoy to their hearts’ content. Even though they didn’t know us they were openly enjoying it.
S: We worried that the Hongdae stages would be a whole different world to us but more people than we thought knew “On My Mind” so we had fun.* Q. On music broadcasts bands have no choice but to hand-synch. Wasn’t it strange?
S: Since it is a broadcast, there are things you have to show. Because of the broadcast the song isn’t what we practiced but more like how, in the high school drumline of marching band, we learned tricks to twirl and throw our sticks. Those finally came into use. During a broadcast you are captured on camera and when a certain time comes you twirl the stick. I did it five times but it was only captured once. (laugh)
J: Since we had to hand-synch, at first it was really awkward. You need a bit of acting.
S: Not only that, but you can’t make a loud sound. That’s okay for a guitar or bass but because the drum makes such a loud sound I can’t hit it, but have to pretend, which is hard. You need muscles for that. Not only that but you have to look like you’re having fun at the same time. It’s a lot better now, so I really am having fun. Q. How did the three of you meet?
S: Moon and I went to the same church. In middle school we came to be in the same band for church and since then we’ve been together. We wanted to keep doing music so the two of us started uploading covers of Korean songs on youtube. Since the three of us were Korean and had the same sentiment about Korea, we decided on coming to South Korea. As for James, we met during college four years prior.
M: Truthfully, I couldn’t even think of coming into the Korean entertainment industry. But after trying it out we received contact from our agency and came on over. (laugh)* Q. Moon and Sooyoon met in middle school and started a band, and James met you later. What did you think of these two?
J: Their skills were good, and their personalities were diverse. They were opposites like water and oil. So these two friends’ roles were really interesting. After being together, time passed by really quickly. (laugh) When I was in America I didn’t really have any Korean friends, so meeting these two was a new experience.* Q. Your personalities are different? (laugh) What type of personality do you have?
S: Moon-hyung is pleasant, relaxed and leisurely, free. He’s optimistic. An idealist. No matter how you look at it I dream of things within the realm of reality. I’m on the more delicate side.
J: Sooyoon is really smart. I think that since their personalities are so different our music will come out more interestingly.
S: Should we say I play the role of changing the ideal-type songs that Moon-hyung makes into something more befitting of reality?** Q. You say your personalities are opposites, so how is it that you got close?
S: We became close because of music. I went to his house to play and sleep over one night. I asked “When you get older what d’ya want to do?” and got “I’ll do music” as the answer. So I said, “Let’s do it together” and now we’re here. (laugh)
M: You shouldn’t have said that… (laugh) That night was when we became brothers.
Q. Oh, on that note the three of you can be compared to Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei.
M: Hahaha. Zhang Fei is definitely James. He’s strong!*History lesson! What is being referred to here is a novel called the Romance of the Three Kingdoms (It’s based on the Records of the Three Kingdoms, in Korean, the Samgukji (sounds familiar, right? Moon was reading it while getting his hair done.)), written in the 14th century by Luo Guangzhong. The novel spans the end of the Eastern Han dynasty and during the Three Kingdoms (Wei, Han, Wu). The main point here is about the Oath of the Peach Garden, made by Zhang Fei, Liu Bei, and Guan Yu.
tldr; the three were sworn brothers; M = Liu Bei (warlord, emperor of new dynasty), SY = Guan Yu (warlord’s general), J = Zhang Fei (warlord’s warrior)
S: He’s not smart like the two of us. (laugh) Full of strength.
J: I’m strong. You’re right.
M: His visuals are good, he’s friendly. (laugh)
Zhang Fei, being the warrior was fierce and… not the nicest looking.
Q. Did you originally have an interest in Korean music?
S: Since I went to America when I was in elementary and for 7-8 years was not close to it, I think that made me have even more of an interest in Korean culture and Korean music.
M: Since I was also in America, I saw Korea from a different perspective. If you are in a place, you only see things from that place, but I wondered why k-pop became so popular that it broke away from that sentiment. Therefore I came to view it objectively.Q. Oh, that’s right! Why do you suppose k-pop is so popular?
S: It’s fantastic. Really fantastic. It’s indulgent and makes one fall away from reality, and gives off a pretty feel. Like some sort of Disney cartoon it’s ideal and beautiful.
M: People that look like they have stepped out of a manhwa doing music makes it infinitely cooler.
S: The levels of music are also higher. When I see not only girl groups but cool male idol groups and even male actors, I think that I want to be like that person.
J: The very first k-pop music I heard was Baby VOX. Was it in second grade? At that time I was smitten. Recently a good hyung, who’s a pastor, got married. At the ceremony former Baby VOX member Yoon Eunhye sang and it was really amazing. I wanted to go talk to her. I also listened to a lot of Solid. My close friend is in a group called Aziatix and their company’s rep is former Solid member Jung Jaeyoon (Jae Chong). So I met Kim Johan, and since we both came from overseas we talked.
M: James is really sociable.
S: He has many exchanges with people who had lived in America before coming here.
Q. When did you fall for rock?S: When we made a band we listened to it as we searched for a sound and I came to like hard rock. I listened to hard rock a lot in my early twenties.
M: Now’s not any different, we listen to everything. Before, I couldn’t grasp jazz and the blues but nowadays I like it.S: More than liking rock, it seems we just like bands.
Q. In that case, what is the charm of a band?S: First, instruments; I think that each person’s emotions can be expressed through each and every sound they make. Each person’s personality and disposition is represented.
J: A person’s feelings are represented, and like a voice instruments can be expressed in many different ways. When all the instruments are played together energy builds and builds in an explosive charm. At concerts, groups like Big Bang perform based on live bands. The effect of the sound that comes from a live band is incredible.
M: When performing and everything comes together just right you can feel shudders.Q. What was the first song you performed?
M: I remember performing Jars of Clay’s Flood. When we were younger we covered Jars of Clay a lot at church. We performed and the reactions we got were so good that after that performance we were asked to do many more.Q. You all play different instruments. What is the charm of your instrument?
M: I used to play a lot of games. A hyung who couldn’t stand it any longer told me to sell the game console and get a different hobby. So the console was sold but I got counterfeit money. Then that hyung gave me his own acoustic guitar. That was the first time I started playing.
S: I was brought to church and started playing the drums there. I thought it would be cool if it were to be my instrument.
J: In sixth grade I was in a band with some friends and my mom bought me a bass guitar. I was touched that my parents supported me.Q. What do the other members think of Vocal Moon’s voice?
S: Moon hyung’s tone is really unique and in band music and in singing there’s nothing it doesn’t fit.
J: It’s very special, a brand that when you first hear it you can immediately think “Oh! This is Moon”. When he’s speaking he has a low voice, but when singing it sounds high and bittersweet. That’s why I think he can express various emotions.
M: But I don’t think I’m any good at shouting.
J: I used to work in Baskin Robbins, and would go into the freezer to practice shouting. It was embarrassing so I did it in a place no one could hear. (laugh)Q. How do you picture yourself living when you are in your 50s?
M: Wouldn’t I have about four kids by then? (laugh) It’d be great if I could raise a lot. I want to show a good side of myself to society.
S: At that time there’s the possibility we could be playing a different genre of music, or helping a different generation of artists. More than anything I want to live as if I were still young.
J: When I’m in my fifties it would be great if there was some display left behind that symbolizes me. Q. If you were to express Royal Pirates’ music in one word?
M: Melting Pot
S: The three of us like different music, and have different preferences but have come together in one place. To express that in Korean…Budae jjigae? Bombshell! I want to make a bang.
Q. How do you want to live in 2014?S: I want to live without even the time to blink my eyes.
M: Really busily! (laugh) This year we hope to release a lot of songs and show various sides to ourselves, the goal being to have a solo concert by the end of the year.
J: It would be great if we could perform a lot. I also want to go on tour, I want to meet a lot of our fans.Written by Park Soojung | soverus@tenasia.co.kr
