[14.10.01] - WowTV Korea Part 1 & 2 - Continuing on - More Left to Show

http://www.wowtv.co.kr/newscenter/news/view.asp?bcode=T30001000&artid=A201410010407

[Blue Interview] Royal Pirates, “Seoul busking happiness… (We) want to continue” ①

Royal Pirates is a three member band made up of vocal Moon (26), drummer Sooyoon (25), and
bassist James (26). In August of last year they made their glamorous debut with the release of
their first digital single “Shout Out.” They’ve been bestowed with the Song King Cho Yongpil’s
choice, and have even opened for Actor Lee Minho’s concerts. Members Moon and James have
been gaining particular attention for their appearance in SBS variety program “Laws of the City”
in New York and “Laws of the Jungle” in Indian Ocean, respectively.

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Somehow it’s been one year since their debut. The Royal Pirates are still as fresh as ever and
have plenty of ambition. In the time that’s passed they seem to have gained responsibilities yet
have also become a little more relaxed. Their second EP album “Love Toxic” is made up of a
total of five songs which include the title track “Love Toxic”, “Haru”, “Seoul Hillbilly”, “Betting
Everything”, and an English version of a song that appeared on their first EP, “You.” In this album
the members all participated directly in the writing and compositions of the songs, making for
music that is purely Royal Pirates.

◆ “Love Toxic” is Full of Songs About Love

The Royal Pirates members formed as a band in 2008 in Los Angeles, and all members are able
to write and compose. The band was formed when Sooyoon and Moon, who had immigrated to
America when they were young and James who was born in California came to meet. They came to some fame after uploading their videos onto youtube, and under the suggestion of their current agency, came to Korea. The boys who loved music have reached their youthful twenties, and have become singers who’ve released a couple of albums. The most recent album holds particularly special meaning, as it is comprised of songs the members wrote themselves.

“Personally, since the songs are on the album, my attachment to them has grown. There are a
lot of different songs, and I think they’re all good.” (Moon) “(This album is) Love. There are lots of
different types of love in it. There’s fresh love, and love for one’s own confidence. There’s also an
aggressive and tempting love. There’s a story about failed love. It wasn’t intentional but all the
songs are about love. Haha.” (Sooyoon)

For this album, the members have dredged up old memories. Though they had to sit together
with a producer for their debut album, this album is all about the members’ own colors. Although
there was a lot of time lost to filming for variety programs, it came out naturally. But they also had
time to sit together to chat and discuss work on the songs as well. Since there are three of them,
the time spent chattering went by hours at a time.

“We had gathered to work but would end up talking. If we had five hours to work on songs, then
two of them would be spent just talking. We talked about how the world was changing, and about
history and philosophy. Of course, we also talked about girls. Haha” (Moon) “For this album, I
wrote “Love Toxic.” I wrote it boldly. The producer-hyung said, “If you’re writing it this brashly, I don’t think you’ll have any luck.” Haha.” (Sooyoon)

◆ Love love love, What is their Ideal Type

Their eyes started sparkling when I asked which female actress they’d like to see in real life.
Smiles started forming at the corners of these three young men’s mouths. Sooyoon said he
wanted to meet the group F(X) and After School’s UEE. James, who has been enjoyably
watching dramas to study Korean, says he wants to greet actresses Song Hyekyo, Park
Shinhye, and Jun Jihyun. Moon said he wants to see actress Moon Chaewon and the group
Bestie. The Royal Pirates members looked shy but they expressed, “We’re purely fans.”

When asked about their ideal types, they replied with honest answers. As different as the
members are, their ideal types were decidedly different as well. “I like girls that are very feminine.
Of course, I also like girls with a sense of humor. I have a greed for gags and jokes, so I like
making other people laugh. There are those who normally laugh at my humor, and those who I
can pass the time with. I’ve always likes people who are boisterous.” (Moon)

“It changes as soon as I watch a drama but she has to be someone I can have a conversation
with. A person that can overcome the language barrier. No matter what situation we’re in, we
should be able to talk to each other. Truthfully while I was filming “Laws of the Jungle” UEE
wasn’t my ideal type but now she’s become it. She was someone I had to live with while
surviving, and after watching the broadcast she’s actually charming. Haha. I didn’t know then. I
just thought that she was really amazing.” (James)

“When I was little, if someone liked me, I liked them. But I like sexy girls. Rather than an outright
sexiness, I like a subtle sexy. People like that are charming. A woman who hides her sexiness.
Our humor has to match, as well. I like reading and “Radio Star.” I also like Yoon Jongshin-sunbae’s tenacious gags.” (Sooyoon)

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◆ Royal Pirates, Fallen for the Charms of Busking

In the summer Royal Pirates held busking all around Seoul at the Banpo Bridge, Sinsadong
Garosugil, Daehakro, Sinchon, and Hongdae among other locations. The members were able
to communicate with their fans through these surprise performances. Although they were
nervous, they were able to build up support and relax as the time passed. They were also able to
freely speak to their fans. The RP members sure enjoyed the performances.

“I think we were nervous at the start because we kept thinking about what the audience thought
of us. As time passed we were able to relax a little. I think being able to show a freer side of
ourselves was a lot more comfortable. It felt like we were all together in a private room. It was fun
and I was happy. It was something I’ve always wanted to do, but didn’t know if it was possible in
reality. I couldn’t even imagine it, so the fact that we were able to pull it off makes me really glad.”
(James)

“A lot of fans came for us. Since there were also people who didn’t know us, I was worried and
nervous. Now I’m a lot more comfortable. There were faces I’d seen before and little by little it got
better. They were right in front of me so we could have conversation, and I could ask if they’d
eaten, or if their day had been hard. There were times we improvised the songs, and as time
passed I think we just went with how we were feeling that.” (Sooyoon)

“We used to do a lot of cover songs but now we have songs of our own, so it’s gotten a lot
better. Performing with an acoustic guitar instead of an electric one was a lot of fun. I was
amazed and yet anxious that they were able to hear our voices as is. I felt a sort of intimacy with
the fans. The fans liked it as well.” (Moon)

They’ve also gone and come from Japan twice. Their Japanese has gotten much better. They’re
still on the level of playing around on stage but say they’re grateful that the Japanese fans like
their naive appearances. The busking they did in Japan was a new experience for the Royal
Pirates members as well. They say if they have time, they would like to continue having such
buskings. They hope to come back with new and more unique songs for the fans.



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[Blue Interview] Royal Pirates, “In the future we’ll show the remaining 99% of our
charms” ②

These three have spent their youth making music. They’ve risen to the stage under the name
Royal Pirates. It’s been a year since debut but they have yet to show more than 1% of their
charms. The members want to meet their fans with more and differing appearances in the
future.

3

“There are a lot of things we have yet to let them hear. I want to let them hear good music. We’re
still in the process of growing and becoming more refined. We’ll work hard to compensate the
fans for all the support they’ve given us. We’re really thankful for the fans. It gives us strength to
see some people come from so far. We hope to see them more in the future. We’ve only
showed 1%. We’ll show you the remaining 99% in the future. (laugh)”

◆ Royal Pirates in Variety and on Radio

Through “Laws of the Jungle” James was able to show his gentleness, leadership, and
good-looking appearance and even rose to first place on real time search charts. He had to hand
in there to survive, and didn’t even have a phone. The thing he could do everyday was write in a
notebook.

“I wrote sincerely in the notebook what I thought about the people around me, how hard surviving
would be, and how I could overcome it. Haha. (I wrote because) I could forget things in the
moment. Sometimes I could look at it and think “So I had these thoughts.” Appearing on “Laws of
the Jungle” was fun. It became a great help to the band. It was an opportunity for people to
recognize us. Still, there are things I regret. If I could go again I think I would do well. After coming
back, I’ve tried calling the other “Laws of the Jungle” members but they’ve all been busy. I think
Byungman-hyung is especially busy. ” (James)

Moon was able to show off his charms through “Laws of the City.” He gained a lot of attention for
having a couple-like mood with Baek Jinhee, and gained a lot of popularity amongst the New
Yorkers. Moon was visibly happy to have met with such good people. Not only that but he’s also
a fixed guest on MBC <Jung Joonyoung’s SimSimTapa>. He’s become close with DJ and fellow
singer Jung Joonyoung. Through their appearances on radio and broadcast, the members have
become able to speak casually with their fans, and their skills to take up time have improved..

“I think I’m lucky to have met the ”Laws of the City” hyungs and friends. I think it’ll become a great
experience. I learned a lot and made many good memories. I’ve really wanted to go to New York.
For the ten years I’ve been in America I’ve never been able to go, but I got to go through this
opportunity. It felt new. We had our own chat room between us. We would monitor the
broadcasts and comment on each other. I was able to talk naturally about my hyung and his
death. I thin I felt that really closely. I think my character when I was with the “Laws of the City”
hyungs and when I’m with the Royal Pirates members is different. I want to show how we talk
amongst ourselves through a reality program. I have confidence in talk shows.” (Moon)

Sooyoon is currently giving advice through a corner on an “Arirang” program. “Can you call it the
English version of “Witch Hunt”? I’m not 19 years old. So sometimes I get frustrated. Haha. I
think a guy in his twenties talking about sex is a very natural thing.” Hearing this, James, Moon,
and maknae Sooyoon seem like they would fit well on JTBC’s “Witch Hunt”, so we’ve
recommended them. Their clothes seems good as well, so a style program would suit them too.
Sooyoon’s charms in particular seem like they would be well suited to “Pandora’s Box.”

4

◆ What is “music” to the Royal Pirates members?

Leader Moon likes the “Star Wars” movie series. He also reads the “Ninja Turtles” comics.
Sooyoon has fallen for the manhwa “One Piece.” James is passionately studying Korean. The
food they like is all different. But after having spent so much time together the members have
gotten to know each other, and are able to acknowledge each person’s style. Moon is currently
with his parents, and Sooyoon and James are living in the dorms.

All the members like “rock’ but even that’s been changing a little. Moon likes things rough with a
lot of details, while James prefers songs with a more pop feel. Sooyoon is the type to make
songs that fit the mainstream but aren’t. However, when they are making songs, they can all
come to trust one another. “We don’t really give each other advice. That’s trust. Since it’s a
creative process, it isn’t very good to interfere. Everyone has their own ideas, after all.”

The Royal Pirates want to let people hear songs that are purely “Royal Pirates.” This is for the
fans that have always supported them as well. Leader Moon says, “When we’re performing you
can feel it, while singing “Seoul Hillbilly” or “You”, you can feel the audience stirring. You can feel
that there is something stirring up the audience. I like songs that can invoke emotion like that,
and write many of them. I want to play for a long time, like the Beatles. Even if we actively have
our own musicality, I still want to continue on together.”

The future that the Royal Pirates members dreamt somehow became the present. The
members who have realized their dream still find pleasure in and are happiest when making
music. Due to that they want to make albums that are good to listen to at any time. They say
they’ll probably continue to make songs “about love” in the future. Royal Pirates revealed, “Love
is an essential part of living and it is the goal in life. Would humans be able to live without love?”
Lastly, the members want to do their best to sing while also enjoying themselves.

“We want to have a small solo concert in the future. It would be great if we could also hold fan
meetings. Of course, we also want to appear on variety programs and raise awareness about
our band. The number of people who recognize us is growing and a lot of good things are
happening. Given, events have to be undertaken with care. Our responsibilities have risen. Our
activities depend on the support of the people. What you see on the variety programs is only a
part of us. The appearance you see is not us in our entirety. We want to make opportunities to
meet with everyone and we also want to make good music. We want to show everyone that
we’ve matured, and we want to do our best. We want to do our best to always enjoy and have
fun doing things. We think about the places we want to go, and about the people we want to
enjoy themselves watching us enjoy ourselves. We want to stand on stage with just as much
passion as we have now, even ten years later. There’ll come a day sometime when music
becomes just a hobby again, right?”

[Korean Economy/WowTV Korea | Reporter Yang Soyoung] | Translations by heymeowmao
sy7890@bluenews.co.kr