This is our third meeting. But though it’s been a long time their handsome features are still the same. Meeting them after a year and three months the band Royal Pirates- no, now the band RP- is still as warm and soft as they ever were.
After a long period of absence, the more mature RP has broken their silence and come back with even wiser comments.
“We wanted to be active. (In the middle of the break) We completed the album, but it was overturned. A lot of things happened that made us want to let the fans hear our new music. I think it’s fortunate that we were able to come back with an album we are satisfied with. Although there were difficult times, I’m really happy that we were able to overcome them and promote again.” (Moon Kim)
“It took too long. It was like ten years. Even so, I’m happy we were able to come back and show off our work, and I’m really proud and pleased.” (James Lee)
“It feels like we’ve just debuted. In the past it felt like we were just being dragged around, but now it feels like a new start, and we’ve started walking with one foot forward, always looking for something we can do. It’s both an exciting and a proud feeling. We had a lot of worries before, but now we have no worries and pass each day joyfully.” (EXSY)
As the members spoke quietly about the time they spent inactive, we could sense in their eyes the longing to promote that they felt during their time away. Maybe it’s because of that long hiatus, that all current and future activities have become more precious to them.
In the midst of focusing on their musical activities both at home and abroad, the accident happened. As member James Lee entered a restaurant in Itaewon, the door came crashing towards him and as a result he badly hurt his left wrist. The injury was severe enough to damage two nerves. Recalling the incident with great difficulty, for a moment he was lost for words. After collecting himself, James spoke.
“It was really hard on me. You can imagine how badly it hurt. What was even more difficult, what hurt even more than the physical pain was the unimaginable toll it took on my mentality. I wanted to move my hand, but it wouldn’t move. At the time I even thought to myself, “Am I dead?” When I was rushed to the emergency room I heard (the doctors) talking, saying, “Should we amputate or not?” At that late time, they called other hospitals for second opinions and they all advised the amputation. The hospital I ended up in surgery at was the one that said, “Let’s try it.” It took about six hours. I got help from a lot of unexpected places. The support from the fans became a great strength to me. (My wrist) is a lot better than it was before. Although I want it to return to normal, they say there’s a great possibility it never will. They say it will always hurt. It hurts many times a day. It’s a pain I’ve never felt before now, but I’ll keep enduring it. I’m doing my best not to take any painkillers.” (James Lee)
We could feel the pain he felt during that time, and it made our hearts hurt as well. James Lee is always kind. From the first time we met them and up until now, these guys are the gentlest we’ve met. Maybe it’s due to this that the affection we have for them is like none other. Thinking about all that these youthful and delightful three men have withstood pains us as well.
More than anything else, James Lee had not choice but to let go of the instrument he was in charge of, the bass guitar. For thirteen years the bass guitar was like his alter ego. After fellow member Moon Kim jokingly told him, “You can play the keyboard now” James did just that.
“I think the most important thing is to be positive. It all depends on your state of mind. Sometimes when it gets hard on me, rather than enduring it by myself, I can turn to friends and family and return to a positive mindset while talking with them. It hasn’t been more than two months since I’ve started playing the keyboard. Even now, I’m still learning. The keyboard takes a lot more time, so I have to remember the plans. Even though it’s a little bit hard, I think it’s charming because I can make a lot more sounds with it.” (James Lee)
“To be honest we worried about a lot of things and became very stressed. I thought about what we could do. At that time Sooyoon and I laid out a new album we thought of a direction we could pursue. We built ours skills and did our best. So, even if it was just us two, we decided to practice a lot and prepare music. That’s how the album was perfected and an album that included its making process and our own stories was completed. Our stories are a part of this whole album.” (Moon Kim)
James Lee’s personality, at it’s core, is a positive one. It’s like he exudes endorphins that make you happy when you are near him. There’s no doubt that it is his positive mindset that lets him overcome any difficulties he may face.
The accident was not only a huge shock to James, but also to those closest to him- Moon Kim and EXSY- as well. Although there was some unease at being unable to promote at the time, they were adamant in wanting to promote together with James, and in spite of the accident, it is their strong bonds of friendship that have given them the strength to stand again.
“At first I told them to go on without me. I didn’t know when I would be able to come back, so I told them to promote first. But my members told me that they’d wait. After that I gained a sense of responsibility.” (James Lee)
The story of the near-fatal accident and the difficult times that ensued is hidden in the music video of RP’s title track “Run Away.” In addition, the MV is all the more meaningful in carrying the hidden stories of the other members’ traumas. In the midst of all these unexpected events, their friendship continued to grow strong.
To rid ourselves of the dark amtosphere that was created in the interview, we turned to brighter things. “Run Away” is so popular it had become number 1 on the Singapore Itunes Rock Chart, ahead of even Bon Jovi. This news came as a surprise to RP, as they haven’t had a single performance in Singapore after their debut.
“When I look at the comments left on SNS or on the videos, I see that a lot of them ask us to go to Singapore. That’s when I started to realize that we are quite popular in Singapore. I think the country really enjoys band music. Although we don’t currently have any concrete plans to promote in Singapore, we can still have unprecedented plans. (laugh) ” (Moon Kim)
As if they could tell they were going to rise in popularity, starting from this promotion period RP has begun using new names, starting with the team name of RP, which is a shortened form of “Royal Pirates.” Not only is there a change in the team name, but after enlisting the help of former SOLID member Jung Jaeyoon their music has changed as well. It’s become a bit more refined and free. Looking at it now, many things have transformed.
“James’ position in the group has changed, and my promotional name has changed as well. We’ve changed the style of the songs and the instruments used- by adding in EDM elements our musical color has changed as well. While working with Producer Jung, I feel like he helped us to work a lot more freely, and I was able to drum with a much heavier beat. Moon’s vocals have also gained strength, and the sound is a lot richer now. We’ve changed a lot. (laugh) Producer Jung really did his best to help us keep our rock elements, and find a way for us to perform on stage. I want to work on the next album with him too. He has a lot in common with us. If it wasn’t for him, we would have had a really difficult time.” (EXSY)
A band’s synthesis is the most important. The way each member matches with the others is a large factor in deciding how their music will sound. It’s due to this that the friendship that the RP members have shown us seems to become even more meaningful. Despite losing the bass, member James was not shaken and is still reliably sustaining the team. Just as a solid iron requires multiple trips through blazing flame to become perfected, so have these men withstood much difficulty to become as strong as they are now. We hope the difficult times have passed, and a 2016 you can look forward to is awaiting RP.
“We hope we can become a great hit. It would be really nice if we could keep releasing albums, and keep being with our fans. We want to have many performances, and hope there are many opportunities to make ourselves known- it’s okay even if you hate us too. Please listen to our music a lot, and thank you so much to all the fans who waited for us. We hope you all make it big!” (James Lee, Moon Kim, EXSY)
♦ NewsWay Reporter Kim Ahreum
♠ English translations by setsailroyalpirates, please credit. ^^~
“James’ position in the group has changed, and my promotional name has changed as well. We’ve changed the style of the songs and the instruments used- by adding in EDM elements our musical color has changed as well. While working with Producer Jung, I feel like he helped us to work a lot more freely, and I was able to drum with a much heavier beat. Moon’s vocals have also gained strength, and the sound is a lot richer now. We’ve changed a lot. (laugh) Producer Jung really did his best to help us keep our rock elements, and find a way for us to perform on stage. I want to work on the next album with him too. He has a lot in common with us. If it wasn’t for him, we would have had a really difficult time.” (EXSY)
A band’s synthesis is the most important. The way each member matches with the others is a large factor in deciding how their music will sound. It’s due to this that the friendship that the RP members have shown us seems to become even more meaningful. Despite losing the bass, member James was not shaken and is still reliably sustaining the team. Just as a solid iron requires multiple trips through blazing flame to become perfected, so have these men withstood much difficulty to become as strong as they are now. We hope the difficult times have passed, and a 2016 you can look forward to is awaiting RP.
“We hope we can become a great hit. It would be really nice if we could keep releasing albums, and keep being with our fans. We want to have many performances, and hope there are many opportunities to make ourselves known- it’s okay even if you hate us too. Please listen to our music a lot, and thank you so much to all the fans who waited for us. We hope you all make it big!” (James Lee, Moon Kim, EXSY)
♦ NewsWay Reporter Kim Ahreum
♠ English translations by setsailroyalpirates, please credit. ^^~
