Royal and The Serpent Interview

Mitch: Your debut album, Emptiness Is Godly, just dropped on May 8! How does it feel to finally be arriving at this milestone?
Royal & the Serpent: It’s actually a mix of emotions. It feels really exciting, like it’s been a long time coming. It’s also a bit scary in that way where you’re nervous and excited at the same time. I’m a little nervous, a little scared, and I just hope people like it. I’m so proud of it, and I hope it reaches the right people and I hope they appreciate it.

Mitch: Do you mind sharing more about the album and the story it follows?
Royal & the Serpent: Yeah, absolutely. This album really is a culmination of everything I’ve done so far. It follows this character that’s been the face of Royal and the Serpent since I started putting out music. We start to understand that she’s been simulating every experience she’s had, and everybody’s gotten to witness her go through all these different iterations and versions of herself. It’s only now that we start to unveil what’s behind that facade.

She’s this robot-computer character who lives inside of a white abyss, and she wants to be a human girl so badly. She simulates these stories to experience human emotion. This album is a tale she creates for herself about love. What it feels like to fall in love, get your heart broken, and break other people’s hearts. She falls in love twice, with two different people at the same time, and experiences heartache in a way she never has before. It becomes more about realising her influence on others, which I think is a deeper level of emotion than we’ve gotten into in previous works.

I’m really excited about her. I love her so deeply, and she feels like such a part of me. It’s also been a lot about my own experience as an artist and what it feels like to have the world watching you. I think the album really reflects that.

Mitch: When building this album, did the music shape the story or did the story shape the music?
Royal & the Serpent: I think it was a little bit of both. I think R has been poking her head out ever since I put out Overwhelmed. It wasn’t until this album that I really understood she was behind everything, and that I almost had to personify Royal and the Serpent. I had to separate myself as Ryan, the human being, from Royal and the Serpent, and build this character in order to understand Royal better.

The project itself isn’t just one name, one person, or a band. Royal and the Serpent already confuses people, so really personifying it and understanding who was behind it all this time — and realising it wasn’t just me as Ryan — was how the story came together.

As far as the music goes, so much of the story R is telling, especially when it comes to falling in love, came story first. A lot of that came from personal experience, over-dramatising my own mistakes, and having fun creating an album around that.

Mitch: What does the phrase ‘Emptiness Is Godly’ mean to you?
Royal & the Serpent: Emptiness is Godly originally came from a dark place. Without getting too detailed, it was something I used to say to myself back when I struggled more with disordered eating. I used to tell myself that if I could just not eat, I would somehow be godly in my own eyes. It was a really dark phrase that I repeated to myself.

Once I healed and came back from that, I wanted to reclaim it as a powerful statement because the phrase itself always felt powerful to me. It felt like there was so much depth behind it. I decided it made perfect sense for this album because it wasn’t until I hit rock bottom emotionally that I became open to the gifts the universe, God, and the world had to offer.

There’s something really beautiful that happens when you finally surrender, especially at your lowest emotional point. You stop believing you have to fix everything, and it opens you up to a whole new world of possibilities.

Even beyond that, while putting this album out, I’ve realised the phrase has so many meanings. I’ve started to shed things that no longer serve me, whether that’s toxic friendships, things I don’t need in the house, or just emotional baggage in general. There’s so much excess in the world we live in today that we really don’t need to carry. Whether it’s emotional baggage or too much shit in your closet, letting go of all of that has honestly been one of the healthiest things I’ve ever done for myself. And this album has really given me the opportunity to dive in and understand all the meanings behind this phrase.

I know that was a long-winded answer, but it’s carried a lot of meaning for me over time, and over the last year it’s become something I’ve really claimed as a source of power within myself.

Mitch: What do you hope people feel while listening to this album? What do you hope people take away from the album?
Royal & the Serpent: Oh my gosh. I hope they feel inspired. I hope they feel hopeful. I hope they feel free. And I hope they take away that I do not plan to ever stop transforming as an artist or creator. I hope they hear this album and think, “Oh my gosh, what’s next? Will it be different?”

It was really fun because I got to experiment in a whole new way that feels really exciting. And now I’m already thinking about what’s going to come next and whether it’ll be even more different than this.

But emotionally, I really do hope they feel hopeful.

Mitch: You’re someone I consider impossible to put in a box and define, which is so cool. You can go from making a massive punk track to something deeply emotional and stripped back. Do you actively try to avoid being boxed into one sound, or does that happen naturally?
Royal & the Serpent: I do think it’s natural but I refuse to be one thing. I always have been like that. I think that’s also why I placed this character inside of a box, because it represents how the world sees artists and how they want artists to stay inside one box so they’re easier to digest and understand.

That’s why she’s so desperately trying to experience everything she can, because just like me, she wants to feel everything. I want to do everything. I want to try everything. Even when it comes to the music I listen to, there’s not one genre I love more than the next.

It’s been really fun getting to evolve in the eyes of listeners over the years. I think it’s happened naturally, and I think the progression of the music has aligned with my own progression as I’ve grown up and changed. That’s been a big part of it too.

Mitch: You’re heading on tour in June. How are you feeling leading up to it? Can we expect Australia soon?
Royal & the Serpent: Oh my gosh, I love Australia. The last time I was there, we had the best time. Absolutely expect that soon. It’s not officially on the books yet, but if it’s not the end of this year, probably next year. So stay tuned.

I’m so excited for this tour. I haven’t headlined a tour in three years, so I can’t wait to show everyone this new show. It’s going to be totally different from what people have seen from me before, and we’re building out this really sick experience. I cannot wait.

Mitch: Why should people grab a ticket? What can they expect from your shows?
Royal & the Serpent: If you don’t have a ticket yet, I highly suggest getting one. Especially if you’re already a fan or you’ve seen me before, I’m really excited to give people something new. The show is designed so differently this time around. I’m not doing a band. It’s going to be me with crazy lighting, a cool stage setup, visuals, and me playing different instruments. I want it to feel like stepping into the world of this album.

So not only will I obviously be playing the new music, but it’ll also be a new visual experience for the fans to come and see.

I also just think that there’s something really special about The RATS community. They’re so kind and so brilliant and so beautiful and so friendly. More than even just coming to see the show for me, come to be a part of the community because they really are so warm and so welcoming. It’s a beautiful space.

RAPID FIRE QUESTIONS!!

Mitch: Favourite track from the album?
Royal & the Serpent: Oh my God... I don’t know, that’s so hard. It changes every day. Today it’s Carry Me Home.

Mitch: Favourite lyric from the album?
Royal & the Serpent: I think the entirety of Pulling Teeth is my favourite lyrical, poetic thing I’ve ever written. But especially the beginning:

"Growing up is like pulling teeth. Wisdom comes from agony. Beauty’s always right around the corner, always out of reach."

Come on. I could go on. I love that one so much.

Mitch: Which track are you most excited to play live?
Royal & the Serpent: Ponyboy.

Mitch: Favourite Australian city?
Royal & the Serpent: I really loved Melbourne. I loved all of them, but I think Melbourne might be it.

Mitch: Most underrated track in your discography?
Royal & the Serpent: ASTROTURF is super underrated. I just don’t know if it fully clocks for people. Like, hello... the grass is green on the other side, but it’s fake, it’s ASTROTURF! What are we not getting?!?!?

Mitch: If all music died tomorrow, what would you be doing?
Royal & the Serpent: Pottery. Jewellery making. Poetry. Pilates. Maybe woodworking. Honestly, anything crafty. Give me a craft, girl. I love a craft.