Royal Pirates
Encyclopedia
Royal Pirates is a Korean-American rock band currently living in Southern California
. The band was formerly known as Fading From Dawn with the members: Moonchul, Sooyoon, and Richard. Richard, Moonchul's brother, the bassist in the band, died in 2008 in a car accident. Moonchul and Sooyoon couldn't be Fading From Dawn without Richard and decided to change their name to Royal Pirates. They are full Koreans who have been living in Southern California for more than 10 years and they both speak fluent Korean and English.
With their talent and originality, Royal Pirates gained fame on Youtube
, by uploading covers such as the remake of "Circus" by Britney Spears
who reached 180,000 views in just two weeks. Their original songs and remade versions of some K-pop
songs gave Royal Pirates' channel more than 179,000 channel views and more than 13,500 subscribers.
Their music style is influenced by Muse
, L'Arc-en-Ciel, Saosin
, My Chemical Romance
, Siam Shade
, Janne Da Arc
, Relient K
and SID
.
James Lee (ex. Azusa) joined Royal Pirates as a bassist in September 2009.
In September 2008, Moonchul and Sooyoon posted their first cover ( "Time is running out" by Muse
) on their Youtube account. After that, they kept uploading rock versions of hit songs such as "Nobody" by Wonder Girls
, "Mirotic" by DBSK, "Circus" by Britney Spears
, the latter reached 18 thousand viewers in just two weeks and was also featured on Britney's homepage.
Their first original song released on the internet was "Royal Villain". Sooyoon's song "Like Butterflies" was also released soon after.
The cover of the song "Sorry Sorry" by Super Junior
in Spring 2009 was also a great remake and after the video was posted on a Korean website (Cyworld.co.kr), Royal Pirates received an invitation from the writer of Star King (a Korean Variety Show) to appear on their show. The boys declined the invitation since they had "major conflicts with school" and "scheduling was difficult for both of [them]". Also, they didn't want to leave the image of a "Cover Band" or a "Super Junior Band" to the world and to Korea.
In May 2009, Royal Pirates appeared on Korean News Channel YTN
where they were presented as an independent rock band which became a new Youtube sensation, getting over ten thousand views with their powerful instrumentals and brilliant videos.
In June 2009, allkpop
presented the Royal Pirates as the duo who gained popularity through their Youtube videos. They sang live, at the Sound Aslyum recording studio, their new original song called "Crawling Out" written by Moonchul.
The next covers that Royal Pirates shared to the Youtubers were the K-pop summer hits "Again & Again" and "I Hate You" by 2PM
as well as "Tell Me Your Wish" by Girls' Generation
.
James Lee (ex-member of Azusa) joined Royal Pirates as a bassist in September 2009 and in October 2009, Royal Pirates appeared on KOME
channel to introduce their new bassist.
For Christmas 2009, Royal Pirates recorded their version of "All I want for Christmas is you" in which all 3 members can be seen performing.
In March 2010, Royal Pirates released the music video for their new original song and demo "Disappear" which was directed by Steve Hwang.
They declared "This is not the actual debut of Royal Pirates. This MV
was made independently for the fans and also for promotion of the band."
Richard (Moonchul's older brother) was the bass player for the band Fading From Dawn(2004–2008). He died along with two other best friends, David Chong(정용혁) and Daniel Kim(김동은), in a car accident. After his death, the band changed the name to Royal Pirates.
Southern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
. The band was formerly known as Fading From Dawn with the members: Moonchul, Sooyoon, and Richard. Richard, Moonchul's brother, the bassist in the band, died in 2008 in a car accident. Moonchul and Sooyoon couldn't be Fading From Dawn without Richard and decided to change their name to Royal Pirates. They are full Koreans who have been living in Southern California for more than 10 years and they both speak fluent Korean and English.
With their talent and originality, Royal Pirates gained fame on Youtube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
, by uploading covers such as the remake of "Circus" by Britney Spears
Britney Spears
Britney Jean Spears is an American recording artist and entertainer. Born in McComb, Mississippi, and raised in Kentwood, Louisiana, Spears began performing as a child, landing acting roles in stage productions and television shows. She signed with Jive Records in 1997 and released her debut album...
who reached 180,000 views in just two weeks. Their original songs and remade versions of some K-pop
K-pop
K-pop is a musical genre consisting of electropop, hip hop, pop, rock, and R&B music originating in South Korea...
songs gave Royal Pirates' channel more than 179,000 channel views and more than 13,500 subscribers.
Their music style is influenced by Muse
Muse (band)
Muse are an English alternative rock band from Teignmouth, Devon, formed in 1994. The band consists of school friends Matthew Bellamy , Christopher Wolstenholme and Dominic Howard...
, L'Arc-en-Ciel, Saosin
Saosin
Saosin is an American rock band originally hailing from Newport Beach, California. The band was formed in 2003 and recorded its first EP, Translating the Name, that same year with original singer Anthony Green. Green left Saosin following the band's decision to sign with a commercial label,...
, My Chemical Romance
My Chemical Romance
My Chemical Romance is an American alternative rock band from New Jersey, formed in 2001. The band consists of lead vocalist Gerard Way, guitarists Ray Toro and Frank Iero, and bassist Mikey Way and have a diverse sound incorporating elements of punk, emo, glam metal, and progressive rock...
, Siam Shade
Siam Shade
Siam Shade was a five-piece Japanese rock band, which broke onto the visual kei scene alongside a multitude of other artists in the early 1990s. They enjoyed a decade of relative popularity before disbanding in early 2002. On November 18, 2007, they reunited for a concert in honor of their...
, Janne Da Arc
Janne Da Arc
is a Japanese rock band from Hirakata, Osaka. The band's name is often seen shortened to either "Janne" or "JDA".- Career :The band is currently signed to the Motorod record label, which is owned by Avex Group...
, Relient K
Relient K
Relient K is an American rock band formed in 1998 in Canton, Ohio by Matt Thiessen, Brian Pittman, and Matt Hoopes during the band's junior year in high school and their time at Malone University...
and SID
Sid (band)
is a Japanese visual kei rock band signed on to Sony Records.-Background:Sid was founded in 2003 by vocalist Mao and bassist Aki . They were quickly joined by two support members, guitarist Shinji and drummer Yuuya...
.
James Lee (ex. Azusa) joined Royal Pirates as a bassist in September 2009.
History
The group was formerly known as Fading From Dawn from 2004 with the guitarist-vocalist Moonchul Kim, drummer Sooyoon Kim and bassist Richard Kim, Moonchul's older brother. They used to play at several Korean events such as the annual Korean Festival in Orange County. After Richard's death in April 2008 in a car accident in Pomona, California, they rarely played live anymore since they had no bass player. They also decided to change their name to Royal Pirates because they couldn't be Fading From Dawn without Richard.In September 2008, Moonchul and Sooyoon posted their first cover ( "Time is running out" by Muse
Muse (band)
Muse are an English alternative rock band from Teignmouth, Devon, formed in 1994. The band consists of school friends Matthew Bellamy , Christopher Wolstenholme and Dominic Howard...
) on their Youtube account. After that, they kept uploading rock versions of hit songs such as "Nobody" by Wonder Girls
Wonder Girls
Wonder Girls is a South Korean girl group. Its producer and manager is singer-songwriter Park Jin-Young and the Wonder Girls is signed to his talent agency, JYP Entertainment. Each of the five original members were selected through auditions...
, "Mirotic" by DBSK, "Circus" by Britney Spears
Britney Spears
Britney Jean Spears is an American recording artist and entertainer. Born in McComb, Mississippi, and raised in Kentwood, Louisiana, Spears began performing as a child, landing acting roles in stage productions and television shows. She signed with Jive Records in 1997 and released her debut album...
, the latter reached 18 thousand viewers in just two weeks and was also featured on Britney's homepage.
Their first original song released on the internet was "Royal Villain". Sooyoon's song "Like Butterflies" was also released soon after.
The cover of the song "Sorry Sorry" by Super Junior
Super Junior
Super Junior is a South Korean boy band. Formed in 2005 by producer Lee Soo-man of SM Entertainment, the group comprised a total of thirteen members at its peak, and was once claimed to be the world's largest boy band...
in Spring 2009 was also a great remake and after the video was posted on a Korean website (Cyworld.co.kr), Royal Pirates received an invitation from the writer of Star King (a Korean Variety Show) to appear on their show. The boys declined the invitation since they had "major conflicts with school" and "scheduling was difficult for both of [them]". Also, they didn't want to leave the image of a "Cover Band" or a "Super Junior Band" to the world and to Korea.
In May 2009, Royal Pirates appeared on Korean News Channel YTN
YTN
YTN is a 24-hour news channel in South Korea. It was founded on September 14, 1993 as a subsidiary of Yonhap News Agency, and began broadcasting on March 1, 1995...
where they were presented as an independent rock band which became a new Youtube sensation, getting over ten thousand views with their powerful instrumentals and brilliant videos.
In June 2009, allkpop
Allkpop
Allkpop is a breaking K-Pop celebrity gossip and news site launched on October 30, 2007 and based out of Edgewater, NJ...
presented the Royal Pirates as the duo who gained popularity through their Youtube videos. They sang live, at the Sound Aslyum recording studio, their new original song called "Crawling Out" written by Moonchul.
The next covers that Royal Pirates shared to the Youtubers were the K-pop summer hits "Again & Again" and "I Hate You" by 2PM
2PM
2PM is a South Korean boy band, originally a seven-member group, but currently consisting of six members due to the sudden contract termination of leader Jaebeom following an Internet controversy in September 2009. They are managed by JYP Entertainment...
as well as "Tell Me Your Wish" by Girls' Generation
Girls' Generation
Girls' Generation is a nine-member South Korean electropop girl group formed by S.M. Entertainment in 2007. The nine members are: Taeyeon , Jessica, Sunny, Tiffany, Hyoyeon, Yuri, Sooyoung, Yoona and Seohyun...
.
James Lee (ex-member of Azusa) joined Royal Pirates as a bassist in September 2009 and in October 2009, Royal Pirates appeared on KOME
KOME
KOME was a radio station in San Jose, California, heard at 98.5 FM from 1971 thru 1998. Currently, the 98.5 FM frequency is home to KUFX .-Beginnings:...
channel to introduce their new bassist.
For Christmas 2009, Royal Pirates recorded their version of "All I want for Christmas is you" in which all 3 members can be seen performing.
In March 2010, Royal Pirates released the music video for their new original song and demo "Disappear" which was directed by Steve Hwang.
They declared "This is not the actual debut of Royal Pirates. This MV
MV
-Science and technology:* Maedi-visna virus or visna virus, a virus causing encephalitis and pneumonitis in sheep and goats* Materialized view, a concept in database management systems...
was made independently for the fans and also for promotion of the band."
Moonchul (문철)
- Full Name: Kim Moon Chul
- English Name: Andrew Kim
- Date of Birth: September 02, 1988 (age 23)
- Position: Vocal, Guitar
- Hometown: Incheon, South Korea
Sooyoon (수윤)
- Full Name: Kim Soo Yoon
- Date of Birth: December 17, 1989 (age 22)
- Position: Drum, Subvocal
- Hometown: Seoul, South Korea
James Lee
- Full Name: James Joo Hyun Lee
- Korean Name: Lee Joo Hyun
- Date of Birth: June 09, 1988 (age 23)
- Position: Bass Guitar
- Hometown: Los Angeles, U.S.A
Richard
- Real Name: Kim Moon Chan
- Date of Birth: October 4, 1986 -
Richard (Moonchul's older brother) was the bass player for the band Fading From Dawn(2004–2008). He died along with two other best friends, David Chong(정용혁) and Daniel Kim(김동은), in a car accident. After his death, the band changed the name to Royal Pirates.