Royal & the Serpent: 4 Keys To Success, Overwhelmed, Demi Lovato, Resilience, and "You Are Enough"

Have you ever wondered about the journey behind a hit song? This week I talked with Royal & the Serpent. We had an intimate look into her life, her mind set on her art, and so much more. We did a deep dive into how her hit song "Overwhelmed," came to be and all of the work that went into making it a success.

Royal doesn't just reveal the raw emotion that fuels her music, but also how she uses manifestation and goal setting to turn dreams into reality. In this episode, she offers candid insights on dealing with success and recognition. We also delve into her family history and how it has contributed to her music and her unique approach to overcoming life's challenges and her outlook on what a relationship should look like. We talk about how she and her partner Beepus met and how they eventually started dating.

We also take a detour from music, exploring Royal's passion project, Dumb Rubber - a fashion line born from her lifelong fascination with fashion and creativity. The creative process behind Dumb Rubber not only satisfies Royal's desire for creative expression but also strengthens her bond with her partner Beepus.

In the final chapter, Royal shares her journey towards self-acceptance and healing, offering listeners a realistic perspective on the music industry and a testament to achieving goals through a four-step plan. We also talk about how she connected with Demi Lovato, featured on a song with her, and how they went on tour together.

This episode is a whirlwind exploration of the process, the passion, and the power of music, a compelling narrative that will leave you inspired and moved.

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GROUNDS FOR SUCCESS LINKS
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ROYAL & THE SERPENT LINKS
YouTube:  @royalandtheserpent
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@royalandtheserpent
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/royalandtheserpent/
Merch: https://royalandtheserpent.myshopify.com/

Transcript

Austin Seltzer: 0:01

Welcome to the Grounds for Success podcast. I'm your host, austin Siltzer. Together we'll unveil the keys to success in the music industry. Join me as I explore my guest's life stories and experiences to uncover practical insights to help you align with your goals more effectively. Hey, coffee drinkers, welcome to the Grounds for Success podcast. This week I have Royle and the Serpent.

Austin Seltzer: 0:35

During this episode you will probably hear me say Ryan or Royle I kind of use them interchangeably. She's a friend of mine and whatever rolls out of my mouth rolls out of my mouth. Royle is an incredible artist, incredible person. I run into her all the time and she is dating a good buddy of mine, beapus, from Beauty School Dropout. So our conversation is really organic and we talk about much deeper things than I probably could with somebody who I don't know well. So this podcast is very special.

Austin Seltzer: 1:10

On today's episode we are going to talk about how overwhelmed came to be kind of the story behind it and how it took over two years to become what it was. It was written and it took two years to come out. We will also talk about the full story behind how her and Beapus met and how she became intertwined with the Beauty School Dropout guys and how they became her band on tour in the early days. We'll talk about how she grew up in musical theater, surrounded by people who were incredibly talented, and how she felt like she could never amount to the same thing as them, or she continued to compare herself to them, no matter what, and kind of how that shaped how she still is and things that she's fighting through, just like I'm sure some of you watching or listening to this are, and we'll really dive into how she's battling that. I think you'll get a lot out of that. She grew up with two parents who loved each other incredibly deeply and showed her exactly what love looks like, and so it has created this impression on her of what her relationship should be like and how she's gone through a couple relationships that she thought were that, and now how she's finally found one that she truly feels grounded in.

Austin Seltzer: 2:29

We'll also talk about how, whenever she was younger, she had this idea that she wanted to be a larger-than-life figure adored by fans all over the world, and I believe that kind of manifested who she's becoming and who she really already is, but also how that's no longer her goal. It's just a byproduct of what she wants. We'll talk about the power of manifestation, which kind of goes with that last point, and we'll also talk about how Demi Lovato came into the picture, how Royal began writing for her and then ultimately became an artist on a song with her and now great friends. I think that's a really, really cool story on how she started this career and then how she landed that. Alright, let's get caffeinated. Yeah, cheers yeah.

Austin Seltzer: 3:24

So I gotta have a first sip before.

Royal & the Serpent: 3:27

Yeah, have a sip, it's the best coffee.

Austin Seltzer: 3:31

I also don't know why I was doing that. On that side, let's make it as difficult as humanly possible to sip this. So for everybody watching and listening, royal asked me to make a oak milk latte and it's whipped and mixed with. It's weird. So I have this little thing that will whip the milk and the coffee, so I do it together and that's why it makes it super foamy. But there's something really nice about that.

Royal & the Serpent: 4:06

It's good. I literally took the first sip and said this is the best oak milk latte I've ever had. But I saw you making it and I was wondering what that little whirlpool of fun was.

Austin Seltzer: 4:17

Yeah, it's a whirlpool of happiness and happiness.

Royal & the Serpent: 4:21

I'm so glad this is my first coffee of the day.

Austin Seltzer: 4:25

Same, and, as always, I just do black pour over. I love that too, I'm just so grossing.

Royal & the Serpent: 4:31

No, I get it. I love that too, but it was an oak milk latte day.

Austin Seltzer: 4:36

I love that. Wait what determines that?

Royal & the Serpent: 4:41

Usually just if oak milk latte isn't an option, then black coffee is totally suffices, because I'm also stoked about it. Or if I'm waking up at a hotel and have to run to the van and there's a coffee machine, I'd rather have a black coffee without milk in it than with, if that makes sense I'd rather take a black coffee or a latte, not a coffee with milk in it.

Austin Seltzer: 5:11

Yeah, I totally get that. Also probably pour a coffee that's quick, running out the door of a hotel. I always just call it functional coffee because the taste is not what you're drinking. That for.

Royal & the Serpent: 5:23

No, I kind of love it, though I know it's gross. I love 7-Eleven gas station Folgers meeting coffee. I like nice coffee too, but sometimes I find that it's too strong and has too much of a flavor. I don't know if that just dates back to maybe my childhood and growing up on Folgers, but I'd rather drink a huge thing of watered down shitty coffee than a really nice. You hate this.

Austin Seltzer: 5:55

No, I actually have an analogy in my head that.

Royal & the Serpent: 5:57

I get it.

Austin Seltzer: 5:59

It's the nostalgia, but also, just like you, like drinking coffee, so you want to be able to drink a lot more of it, and it reminds me of back in Dallas, where that's where I'm from, and still, of course, weed is illegal there, but you would get like the really shitty weed. Yes. Right, and you could smoke a fuck ton of it and still be functional.

Royal & the Serpent: 6:24

I feel the same way about weed. I feel the absolute same way about weed. The weed is too strong out here, don't you agree?

Austin Seltzer: 6:32

Yeah, it's too strong.

Royal & the Serpent: 6:33

I take like one hit and I get weird.

Austin Seltzer: 6:36

Yeah.

Royal & the Serpent: 6:37

Yeah, I become a weirdo.

Austin Seltzer: 6:40

I mean, I get it. I actually totally get it.

Royal & the Serpent: 6:44

I shot a bunch of music videos this past weekend in Reno and at the end of everything we were all hanging out and I took like a few hits of a joint and my head went just so strange on me. I was like, oh my God, do I like anything? Is everything okay? Am I not successful? Am I ugly? Am I this? It just was like churning. I also had a lot of laughs and it was really fun. But like behind it all there was just this like running dialogue of like total, anxious insecurity. It's so interesting.

Austin Seltzer: 7:24

Absolutely, yeah, totally. I become paranoid about the most random things, but those don't actually seem random. Those kind of sound like have you done psychedelics? Yeah yeah, they sound like the ego that you destroy and like a decent trip, you know like something that's pretty deep. Yeah. The ones that come up and you swing at them with a baseball bat and they hopefully go away. But yeah, it's interesting because THC is also a. It's got psychedelic properties, so you do have some of those same worries and ego things pop up. Yeah, totally.

Austin Seltzer: 8:03

I think we talk about a lot of those. Yeah yeah, it's really exciting.

Royal & the Serpent: 8:07

I know I'm happy to be here.

Austin Seltzer: 8:08

Thank you for having me. Of course, no weed needed.

Royal & the Serpent: 8:10

No weed needed? No, definitely not. I've actually like been largely pretty sober, like I definitely like have the occasional drink or have the occasional smoke, but I've as I've I don't know if it's I've just gotten older and I've gotten to know myself better or I've just started paying better attention to what happens and how I react when I drink or smoke or whatever, but I've noticed that bad things happen, whether it's just in my brain or even in reality, when I drink or smoke, more than they ever do when I don't. And I'm like at this place where I feel I don't have time for those moments I am. I got pretty intoxicated a few nights ago and I had this like panic attack that the world was ending and that I wasn't spending enough time with the people that I loved. And I started like totally freaking out, like thinking that if I can't be with the people that I love the most right now and the world ends tomorrow, what will I do? And it kind of sat with me over the whole weekend and I even like the first few days of this week I was struggling to sort of like come out of that headspace and that stuff just doesn't happen.

Royal & the Serpent: 9:30

When I'm not drinking, smoking. I'm not calling my boyfriend crying, saying the world's ending, so I try to just stay away from it as much as I can. I mean every so often it's definitely fun. I was watching this thing the other day that was explaining sort of like the dopamine peaks. For like each drug of choice, let's say, and alcohol, one drink, your dopamine levels spike to 2X, but peak at 15 minutes. So after 15 minutes they dip lower than they were before, which is why you're like always chasing that next drink and that next dopamine hit. And it makes a lot of sense. I always. I find that after I've drank the next morning I usually wake up not physically hungover, but my mom likes to call it a soul hangover, because I always feel embarrassed or guilty or like I've done something wrong when probably I was just having a good time. But I think you're like, chemically in your body and your brain you're lacking all that dopamine that you ate up the night before you know.

Austin Seltzer: 10:45

That's exactly what it is. I'm really into stuff like that. And. I think that one of the analogies is a pendulum, where whenever you swing you know if it's from zero to 10, you swing like a six in one direction. There's always going to be a swing in the back direction.

Royal & the Serpent: 11:01

Yeah, totally, and it's like, is it worth it, you know, and I find there are definitely other substances that I used more when I was younger that I would never go near again. And then I think, swing that pendulum 10x further because I could never handle it being swung in the other direction anymore. If that makes sense, it's just not worth it. You know, to feel that low for me at least personally, where I'm at in my life, I feel like I don't have the time to not be on my best as often as I possibly can be, you know.

Austin Seltzer: 11:40

Yeah, I mean, you are one busy motherfucker. You were just like right before this, telling me what the next couple of weeks and months look like, and I'm like okay. I mean, I feel like I got a lot going on, but I get to sit in one room and do all of it, you know mixing. You're gonna be in states, countries all over, not just touring but seeing beepers overseas in Madison Square Garden to see them, and then tonight. Is it the show tonight?

Royal & the Serpent: 12:11

Yeah, they've showed them around Toronto. I fly out tonight to go visit them and then fly back and I fly straight into rehearsals. Because I have some festivals and stuff too in the mix of it all and a riding trip to Nashville and a bunch of stuff in New York and I love it so much. I love being busy. But I also think that I keep myself busy because and I stack my schedule just unbelievably because when I'm not busy or when I don't feel busy, I feel purposeless and I have a really hard time just sitting.

Royal & the Serpent: 12:47

Still, like this week I didn't have a super stacked week and Monday I got home from shooting four music videos and right now I was like 12 hour days all weekend. I got home Monday and I didn't do much and I had like a total mental meltdown. I thought like I'm not doing anything. None of this is gonna work, I'm not successful. You know all the things that race through your head just because I had like a day off which I wasn't even off. I was still like working from home. But I have a tendency to keep busy because it keeps me feeling like I'm pushing forward towards something you know, I think I mean I resonate with that so deeply I'm sure so many creatives do.

Austin Seltzer: 13:34

It just feels like every moment that passes us that we're not just constantly struggling to move forward that we're moving backwards, but you know if there can be a little person in our ear that just whispered hey, you just shot four music videos yesterday.

Royal & the Serpent: 13:54

Yeah, totally.

Austin Seltzer: 13:56

Today you should chill for a second Literally no, totally.

Royal & the Serpent: 13:59

I find that it happens quite often actually, when I go visit the boys, like when they're on tour, because I like become a part of their ecosystem for the few days that I'm there and, even though I'm working remotely on as much stuff as I can, like I'm now in their ecosystem and in their workflow and watching all that they're doing and I start to think like, oh my God, like I'm not doing anything and I'm not home with my people doing all the shit that I need to get done when really like I'm there to visit my boyfriend, you know, at the end of the day, and like spend a little time with my boyfriend because we're both so busy and we're gone all the time and it shouldn't be about me working when I'm out there. But that is like one instance that I notice. It happens all the time in my head and my team will be like Ryan, like you're fine, it's Sunday.

Royal & the Serpent: 14:47

I think why are you trying to work right now? I'm like texting people rapidly. What are we doing? It's so interesting.

Austin Seltzer: 14:54

And just to clarify for everybody watching and listening the guys or beauty school dropout and your boyfriend is Brent or Beepus or B or whatever you know interchangeably is said Beepus, he loves Beepus.

Royal & the Serpent: 15:08

Yeah, he loves it.

Austin Seltzer: 15:11

I mean, I love it too, there's nobody. I know other than him named.

Royal & the Serpent: 15:15

Beepus. When I met him, he wasn't Beepus yet.

Austin Seltzer: 15:18

No, whenever I met him, he was Brent.

Royal & the Serpent: 15:20

Yeah, yeah, he was like BB, I think, when I first met him. Well, when I first first met him, have you ever heard this story?

Austin Seltzer: 15:29

I have, but I've heard two different stories on how it progressed after that.

Royal & the Serpent: 15:35

Okay.

Austin Seltzer: 15:35

So let's set the record straight.

Royal & the Serpent: 15:37

Okay, let's set the record straight. Let's flash back to like maybe four plus years ago now. I was with my ex-boyfriend and we went to this like rooftop event that Winston House was putting on and we went to the bar to get a drink. There's a boy there gives us our drinks. We walk away and me and my boyfriend go both look at each other and we go that dude was really attractive Like we both clocked it. It was Brent. Maybe a month later I see him outed again at another Winston House event. He was bartending. I got a drink, whatever. Yada yada, went home thought wow, that guy was fucking hot. Yeah.

Royal & the Serpent: 16:21

Flash forward two plus years. I'm now not with my ex. I'm shooting music video. I had met Cole recently, just in writing. He ended up being in one of my sessions.

Austin Seltzer: 16:32

I figured you met him at Winston House.

Royal & the Serpent: 16:34

I hadn't met Cole. Wow, I know I met Cole doing a session. I met him and Bardo. At the same time we had a session that was just plugged into my schedule with like pink slip and Inverness. We met. Didn't think much of it. Couple months go by. I text Cole do you wanna be in a music video? I need some extras. Do you wanna give me a tattoo on camera, sorry? He says yes. I said can you bring a friend? I need more extras. I knew they were friends because I saw obviously on the internet, so I knew what I was asking for.

Royal & the Serpent: 17:09

He brings Brent. We totally hit it off. We were talking. I remember sitting on the couch and we're talking, we're hanging, yada, yada, yada. He goes yeah, my girlfriend. And immediately I go hands off, not flirting, not doing anything. You have a girlfriend, cool, didn't know. And then me and the guys, all the guys, just started hanging out all the time and we all just got really close and I hired them to be my band for some gigs and we all just became really close friends. And it wasn't until him and his ex-girlfriend broke up that we both. I remember being at a bar one night and we got really drunk and I looked at him and I was like, would it be hilarious if we kissed right now? And he was like, let's totally do that. And we kissed and we still go back to that bar sometimes and we'll like stand in the spot where we had our first kiss and.

Royal & the Serpent: 17:59

I'm like I know we're so cheesy and we'll kiss and I mean the rest is kind of history. He has not left my house since that night.

Austin Seltzer: 18:08

Yeah, honestly, of all the people I have ever met that are in a relationship, you guys seem like actually perfect.

Royal & the Serpent: 18:15

Thank you.

Austin Seltzer: 18:16

I mean truthfully, I don't somehow you're like one person. I don't even like see you guys as individuals anymore.

Royal & the Serpent: 18:24

I will say it's not easy and it took a lot of time for me to learn that it takes work. You know they say this. You know it's common to hear relationships take hard work. I just didn't know the kind of hard work that it would take to continue to have a flourishing relationship, and it has not been easy. But I'm so, so grateful that we have, like stuck through all of the hard moments and really got into a place where we understand each other and we can communicate effectively.

Royal & the Serpent: 19:01

I think it takes a lot to learn another person that well, and I don't know, it's the most beautiful thing, I think, when you get sort of like on the other side of the hard stuff, because I feel now that our relationship is stronger than even it ever has been. And I think there was a moment where I was so scared that like, oh, the honeymoon phase is gonna end and we're not gonna be into each other anymore, cause I think that's sort of the story that happens with a lot of people. I don't know if you relate to this at all in your relationship, but Absolutely.

Royal & the Serpent: 19:38

Then when you get through sort of the tough stuff together, it's like a deeper level of love and understanding that's almost more beautiful than the honeymoon stuff. You're like seeing each other for more than just what's on the outside and like I don't know. It's really special.

Austin Seltzer: 19:58

That's beautiful. I think that me and Cass are. She is a great communicator and I am still working on it.

Royal & the Serpent: 20:05

Yeah, that's usually how it goes.

Austin Seltzer: 20:07

Yeah, I mean she's very in tune with, like, her emotional intelligence is really great, not so much over here. I definitely know I have to work on it and I'm continuously working on it. The thing that I'm finding the most difficult is what we were talking about earlier is not filtering what I have to say, because I don't wanna hurt somebody's feelings or this or that.

Austin Seltzer: 20:35

So I just like pocket what I'm actually feeling and I just roll with whatever. And then it like builds up animosity or something in your pocket and as soon as that comes out, you're like oh fuck. And you just explode, and not like I'd never exploded in anger, I explode in stress and like you guys are so similar yeah. I feel like.

Austin Seltzer: 21:01

I'm working like walking with concrete and it's all the things that if I just would have said, like how I was actually feeling or what. I was thinking or what I wanted. I would have avoided all of that. So, it's a learning curve for sure.

Royal & the Serpent: 21:17

Totally. But that's also like I think large-to-ear relationships are about right. It's like you teach each other how to be better humans and then like, eventually you continue learning and you're better humans to the rest of the world too. I think this partnership is beautiful in that way.

Austin Seltzer: 21:35

My buddy Sai, who I think you may have met at trying to think the Grammy party one of my buddies, he put me onto this book. Not Nice.

Austin Seltzer: 21:45

And that's legitimately what it is. It's like you don't need to make everybody in the room feel like you're. It's so good I gotta put more down. Oh my gosh, you don't need to make everybody in the room feel like you are the nicest human ever. Most people. I think that you gravitate towards people anyways just by who they are Like. Brent is actually just genuinely one of the nicest dudes. He's so kind, and I think kind is the right word.

Royal & the Serpent: 22:18

Nice is I was just gonna say, kind and nice are two totally different things. They are.

Austin Seltzer: 22:22

We don't need to be nice. We don't have to just like sit there and agree with everything that somebody says. It's okay to have an opinion, you can be kind, and I think he is genuinely very kind.

Royal & the Serpent: 22:32

Yeah, I think kindness and consideration are so different than being nice. Nice is a facade, and nice is something that you can play and pretend to be, but I think kindness comes from your heart and you can be kind while still telling somebody something that maybe they don't wanna hear. You can also not be kind, which is not preferable, and plenty of people do that, but I think there's also a way to tell people things, even if you're afraid to. So long as you are loving and kind about it, I think in the end it's for the greater good of all. Sometimes people need to hear the truth too, for sure, yeah, yeah.

Austin Seltzer: 23:17

So I think that that leads us. I wanna go back. We're gonna like turn back the clocks. We're gonna go to Little Ryan and I wanna hear some about like your early family life and how you were raised or the things that were in your life that kind of shaped who you were in your teens and who you are today, and probably just some of like the fabric of who you are that you'll always be, and for the good and for the bad. I'd love to hear about some of that.

Royal & the Serpent: 23:58

Okay, so I would love. I'm like thinking of this one thing, and I think that this is like a common thing that maybe happens with people, but I remember being so young and I was so showered with love from my parents and I was so showered with you're so talented, you're so amazing, you're so this, you're so that and I've heard people talk about this before, mostly with beauty, actually where, like, they'll be someone that talks about, oh, the only thing I heard from my parents was you're so pretty or you're so beautiful. And then I grew up and I felt like I had nothing else going for me and I wasn't smart.

Royal & the Serpent: 24:38

And I wasn't this because all I heard was you're so beautiful and I think that I'm so grateful that I have such supportive parents and they've always been so amazing to me.

Royal & the Serpent: 24:49

But for some reason I always remember being a young kid.

Royal & the Serpent: 24:53

I'm hearing my parents say that I was talented and thinking they have to say that, like they're my parents, I'm not actually talented.

Royal & the Serpent: 25:05

They have to tell me that what are they gonna say you suck. When in hindsight, I'm so lucky that I had parents that were so supportive, but I always I just never believed them and I think that that has carried throughout my entire life, that it is so hard for me to believe that anybody likes anything that I do, that I affect anybody in a positive way, that even my fans like the music that I make. I think, oh well, they're my fans, so they have to like it, because they'll like anything that I do and they'll like anything that I put out because they're my fans and they put me on this pedestal and what I'm making isn't actually good and it isn't actually worthy of X, y and Z. And I know that's kind of not exactly the answer to the question that you asked, but it was just something that I thought of when you asked about Little Ryan, because I think that's absolutely a fabric of who you are.

Royal & the Serpent: 26:05

So thanks for sharing that. Yeah, of course, and I mean, I don't know, it's such an interesting feeling and I think it also just really comes from a deep sense of insecurity that I still I mean, I push through it every day, but it's still there, you know, and it doesn't stop me from doing what I do and I definitely have moments where I'm on top of the world and I feel like such a badass and I really love what I'm doing, but it definitely like fluctuates. But yeah, I mean, I've been doing kind of this stuff forever. I grew up as a dancer and I was in musical theater and I got my first guitar when I was 14 and I just remember being I was always so surrounded I went to a performing arts high school.

Austin Seltzer: 27:03

Oh, that's cool.

Royal & the Serpent: 27:04

And I remember being in this also now that I'm thinking about it like mirrors itself in today. But I was always so surrounded by so many people that were so talented that I thought were so talented and had such amazing voices and could play instruments so amazing and were such great actresses and actors, and I always just felt like I wasn't good enough to be a part of the community of people around me. And I think that, while it's amazing to be surrounded by so many talented people, I even notice that today I do the same thing. I compare myself to everybody around me, all of our friends that are all doing the same thing, that are chasing the common goal, and I compare myself and I think I'm either not as good as them or I'm better than them, or I mean it's all this ego bullshit that I mean. It's not running in my mind all the time, but it's definitely something that I constantly have to work through because, at the end of the day, we're making art which is not supposed to be comparable to anybody else's art. It's like personal to us and it's so wacky that we even like sell it. That's a whole other tangent that I've been thinking about lately. It is super fun.

Royal & the Serpent: 28:34

I would love to get into acting more. I think that's why I love music videos so much. They're my favorite part of what I do, hands down. I could shoot a music video every day for the rest of my life and never get back on stage again and be totally satisfied and fulfilled. Not that I'm asking for that universe, but I love it. I love getting to a moat on camera. It's just something like so adrenaline rushy, like you're saying about it. That's really rewarding.

Austin Seltzer: 29:07

So were your parents into music.

Royal & the Serpent: 29:10

Yeah, my pop-up was a musician, so I grew up first with just my mom and my pop-up, before my mom met my dad my current dad and my pop-up was an incredible musician. I mean he played everything and he played drums and vibes in all of these really big bands like big bands, not like big success bands like big band music.

Royal & the Serpent: 29:37

And so we grew up living with him for the first like six or seven years of my life and he taught me how to play piano and violin like at a very young age, and he was definitely like a very musical household. A lot of my mom's, siblings and cousins all were very into music as well and all played a lot of instruments, and I think that had a huge influence on me for sure.

Austin Seltzer: 30:05

Yeah, absolutely that early on you're getting introduced to not just like smacking a piano but, like learning to play it. Heck, yeah, I mean, that's probably why you went to a performance art performing art school. You were drawn to that. It's beautiful. I'm curious, though so your parents were divorced then?

Royal & the Serpent: 30:28

No, my mom had me in college and I don't know anything about my bio dad. I never met him. I never really asked about him. Growing up either, I think I always, intuitively, as a young child, had this sense like I didn't want to ask because I was afraid of hurting my mom not hurting her and I'm sure she'll hear this and think you could have asked me anything. But I don't know. I asked a few times. I remember when I started going to preschool and kindergarten, realizing that because I didn't know any different.

Royal & the Serpent: 31:12

So it wasn't until I was in preschool and kindergarten that I noticed that other people had dads and that's when I probably started asking questions and it was always just sort of very simple answers Very, oh, he was sick and we don't. You know he wasn't a good guy or, you know, don't worry about him. And so I just kind of stopped asking. But I also got to watch my mom meet my dad who's the only dad I've ever known and fall in love. So I was seven years old when my mom met my dad and I got to watch them fall in the most beautiful, remarkable love, which I think not many people get to see, that as a young child.

Royal & the Serpent: 32:04

So I think from a very young age I believed in love and I think most people have it sort of the opposite. Most people see their parents fall apart and get divorced, or a lot of people do, yeah, you know, and it shaped my understanding of relationships from such a young age in a way that I can't really thank them enough. I think it saved me from being in a lot of terrible relationships probably, and I think a lot of people and I don't know if you relate to this, but I know that I know a lot of people that do that sort of have this idea and this fear that all love falls apart because of what they experienced in their childhood. And I got the exact opposite. I mean, I started out with a little bit of a tougher situation. It was just me and my mom and it was definitely not easy and she was very young, but in the long run it was quite beautiful.

Austin Seltzer: 33:01

I'm so glad that you were able to see the staple relationship and how it formed.

Royal & the Serpent: 33:07

Yeah.

Austin Seltzer: 33:07

That's beautiful.

Royal & the Serpent: 33:09

Yeah, I mean it's so interesting how we become who we become and how so much of it comes from how we're raised and what we see at such a young age. And I think the one thing if there is one downside to what I experienced as far as love goes is that I had such a high standard my whole life that I believed love was supposed to be fairytale love and I thought that there was only one person for everybody, because that's sort of the way that my parents looked to me at a young age. So I thought what you saw in the movies existed in real life and that there was only one. And so I think I convinced myself that a lot of people before the person I'm with now was the one, and I would just tell myself over and over again that it was that because there could only be one. But I'm past that now.

Austin Seltzer: 34:08

Yeah.

Royal & the Serpent: 34:09

I mean, I think Brent is my one, but it's like different. It's like I just he's my life partner and I'm just so grateful that I get to experience this life with him. It isn't this like I must, this must work out, or else what will happen? It's like I really hope that we spend the rest of our lives together, because that would be fucking sick, yeah.

Austin Seltzer: 34:36

I love that. Yeah, bravo, thanks. So I guess the main question of this podcast and what we'll dive into after this is, to you what does success mean? Hmm.

Royal & the Serpent: 35:00

I love this question. I think, lately more than ever, success is more of an internal feeling than an external result. I think it comes in the form of fulfillment. I think it comes in the form of joy and of happiness and moments like memorable moments that will last with you forever. Success is such a tricky, especially as an artist. I'm actually no for all people. I'm sure Everyone's chasing something. It's such a tricky little bitch.

Austin Seltzer: 35:48

Yes.

Royal & the Serpent: 35:50

I know we talked earlier about the chasing the carrot that never gets closer. But if you were to ask me what success looks like in my career only not on an internal personal level I think I would tell you something totally different and I think I would say success looks like being where. I hope that someday I'll get. But as I progress through this journey, I realize more that there is never. You're climbing a ladder that has no end point. There's never going to be a moment that you turn around and think, ah, I've made it because so many people think I already have, or so many people even like my little cousins and stuff. You're famous and I'm like no, I'm not.

Royal & the Serpent: 36:49

But a way that I like to measure my success for me personally is especially when I'm feeling that sort of that feeling of like, oh, I just need to get there, I just need to get to that next thing. I really like to take a second and think back to just one year ago. What was I doing one year ago? And I look back and sometimes I'll even scroll through my photos and I'll find one year ago and I'll remember what place I was in then and exactly what I was doing and how I felt and then I'll think about all the things that happened in the air and usually I have this feeling of like holy shit, because it's so easy for the stuff to pass you by, because it all happened so fast and I know we've talked about how busy we are, but things really do happen so fast that sometimes it's hard to take a moment to soak it all in you know, Absolutely.

Royal & the Serpent: 37:42

And I remember I did like a radio thing after I played the Troubadour show and he was asking me oh, what was your favorite moment of this year? And yada, yada, and I had listed all these things off and he said not selling at the Troubadour, and I said I forgot I did that because things just happen so fast and that was one of the most special moments of my life and I totally forgot it even happened, you know. So I think success in the present moment to me, the success that I want to keep trying to chase, is just finding happiness and joy and enjoying the things that I do and finding meaning and purpose and what I'm doing here, and also only ever comparing myself to older versions of myself, because the second you start looking around is when you start feeling like you're not enough.

Austin Seltzer: 38:39

I love that. That right there is so huge, especially for an artist, to stay in your creative bubble and not start comparing yourself creatively to others, because then you start finding yourself in this weird like you're following their blueprint and that is like the antithesis of art for somebody who legitimately you're so in your own lane, even though it is rock and you, like I'm sure, get compared to so and so or you're on the playlist of so and so I genuinely think that you are in your own lane and I think that that comes from as much as you can, not comparing yourself to others, which I know you struggle with.

Austin Seltzer: 39:22

You've talked about that and somehow you have stayed in a lane of your own and you keep on getting booked for these crazy freaking festivals and and massive tours because those bands or whoever's putting on those shows, know that you are Authentically you thank you.

Royal & the Serpent: 39:47

It's so interesting because I always think Like, why can't it just make a song that sounds like anything else? And they always think like, why can't I just make a real song? There's thoughts that I have because it's not my first. Some reason it always sounds so different. I don't know if that's just like a personal thing or if other people feel that way, but I always I'm like I'll hear music and I'll be like why can't I just make something like that? Why does everything I make sound like me?

Austin Seltzer: 40:16

Another moniker. I know, yeah, it's so funny well, I Want to touch on some of the things that you said there. First of all, from a Standard definition of success mm-hmm. You have clearly made it to the successful level. I mean, I was just telling you earlier we were at the death by Romy mm-hmm show and, like I consider myself a friend of yours, mm-hmm, we see each other often enough.

Austin Seltzer: 40:51

Yeah and I couldn't even go up to you and like say hey, until a bazillion other people were just like oh my god, oh my god, it's royal, it's royal in the serpent. Oh my god, I'm like damn, this is like not a big show like it was. I feel like it was thrown for Romy and Mothken what not friends? And like they're close friends mm-hmm that was kind of like how it was set up.

Austin Seltzer: 41:13

Yeah, and you're getting swarmed mm-hmm and I was like damn, she's definitely gone to the next level. And that was after the Demi tour mm-hmm yeah. I was just like wow, there's a substantial difference. So if we're doing the like year Thing, like I could go back a year mm-hmm and we were at I don't remember which track of yours it was, but a release party that you had yeah, the white party, yes, yes and like yeah yeah, from then mm-hmm till, like I can't even say hey to a friend mm-hmm.

Royal & the Serpent: 41:46

Like substantial difference yeah, it's so interesting too because on like a peer level, like we're saying, and even like a friend level, I think it's really easy to feel wildly successful. But then on like a team level, I think there's so much pressure For the next hit or the next thing, or you're not gonna make it if you don't, x? Yz. It Is such an interesting balance to try and find like the middle between those two polarities, because on one hand, the team and the label and the whatever Just want to hit because they just want to make their money and they just want to. I mean, I want to hit too.

Austin Seltzer: 42:32

Obviously we all want to hit.

Royal & the Serpent: 42:33

That's the goal. That's the point and maybe not even just because it's a hit, but because, like you get to touch more lives, the bigger attract gets totally, but then, but it's like you have that but then you also have like you're saying like going out to some event and you can't even stop to talk to your friends because you're getting stopped by so many people to say hi or take pics or whatever it is. I find that an emo night, a lot emo night, is usually like really intense with them.

Royal & the Serpent: 43:05

There's some places that are just more like that than other places, I think yeah but we like me and the boys, all, like all get stuck to emo night so much.

Austin Seltzer: 43:13

Well, I think that that thing is set up to be that way totally. I mean it's it's really like put on for the fans and you're put on a pedestal, which I mean that as an artist you are, but there it's like We've got so and so and so and so and so and so, and if you come to emo night, you have a chance of meeting. No, totally, totally but which is cool I was talking about was not set up that way and you're still spoiled.

Royal & the Serpent: 43:37

So I know, but yeah, it's. It's so interesting because that Also, though, feels good. You know, it definitely is like as much as it Usually. I just feel guilty that I don't get to like we're saying like spend more time with the people that I know and love, that are there, but it's still like it feels nice to like feel recognized. I got recognized at like a Coffee shop, like breakfast place the other day. It was like one of the cutest things ever. This like barista like took my order and then Asked me if I was royal, and then I sat down and she like came over and brought me a gluten-free pastry.

Royal & the Serpent: 44:21

Oh I was like I brought this for you because he said you were gluten-free. Like that is, that's it. Like that stuff never goes Unnoticed. Like it, it's, it's it, rewarding it. Like feels like I'm actually doing the thing that I set out to do. I don't know.

Austin Seltzer: 44:42

Yeah, you made an impact on her life Enough that she felt like I want to bring over something special to her. I may be not with not saying it, but I mean that she was thinking you.

Royal & the Serpent: 44:55

So weird. Then I like start thinking like, is it ego? Is my ego going? Like, oh my god, like they know who I am, like that's so cool, right, there's such a funny line that we dance with this stuff. And then you think about the people that can't even go outside Without getting swarmed right and it's like is that what I'm chasing? Do I want that? Because that's, those are the goals that I'm setting for myself. And what's that actually like? What do you think that's like? Seems like a lot.

Austin Seltzer: 45:26

I. I personally don't think that I could take that. Mm-hmm I.

Austin Seltzer: 45:31

Think that you have to be it. You definitely have to be a very special human to deal with that, but, like I think, you have to get conditioned from an early age or an earlier age on how to deal with that, because that's like that is a whole different universe of of eyes and and People looking at every little nuance of your life all the time. You can't make one move without it being on, you know, people magazine or e-news or something like that. I don't think that I'm equipped not currently at least.

Austin Seltzer: 46:05

I think I don't think that this podcast could ever get to that big. I mean, if this were the biggest podcast ever, ever like Joe Rogan, then, yeah, I think you have that but if you're not, joe Rogan or Alex Cooper? I Don't think. Okay, I'll put it this way if, when Cass becomes the superstar that I know she's going to be, she's just like very, very gifted. I'll be the boyfriend, or whatever of.

Austin Seltzer: 46:37

But For you I'm I'm curious because I know that you struggle with anxiety and the the ebbs and flows of life like most of us do, but I'm sure that you feel it more than most, because I think you're an empathetic person like you. You just feel deeper. I'm very curious how that Super stardom will feel. I.

Royal & the Serpent: 47:02

Mean. Hopefully we'll find out.

Royal & the Serpent: 47:04

I'm certain we will because, again, that is, that is the thing I'm chasing, not that particularly, but that comes with all the things that I'm chasing. I Also do think and this is something that I've never really talked about that when I kind of first started, or maybe just when I was younger, that was the exact thing I was chasing was being loved and adored by millions, by the whole world, being known, so that I could feel important, because I probably didn't feel Important on my own and I thought that being known by many would make me feel Worthy and important. And I think that for a very long time, in the beginning of my career, I was chasing all the wrong things and I cared. I cared way way more about about how people thought, of what people thought about me, and All I wanted was the fame part, which Kind of has nothing to do with the art part, because you could be famous without being an artist.

Royal & the Serpent: 48:17

Mean, it's, we're living in an influence or culture, so lots of people are, like everyone's, famous these days you know, I Also think the age of the celebrity is slowly dying because of how much we're living on the internet and how many eyes can be on everything that everyone's doing at all times, that so many people are Micro celebrities, but the age of like the, for example, demi Lovato level of Celebrity is just more rare these days than I think it ever has been yeah, I think it's twofold what you said about micro celebrities.

Austin Seltzer: 48:57

Mm-hmm and then also, I think, generally we've thought of celebrities as actors or actresses or just actors, because there's something about a movie screen that puts things out of out of proportion. Mm-hmm but so does a massive stage totally but with streaming and they're being so much Content, holy crap. You can't get on Netflix any day without there being two ten new titles that are being pushed, you Mm-hmm. But that also means there's like ten thousand real new titles. Mm-hmm so we don't see like these mega superstar actors.

Austin Seltzer: 49:32

Mm-hmm and Like the box office film on Netflix, it's like all these people who are having their breakout role, but it's not like getting a breakout role on a Typical, like theatrical release Mm-hmm, it's just different, mm-hmm. So, yeah, I think things are totally changing in that manner.

Royal & the Serpent: 49:52

Yeah, which is kind of cool. I think it opens the door for more opportunity for more people. You know, kind of like levels to playing field anyone can kind of break through. It's not all predicted any longer by the big wigs and the gatekeepers. I think the people kind of decide what pushes through these days, especially with like tick-tock. Yeah, you know, if something's good, people like it and that's what shows through.

Austin Seltzer: 50:20

Yep and Netflix algorithms. Yeah, so they'll see like if you loved a TV show and the whole world really loved the TV show, well, what actors were in that? Mm-hmm.

Austin Seltzer: 50:29

Okay, let's put them in another film. Oh shit, this one popped off too. Okay, so people really love this actor, mm-hmm, and I do think that that's. That is cool. Yeah, so let's look at success on another angle. Okay, so we talked about you. Just, you want to feel fulfilled by what you're doing. So I'm certain because you already said so the day that you filmed for music videos like you had to be in like pure bliss, I'm sure very tired.

Royal & the Serpent: 50:58

It was difficult.

Austin Seltzer: 51:00

I'm sure it was difficult.

Royal & the Serpent: 51:01

It was freezing cold. We were in Reno and I was in these like a little booty shorts and it was like 40 degrees with like 30 mile an hour winds, and I was outside like cheerleading in these little booty shorts and I was really cold. But, yes, so rewarding and so fulfilling. There's something that happens when the camera Starts recording that I just like click in my body is no longer shaking because I'm cold and I just am so present, I Presence, that's it, that's it, that's the. That's what I'm chasing and that's, I think, probably why I love those moments the most, because I have no choice other than to be absolutely present. I.

Austin Seltzer: 51:49

Love that. That's gonna be. That's gonna be a clip Cool, I mean, that's that's beautiful.

Royal & the Serpent: 51:53

Thank you.

Austin Seltzer: 51:55

So success from the other angle. Mm-hmm. So I'm. I want people watching this who look up to you. I want to dive into what does it take to be successful in music today, and really through the lens of like how you've done it, I have to say like of this generation of like alt rockers or whatever you wanna. Whatever you wanna, slightly label yourself as I hate that but I mean you're a fucking standout. I mean it really has happened, and very quickly. Thank you.

Austin Seltzer: 52:35

I'm sure it doesn't feel quick, but in the grand scheme of things I mean, come on, you're playing the biggest stages in the world and just a couple of years ago I'm sure you couldn't even fathom like how big that was. So if people watching this, I want them to take away some nuggets on what it takes.

Royal & the Serpent: 52:54

Mm-hmm, few things that have definitely changed my life are goal setting paired with manifestation, continual action and letting go. So, I think, stating to the universe or to whatever it is that you believe in, even if you believe in nothing, even just stating it on a piece of fucking paper exactly what you want whether that's a feeling, whether that's an exact thing, whether that's whatever it is stating what you want and affirming to yourself that it's possible, affirming to yourself, to the universe, that you can achieve those things on that list, taking continual, inspired action in the direction of those goals, even if it's the smallest, smallest actions, even if it's just, I will wake up tomorrow and I will pick up my guitar, because that's how it started for me. It started with I will pick up my guitar and slowly those actions become greater actions. But even if they're micro-actions, they make a difference. And then letting go of the outcome.

Royal & the Serpent: 54:05

I think letting go of whatever idea you have allows or at least what I believe is it allows for the universe to do its thing and it allows for your goals and your dreams to be met in ways that you couldn't have designed yourself, because there's a difference between inspired action and forcefully trying to piece your life together in the way that you think it should go. So I think letting go is one of the biggest parts of that and I think that just allows for even if it feels shitty. Sometimes you gotta let go of stuff. It feels really shitty.

Royal & the Serpent: 54:48

I had to let go of a really big, amazing tour this year because the universe kept telling me that it wasn't right and I wanted it so bad and I was so excited for it. But I had to turn it down and, as much as it was one of the hardest decisions that I have made this year, I'm so glad that I did because it allowed me all of this other time to do all of these other things that I wouldn't have gotten to do otherwise, and write some of the best music that I've written in so long and spend more time with my boyfriend and the people I love. And letting go is sort of like the icing on the cake at the end of all of it.

Austin Seltzer: 55:26

I mean, all of that is so beautiful. I am a huge proponent of manifestation and, I have to say, like most of my life I lived absolutely not believing in the universe and all of this, and I was atheist, just like to the core. And then I realized I looked back and so many ridiculously big things had happened to me that I had constantly dreamed and thought about. I was like oh wait, wait, did I make that happen somehow?

Austin Seltzer: 56:02

And then I started to practice manifesting and I don't write anything down. I make a every single Sunday. I have a little ritual and I dream and smell and taste everything that's happening in the scene in my head and ridiculously cool things have happened and we're sitting in one of them. I mean, this room was a dream in my head. Yeah. I can tell it's magical in here, thank you, I really love how it came down.

Royal & the Serpent: 56:36

And my friend.

Austin Seltzer: 56:37

Ashley, who's in that picture, helped me. Then so many people helped me. But I did have this dream in my head of sitting here and having a great conversation and an awesome room like this, but I love that.

Austin Seltzer: 56:51

The one thing that I am probably not good at and I wanna hear how you do this is what does letting go mean If I were to sit here and manifest? Let's say I am manifesting myself sitting in my chair in the other room in my studio and I'm mixing a record for X, like somebody that I am super passionate about, I'll just throw it out in the universe. If I got to mix my Chemical Romance album whenever they come back, dude.

Austin Seltzer: 57:22

I don't know what life looks like after that because, that would be my Mount Everest. I mean, I fucking love it there's a lot of bands I love but just throwing that out there, and I am hearing the music and I am going through the different parts and I hear the frequency here that I need to bring down and oh, the jarred's vocal needs to come up here and blah, blah, blah. I manifest all of it and I smell what my studio smells like. What is the letting go? And how do you let go?

Royal & the Serpent: 57:54

I think letting go is a feeling, and I think it's mostly allowing. I think allowing paired with trust. I think trust and faith that the universe and I almost like don't like saying the universe, because I think some people probably think about it differently, but for me at least it's having the trust and faith that whatever is meant for me will always be brought forward to me. And I think I've gotten a lot of time to practice letting go. There's even like at a younger age. I'll never forget, like one of the first moments that I was trying to manifest something. I really wanted this little house. It was like this little studio cottage in Santa Monica, and it was the first time that I'd ever be living alone and it was the perfect. I could afford it. It was perfect. It just I wanted it so bad.

Royal & the Serpent: 58:55

I remember when I saw it and I just wanted to live at this place so bad. And I had recently gotten really into manifestation and so I was journaling about it and I was dreaming about it and I was thinking about it and I wanted it so bad. And then I got a call that said, oh, we've rented it out to somebody else. And I remember thinking in that moment, wow, I could let this ruin my day and I could let this frustrate me and I could be really sad about it. Or I could just trust that, for whatever reason, that place wasn't meant for me and that there's something better out there that I can't even imagine myself. And I said you're not. Two days later I got a call and said nevermind, do you want it? Wow.

Royal & the Serpent: 59:34

And it was like I just got chills. It was like the first time that the universe spoke back and said you did the right thing by not being so caught up in the thing that you wanted, so that we could do our work and bring you exactly what you were meant to have. And sometimes it doesn't always work out like that, but I do like to believe that it's largely based in trust and faith that if you're meant to have something, you will.

Austin Seltzer: 1:00:00

Yeah, that's beautiful. I'm certain that people listening and watching will be researching manifestation and all these things I have. There's one book which I need to look up, but the art of manifestation, basically the guidelines and this dude I don't know, I can't remember. The book was so meaningful to me but it meant so much I can't remember. But it just basically talks about exactly how to manifest and I think it's really just actually seeing yourself already in whatever the thing is.

Austin Seltzer: 1:00:38

If you can smell the room or the place or the food or whatever is happening in that room and then having it could even be like a sensory trigger. For a while mine was clanking of champagne glass because, champagne if you close your eyes it's like very distinct smell. But now it's coffee. I mean coffee, just like it has a smell. So, wherever the manifestation is happening, like if I were manifesting that my Kim album, I would have coffee it'd be right next to me.

Austin Seltzer: 1:01:15

I could smell that and I could hear just nostalgia and I'm working in it and just like being able to like feel the room that you're in, but after the fact. So I'm already mixing the record. You know, it's not like I'm called. Oh, you're going to.

Royal & the Serpent: 1:01:36

It's like I'm in it.

Austin Seltzer: 1:01:37

So you were probably already living in that house.

Royal & the Serpent: 1:01:40

It's. Yeah, you're right, it's a feeling, it's tapping into the feeling of what it feels like to have what you want, to already have what you're looking for. Yeah, that's totally how it works. I was like watching recently some Joe Dispenza, I think was talking about it. You know that is. Who is?

Royal & the Serpent: 1:01:58

it Joe Dispenza.

Royal & the Serpent: 1:01:59

I think I was watching something of his but he was saying cause it's like there's affirmations, right, like we can have all of these like I am affirmations, but at a certain point, if you aren't actually feeling them to be true and you're not pairing that with gratitude for feeling, those things they like stop in your body at a certain point because your brain is telling them that they're not true, because it's not believing it.

Royal & the Serpent: 1:02:23

And I think that kind of all ties into like tapping into the feeling, and I think that gratitude is actually sort of like the underbelly of everything that we're talking about. I don't know if you relate to this, but I think, whether you're manifesting or even just looking around at the successes that you've already had, that gratitude is sort of the thing in the feeling that makes it all worth it, that keeps it all flowing and going. That is like I find that gratitude helps me manifest, because if I can tap into the feeling of being grateful for the thing that I want, then it can come closer to me. I think that's like a huge part of all of what we're talking about.

Austin Seltzer: 1:03:11

Yeah, I resonate with that totally, because whenever I do my manifestation, this little ritual, it's sandwiched by gratitude, so I don't even think about what I want yet. I'm just like so ridiculously grateful for what I have gotten, and specifically through manifestation. So I'm like, damn, I manifested this and, holy shit, that felt good. And I feel like the little chills and like this wave that goes down my body, and if my scalp is tingling, which it does quite often, it's the weirdest sensation but, I know that I'm tapping into whatever that feeling is and then.

Austin Seltzer: 1:03:48

I'll manifest and cast has made me think about this constantly that I can't just think about success in a business sense or work sense or whatever, but it's got to also be like I have to feel good while doing it. My relationship has to feel good while doing it, not just whatever Cause. If I got that my Kim album but life was terrible, my health was terrible and my relationship were shit, like would it really be that great?

Royal & the Serpent: 1:04:19

Probably not.

Austin Seltzer: 1:04:21

Yeah, so I think, about all of that, and then I sandwich it again at the end and then I'm grateful for having received the thing that I manifest. So I would gratitude is a huge thing for me, yeah, huge, yeah.

Royal & the Serpent: 1:04:32

That's like without it, like you're saying, all the other stuff doesn't really work. It's like the key component. It's like the fuel for the engine. You can have the car and all the pieces, but if you don't have fuel to put in the car, you can't go anywhere. You know, I feel like gratitude's the gasoline.

Austin Seltzer: 1:04:52

Yeah, that's a great analogy. I like that, thanks. So one other thing, though, on what it took to get here so overwhelmed is a song that puts you on the map right and right. Yeah, and I love Markey, he's one of the-.

Royal & the Serpent: 1:05:08

I love Markey. He's the best. He's a gem of a human.

Austin Seltzer: 1:05:11

Thank you. I want people to understand what it took to get there, and also that that song is just a song and then the road is once it's behind you. Yeah, I mean that will push things forward, but it's a constant grind. So I want people to understand what it takes to get an overwhelmed, Like all of the work that has to happen before something like that happens.

Royal & the Serpent: 1:05:42

Oh man well, getting up to that point even getting up to the point of I like trying to get through this because there's a lot, but getting up to even the point of writing overwhelmed, let's say, was just hustling. It was just me working in multiple restaurants and trying to still have time for sessioning in between all of that, just to make rent, just to survive. Flash forward to getting to write overwhelmed. I was lucky to get like maybe one or two sessions a month because I couldn't afford to take off work and it just wasn't that easy. I was sort of just starting to figure it out. So I write overwhelmed in that maybe one or two sessions that I ever got a month and I wrote a handful of the older stuff with the same crew and that was kind of it.

Royal & the Serpent: 1:06:37

A year or so goes by. I'm still grinding, hustling, playing shows every so often, as often as I can. I throw a show at Davy Wayne's and Atlantic label A&R just happened to be there. They happened to really like the show. They asked if I wanted to come into the office the next day. I was like holy shit, this is my dream come true. I'm still working every day. Flash forward a few months after that they kept the conversation going. I ended up getting signed, yada, yada, yada.

Royal & the Serpent: 1:07:13

Then we start talking about putting music out. Everybody really loved Overwhelms. I thought it was amazing and I had all these songs that were just demos and so I went in with Markey and I started. For like weeks we just worked on. There was like four songs, I think, overwhelms being one of them, and we worked so tirelessly every day for like honestly, maybe months to get these songs to a place like that we were so proud of and that we loved.

Royal & the Serpent: 1:07:41

And I remember sending Overwhelms to the label and my A&R is going we're not putting this version out. This is not as good as the original demo. That was like very much just a demo and we put all of this crazy work into it and we made it this like masterpiece that we were so proud of and they were not into it and it wasn't until I performed it. I opened for Yoshi Flower at the troubadour the day before the pandemic hit and I ended with Overwhelmed and I did this like big, like dance routine at the end and that like breakdowny, like dubstep-y section Him A&R left. Him was like no, you're right, that's the version we should put out.

Royal & the Serpent: 1:08:23

It was really good and I was like thank you. And then the pandemic hit. And now at this point I had been sitting on this song for almost two years and it still wasn't out in the world. But every time I played a show somebody would always come up to me after and say what was that anxiety song I really liked. That Wasn't even my favorite on the project that I was putting out. I thought I can't get high, was gonna be like the one Little did I know. And then we had a few release dates planned. We kept getting pushed back.

Royal & the Serpent: 1:08:54

There was a lot going on in the world at that time and I really did not wanna take attention away from all the things that felt way more important than me putting music out. Especially in the beginning of the pandemic, there was a lot of things that were happening socially that I just did not wanna take attention away from. So I waited until it felt like a good time to put the song out and we put it out and it did not get a single playlist. It did not get any support from any platforms. My label would not give us money to do a TikTok campaign and me, my mom and my manager said let's put our money together, let's all throw $1,000 in and see what we can do with this thing, and I'm so lucky that I was able to do that.

Royal & the Serpent: 1:09:36

I know that that's not something that a lot of people have and I'm so lucky that my manager and my mom were both able to help.

Royal & the Serpent: 1:09:42

And I know that that's not really advice. I think lots of people don't have the ability to do that. I was very lucky that I had just signed my deal and I had the ability to do something like that. But we took a flyer on ourselves, we put $3,000 into a TikTok campaign and maybe a week or two later it was just absolutely taking off on TikTok and then the label came back and said here's your money back and here's 10K more, keep going. And I mean the next thing we knew it was all over the radio and it was like the craziest time in my career that I had ever had and I was stuck inside my house and it was so strange and amazing but so weird for all of that to be happening in that time. But I guess I don't know. Moral of the story is like sometimes things take so long to happen and having patience and also like believing in what you're doing is such a big part of it.

Austin Seltzer: 1:10:50

Yeah, thanks for sharing all that. I think that's the tough thing whenever you're on the other side of you're listening to a track. You have no idea what went into it, and I know, that now social media has made things a little bit more easy to learn the backstory of because it's worth sharing cool stories like this.

Austin Seltzer: 1:11:10

But, yes, not everybody is in the position to put that money into marketing a track. But if it's something that you believe in wholeheartedly and you knew that you had something with that song, especially after playing it live, people would say, like what was that one track? Working a second job, driving for Uber, lyft, whatever it takes, whatever it takes, if you believe in something enough, it's blood, sweat and tears in music.

Austin Seltzer: 1:11:42

It's a fucking war that you're fighting in. I mean play listing and all of that. It's a war. Tiktok is a war. There's just so much music out there. But if you really really believe in something, you got to do everything you can to show people, because that song resonated in a time when the world needed something to resonate with.

Royal & the Serpent: 1:12:03

Totally. I also think that, like the financial aspect of it as far as marketing goes, is slowly going away, the more and more people are putting music out, especially on TikTok. I think when that was happening, tiktok was new still. It had just recently changed from musically to TikTok, so it wasn't like there was a ton of artists on there promoting their music. It was still like very, very fresh. And I think nowadays just consistency also is something that works just as effectively as any financial support that you could throw into something. I think like being consistent about putting yourself out there is equivocally rewarding, if not more, than throwing money at something.

Austin Seltzer: 1:12:51

Yeah, so a question to that is like this is always a debate with artists. I feel like, is it more intelligent to just put out singles now because of that? Just the constant drip of music.

Royal & the Serpent: 1:13:07

I think that it is. I think there's a part of me that wishes it wasn't this way, because I love the idea of creating one large body of work that tells a story. I think there's a time and a place for that, but I think that there is something really rewarding for fans as well to be constantly fed by your favorite artists, which is why, I mean, I was working on an album at the beginning of this year and very recently we decided that we were scrapping the idea of an album and we were just gonna put out two songs a month for like the foreseeable future, and it has opened up so much more creativity than I think I thought it could have, because now I'm building a world around each of these things instead of just one body of work. So I'm building an entire creative narrative with so many different components. You know, there's the videos and I'm dropping merch for each thing and I'm doing these events and I'm gonna do like a podcast and there's like so many things that I'm gonna do around each of these releases.

Royal & the Serpent: 1:14:19

That just gives so many more opportunities to get in front of fans and to put yourself out there and I think we're all consumers at the end of the day, and being able to consume content by the people that you love the most as often as you can is sort of the way that things are going these days. Like I said, there's definitely a part of me that wishes that wasn't the case, because my dream is to make an album and hold myself up on a mountain somewhere with the people that I wanna work with and just work for six months on one thing and make a movie out of it and do all this cool stuff that I hope someday else I will get to do. I believe that I will, but it's just not the culture these days.

Austin Seltzer: 1:15:06

You know, yeah, and I think that that's totally okay. I do think that one day, I think, whenever you're like a household name or more of a household name, I think that that's a total world, that makes sense.

Austin Seltzer: 1:15:19

But it's easy to see right now, even people who have like an established fan base, if they take a couple of years off and then drop an album, it just doesn't stream. It doesn't because content is revolving so fast that their mind has been 100 bazillion other places and they're like, oh fuck, I really love that artist but like somehow it doesn't cut through the noise.

Austin Seltzer: 1:15:45

So, I think that that's just the way it is right now. But things go in cycles Totally and there will be a day that a fool you sit down and you have your friends over and it's like a listening party but, with you and your friends. It's like just consuming a full album. The most recent one that I did that with was the new M83 album that dropped. Because I mean M83, just like, is very special to me and I feel like his music.

Austin Seltzer: 1:16:16

I say him Anthony Gonzalez but, there are other people in the band, like Katelyn Sinclair, and I could not listen to the singles whenever they came out. I wanted to consume that full album. So, that's somebody who just structurally stayed to like I'm only dropping albums yeah. But I think that we're in a world of singles and it makes sense.

Royal & the Serpent: 1:16:41

Yeah, momentum it like allows for momentum to build. Yes, as opposed to like peaking and falling, and peaking and falling, it's like there can be a slow rise. I'm so excited to put more music out.

Austin Seltzer: 1:16:58

I can't wait to hear it.

Royal & the Serpent: 1:16:59

I'm so excited to perform new music I think I'm sure so many artists feel this way but I get so sick of playing some songs Wow, especially the ones that are depressing Cause then I like put myself oh cute, my mom's calling me, hi, mom. I put myself back in that headspace every time I sing something like that. So I feel like, yeah, I'm just excited to rip some new stuff on stage.

Austin Seltzer: 1:17:33

Hell yeah. For anybody who hasn't seen you live it's slightly ridiculous, Like the energy that you bring.

Royal & the Serpent: 1:17:39

Thank you.

Austin Seltzer: 1:17:40

That's I mean. It's totally makes sense to me why an ANR from Atlantic saw you and they're like, oh fuck, I don't even know if this artist has any songs ready to go or anything but damn that presence. Thank you.

Austin Seltzer: 1:17:57

I think that that's a rare. That is a rare thing in the age of social media and tech talking and whatnot, that live like. I don't know if I should go so far as to say like you're better live, but it's different and it's. There's so much energy that you can't help but just be like, oh fuck, she is the real deal. So that just makes sense. That somebody saw you live and didn't hear a track and they were like, oh, we should look into this. But they saw you live and they were like captivated.

Royal & the Serpent: 1:18:30

It's kind of crazy. It's like one of those stories you hear about that like doesn't happen anymore. That like an ANR just like went out to a show and discovered an artist. It's like everyone's discovered on the internet now.

Austin Seltzer: 1:18:41

Absolutely. Oh yeah, like I saw that this one has 25,000 pre-saves where you know, this one video had 10 million views.

Royal & the Serpent: 1:18:48

We should look into that.

Austin Seltzer: 1:18:49

It's all metrics it doesn't work, Unfortunately like yeah, you are soon to come out with a clothing line I think it's just a clothing line, but it could be other things but a company called Dumb Rubber, and I'm pivoting to this because I think it goes hand in hand with success.

Austin Seltzer: 1:19:11

There's a reason that you're also starting this thing. It's like I'm guessing some part of you that just feels like you need to have this brand out there. It's like some part of you and I want to explore. You know what this brand means, why you felt like this is the time, why is this the thing that you want to go into? And also, is it you and Beepus, or just you yeah, me and Brent together. Yes, yeah, tell us about that.

Royal & the Serpent: 1:19:42

Okay, it's like there's so many layers to this. I love fashion and I love clothes. He loves fashion and he loves clothes. He also is an incredible graphic designer.

Austin Seltzer: 1:19:52

So I didn't know that he's wonderful.

Royal & the Serpent: 1:19:54

He gets better. Every day it's newer for him, but he's unbelievable. He designs all of their merch and all of my merch. Now what yeah?

Austin Seltzer: 1:20:01

he's so good, so cool.

Royal & the Serpent: 1:20:02

He's so good. Um, the idea okay, the name came to me before the idea of what it would be did. The name came to me. We were round table, discussing, discussing trying to come up with. My manager was starting a label a long time ago and we were like doing this like big round table of ideas for what the label could be named, and I had come up with Dumb Rubber and everyone said that's not a label name, but you should save that for something. So I did flush forward a few years. Um, me and Brent are dating and we start. He starts talking about how he's always wanted to start a fashion line and a brand and I said so have I and I've always wanted to call it Dumb Rubber. And he was like I love that, that's amazing. But at this point it was just an idea.

Royal & the Serpent: 1:20:50

Then things took a slight turn in our relationship and things got difficult. And then we touched on that a little bit in the beginning of the conversation today and I sort of had this idea that if we could take ourselves out of all the things that we were struggling with and we could put all of our energy into something that, no matter what, would bind us, because it wasn't about his music, it wasn't about my music, it wasn't about each of our individual careers. It wasn't about anything other than this thing that maybe we could create together, kind of like how sometimes people think having a baby is going to fix the relationship. To me, I thought Dumb Rubber can fix what's happening here right now. I've never said that to him, but I remember thinking let's start Dumb Rubber right now. And it did it like did this magical thing where we could take ourselves out of all the other things that we were feeling and experiencing and put all of our energy into something that we could create together, totally equally, on an even playing field, and it was just like so cool. I think it's really exciting for me to be doing something with the person that I love more than anything. That has nothing to do with our individual careers, because we've made music together before and I've worked with the boys and we've played shows together and all that but it all still feels sort of in the same world and this just feels so separate and so creatively fulfilling in such a different way Also terrifying.

Royal & the Serpent: 1:22:23

I was downtown last night. We're doing like cut and sew. We're starting with just a T-shirt pattern, so we're doing like this cut and sew, like making a pattern, and I had to like go and like give all these adjustments and tell you know, and Brent's not even here. So I'm like so scared, thinking like, oh my God, what if I fuck this up? But like what if I don't give the right adjustments, or whatever? And it's such a new thing, there is so much to learn, but it's also really exciting because it's totally new and separate and um, yeah, I don't even know where I started or where I left off, but I feel like that it's um, I'm just really stoked to be creating something that isn't music, that like is tangible, that isn't merch, that can be a little bit higher quality and like elevated and um things that we would wear, you know, yeah, so I'm excited.

Austin Seltzer: 1:23:22

I mean, it's such a cool idea. I think that one thing for people to take away from this is like creators create, you just keep on creating whatever that avenue is it doesn't have to be music could be, acting to be a clothing line, but just creatively fulfilling yourself in other ways.

Austin Seltzer: 1:23:42

I don't know. It always ties back to just being able to create more efficiently, Like you can get into the flow better because you're just like pulling from all these different creative angles. But I'm gonna I'll talk to Cass about somehow us creating something that has nothing to do with what we do normally and we can create it together and I think that that's that's really cool.

Royal & the Serpent: 1:24:07

It's such a beautiful bonding experience If you can find something that you can both come together, even if it's like a garden, like whatever it is. You know it doesn't even have to be something that you have actually sell if you don't want it to be, but it, yeah, I think it. It just like allows for a new depth of connection in some creative way.

Austin Seltzer: 1:24:29

Yeah, yeah, I love that. I'm gonna pocket that.

Royal & the Serpent: 1:24:32

Yeah.

Austin Seltzer: 1:24:32

Sick or not, in the same pocket as the things that I should talk about, but the other pocket.

Royal & the Serpent: 1:24:40

Multi-pockets yes.

Austin Seltzer: 1:24:42

There was one question actually, and maybe you do get asked this often, but I really don't care, I want to know the answer. Yeah, how did you come about connecting with Dimeo Lado and how did that whole thing happen? Because that that is a huge career shift. Like that is definitely a level up on that. That ladder that continues to climb, yeah, yeah, how did that come about?

Royal & the Serpent: 1:25:06

Um, I got asked um maybe a year or so ago now, maybe a little longer um, by my publisher if I had any interest in writing for other artists. And I said sure depends who the artist is. And she said what about Dimeo Lado? And I said, um, are you kidding?

Royal & the Serpent: 1:25:25

Of course, um, and so I got put into this room. I think, from what my understanding is is, it was like sort of a trial room. I think there was like a little mini camp that was set up to sort of test people out to write for the album that ended up coming out last year. And, um, I got a call from her A&R before my first session with like ground rules and explaining how it was going to go and saying all these like very interesting things that didn't end up being very true at all, um, probably a good life lesson actually.

Royal & the Serpent: 1:26:04

Yeah, um, and so I went in super nervous, Um, and she came into the room for a little bit and she helped us write the song that we were, that we were writing for her.

Royal & the Serpent: 1:26:17

She bounced around because there was multiple rooms happening at the same time, but she came in and she ended up cutting the vocal and the entire song that we wrote and, um, we exchanged numbers so that we could send the bounce out at the end of um, at the end of the day, and at the time, um, she was very visibly, uh, depressed, even vocalized it to us, and I just remember leaving and thinking like this is a person that has influenced me for my entire life and I wonder what it's like being where she's at and I wonder if she feels like she has people that are there for her.

Royal & the Serpent: 1:27:01

I just remember feeling like I wonder, I just wonder what that's like to feel that way and to feel that low, and I wonder if she has friends and people that she can really count on.

Royal & the Serpent: 1:27:14

And so I just texted her and I sort of said just wanted to say thank you for everything that you've done for me for my entire life, because I've looked up to you since I was a little girl and I just want you to know that if you ever need a friend, I'm here and I'm, and I would love to be that for you. And she was so wonderful and so gracious and so sweet, um, and responded back to me right away and, and um, we just sort of stayed connected from that moment on and I got asked back to write for the album, obviously, and, and then, after we wrote the song for the album, she asked me if I wanted to be on the song, and then, after I was on the song, she asked me if I wanted to go on tour with her. And um, it was just like a very organic sort of relationship that was really built on, I think, us seeing each other for who we were, and, um, offering to be there for one another.

Royal & the Serpent: 1:28:15

We actually wrote a song about it that I hope I will put out someday. That is this like really beautiful. I'll never give up on you like friendship song about um being there for the people that you love. But yeah, just the friendship blossomed very organically. Um, and I think we've just always seen each other for who we are, which is probably rare when you get to that level of start. I mean, I've heard people talk about it in interviews and stuff but it must be hard to like make real friends when everybody wants something from you.

Austin Seltzer: 1:28:52

I can only imagine. Yeah, it definitely started with her being real when she vocalized that, hey, I'm feeling the certain way and you, being an empathetic person, just like I'm sure, immediately felt like I know what that feels like and you reached out to her and, just like that realness, I love that. Yeah, that's a great story and I really think that for anybody who's listening or watching, that's. I think that's the key to life. And.

Austin Seltzer: 1:29:20

I'm like we've already said, I'm working on that. If I could just be. I don't know if real is the right word, because I do feel like I'm always real, but I also filter out feelings and stuff which, if I could just vocalize more, I think that I think that it just deepens relationships and it moves past a lot of the BS in the beginning of just like pecking around, but you, I think that's beautiful.

Royal & the Serpent: 1:29:49

Thanks yeah.

Austin Seltzer: 1:29:52

I think that moves us to this question that we've talked about, but I really, really, really want to dive in on because I think it's beautiful and I think it's something that you've wanted to share and you kind of have slightly. But you wrote you are enough. And I saw you post semi recently, this beautiful post of you I don't know how many years ago, but a little while back and you said you are enough, you were enough. You know what? What did? What do you mean by that? And yeah, I would just like to have a little heart to heart moment about that, that girl.

Royal & the Serpent: 1:30:44

Totally. I think I had this moment when the I remember the day that I was posting all of that and I remember I was.

Royal & the Serpent: 1:30:55

I was feeling sort of I mean and I've talked about this before, but I've struggled with depression now for many years and I was at this point where I was trying to remember the last time I was truly happy and I couldn't really place it. And so I started scrolling through my photos on my phone trying to remember all the feelings that I had and sort of like just going back and back and back. And it wasn't until I reached sort of like pre overwhelmed natural hair, no lip filler, no success really of any kind, just like this like raw version of the me that I grew up to be, before all of the other things happened, that I saw a video of me just like laughing and dancing and I looked so happy and it made me cry because I remember that as things started happening for that girl that was so happy, just existing, working in her restaurant even though she hated going to work and just hanging out with her friends and being a regular person that as soon as things started happening for me, I started looking around at everyone around me, feeling like I didn't belong, feeling like I wasn't cool enough, my music wasn't good enough, I would never be who they were or as good as them, and I started changing all of these things about myself. I started hating the music that I was making and trying to make music that I thought my peers would like more. I started changing my appearance. I started covering my body with tattoos.

Royal & the Serpent: 1:33:00

I started doing all of these things that I was trying to like cover up this deep wound and insecurity inside of me by changing things on the outside and I think, slowly, over time, it killed all of the light that was inside of me and I remember I used to have such a bright light that I feel like just drew all of this magic and beauty and wonderful experiences and people to me and I just noticed that it was so dim and that it had almost burnt out completely and that I no longer looked in the mirror and saw somebody that I loved or liked or that I was proud of or that I even felt connected to. And I think going back and looking through these photos and looking through these videos of that girl and reminding her that she was already enough, was this like very therapeutic process for me and it healed. I mean, I know I've heard a lot about healing the inner child wounds, but I didn't realize that there was also healing the younger adult wounds, you know, because I think I've done a lot of inner child work and I think I've healed a lot of things for my childhood. But you know that wasn't childhood, I was an adult already, you know.

Royal & the Serpent: 1:34:20

And going back and telling that girl that she didn't need to change anything about who she was, that she was perfect the way that she was already and that she didn't need to make herself somebody else so that other people would like her or accept her, it sort of like rewired my brain in a way that I could start loving myself again and start acting from a place of connectedness to who I am. And I've been happier from that moment onward. I mean, not always it obviously everything fluctuates, but it was like a breakthrough day and moment for me. And also so many people reached out when I posted that and said like the most remarkably amazing, sweet, wonderful things. So many people that have been my friends for so long too and have seen the whole process, reminding me that she was already perfect the way that she was. Yeah, yeah.

Austin Seltzer: 1:35:26

That's beautiful, thanks, I'm curious. So you today, of course, you still have to struggle with that. Every now and then it's like, I think, like nothing in life is just a light switch and you can't just turn it on or off. But what are the things that you're doing now, like whenever you start to feel that again, what are things that can bring you back to that conclusion in your mind?

Royal & the Serpent: 1:36:06

It's different depending on the feeling, because I've even I know I was talking earlier about this week being like the start of this week being pretty difficult for me and feeling really insecure. I'm trying to think because, like Monday, all I wanted to do was lay there and do nothing. I didn't want to reach out for help. I didn't want to seek help. I didn't want help from anybody. But I don't think that that helped me. I think it was probably the next day, when I got up and out of the house early, got my coffee, called some people that I know I love and that love me and that I could talk to about things, things actually started changing for the better, like mentally.

Royal & the Serpent: 1:36:48

I think I have a tendency to not want to burden other people with my problems, so I try not to talk to people about it, but I think seeking help is actually so important and really does make things better. Not to like dump on other people, but to just reach out to friends, family, whoever it is that you have to just check in. It creates this sense of connectedness and makes things feel not so scary and not so bad. Reaching out to people I love, I think, probably helps me the most out of anything, and also getting up and out of the house, because I also have a tendency to just want to sit in my house all day and not leave and not do anything and not eat. A good meal, a good call to mom, a nice walk, simple, like things that anyone can do, or what helped me the most.

Austin Seltzer: 1:37:57

Yeah, yeah, that's great. I mean, that's what I've heard is like little things that feel like a win. I don't struggle with depression. I don't know how I have had depressive waves which are interestingly to go back to. Whenever you talked about substance. I've had two panic attacks and they both happened while I was stoned. Like I'm talking about, like real high.

Austin Seltzer: 1:38:25

One of them, me and Cass were going through a tough time in our relationship. I mean, that was like an entire week of dread, like pure dread. So I can resonate with somebody who has dealt with that, but I just don't on a regular basis. But I have heard that just those little wins getting out of the house eating a good meal, cleaning up the house, which is daunting.

Austin Seltzer: 1:38:53

I've heard it very tough, but little things like that making your bed or just something make you feel like you're moving in the right direction. I mean, that's depression, Right? I'm curious whenever you feel like you look at another artist and you're like, oh fuck, they're doing this, that and the other, and you're like, ooh, I have to be more of this new person and not her. Like how do you get out of that cycle now that you know that that's the case?

Royal & the Serpent: 1:39:33

I still don't know. It still happens all the time. I'm still constantly comparing myself to some of the people that I love the most, and you, just you gotta just practice being happy for the people that are succeeding around you and being happy for yourself and remembering all the things that you're accomplishing. I don't have the answers to that yet, because it's still something that I deal with on a daily basis, but I think even tracing back to something that we had sort of touched on earlier when we were talking about success reminding myself where I was a year ago or even six months ago is something that helps.

Royal & the Serpent: 1:40:30

Letting go. All these things that I know are the answer are still sometimes hard to put into actuality, because everyone's everywhere and it's all right here and you can see it all the time, and if I'm sitting at home and I'm watching this person and this person and this person doing all these cool things and I'm sitting here on my couch, sometimes it makes me feel like shit One. Really, I should just be happy for all the people that I love doing amazing things.

Austin Seltzer: 1:41:01

Yeah, I also don't know if there's a real answer. It is just like a constant thing that's always going to be there and yeah, yeah, I think that that's beautiful thing to leave off on.

Royal & the Serpent: 1:41:21

Cool. Thank you for having me.

Austin Seltzer: 1:41:24

Thanks for coming here and opening up and talking about some beautiful things that. I like talking about, but I am certain that there's so many people on the other side listening or watching this that some of the things that you said are their inner thoughts, and it's great to hear somebody else say that, and it's great to hear the work that you put in to get to where you are and that there's still so much to learn and experience and that if people can just go back one year ago in their life and see where they were, you're always going to feel better about where you are, and if things look way more tough, you've gone through a year's worth of learning and experience in life and there's always something great to look out about.

Austin Seltzer: 1:42:18

Today and tomorrow will come and just let it go as you said. Thank you so much. I love this a lot and I love you. Thank you, I love you too Awesome human.

Royal & the Serpent: 1:42:30

Thank you for having me. I'm excited to see how it comes out.

Austin Seltzer: 1:42:32

Me too.

Royal & the Serpent: 1:42:34

Sick.

Austin Seltzer: 1:42:40

All right. So now that you've listened to this episode, I'm sure you have fallen in love with Royle. I think her story is so genuine and she's so open about sharing whatever. I found our conversation just effortless and I think that there was so much useful information that people watching and listening can really implement into their life, because Royle has taken what was a dream and she's living the reality, and she talks about exactly how this happened. This episode is really great for that.

Austin Seltzer: 1:43:16

The first point that I want to highlight that's a key stand out for me in this episode and I have to have this in front of me so that I can read this, because it was very specific. But she had a four step plan on how you can reach your goals. So goal setting paired with manifestation. So set the goal and continuously manifest that goal. But number two is continual action. So every single day, you know, spend some time on this goal, on your dreams, spend some time on it every single day and then letting go. So what that means is set the goal, work towards it every single day. But in doing this every single day, do not get fixated on exactly that goal. Just let the universe or whatever you believe in kind of guide you to a place that maybe you don't even understand is the destination. Continue to work very hard towards the goal, but just don't get hung up on needing that exact goal and the exact timeframe to happen. It's going to happen the way that things move around, but continuously work towards it. That was so such a great part of this episode.

Austin Seltzer: 1:44:42

One thing that Royal does and I find myself doing kind of often whenever I think like, ooh, I'm not successful enough yet, is just look back one year ago from today. There's other guests who have said this as well. We've talked about it before. But if you just look back one year, you will see how far you've come. That one year ago version of you probably dreams of being where you're at right now and anytime that you need a reality check on am I doing enough, or am I moving quickly enough, or am I achieving what I want? Just look back one year and I think that ultimately, you will feel like you have done the work. Just keep doing it.

Austin Seltzer: 1:45:27

So another point that Royal brought up is that she chases being present in the moment. I love that so much. This came up whenever she was talking about being on one of her music video sets, where they shot four music videos in a row, and she just said that being in front of the camera makes her need to be present in this moment. It like snaps her out of whatever else is going on in life and then she's just here, right now, in the moment, and through our conversation, I really understood that that's what she's chasing, and everything that she's doing is just this moment that captivates you so hard that nothing else is going on in your world. I think that's so awesome, a magical driving force.

Austin Seltzer: 1:46:15

And the last point and I think one of the most beautiful like if not the most beautiful thing that she talked about is that she was enough, and what this meant was she saw a version of herself on her phone one day that she was in bed and feeling some heavy depression, and she looked back to a time before, overwhelmed, before things were really going on in her life musically in a big way, and she saw this girl that was just very happy with who she was and where she was, and that version of herself was already enough. And so what I learned from this is that, even though Royal has these tattoos and a specific look and she's. You know she's just edgy all of these like interesting things going on with her on the outside. She has found that she loves that version of herself, but ultimately, royal would be where she is today if not for all of that because of her work ethic, her drive, her creativity, her love for the art and all of that and she made peace with this idea that she needed to become this person, and she loves who she is. But I think for those of you watching and listening she was really speaking to you about you already are enough. You can reach your goals the way you are. You just have to work hard and use that little four step plan that she talked about, like the things that go into reaching a level of success. But you don't have to change who you are. Just keep being the best version of yourself, the one that is passionate and strives to be where you are and puts in the work and sets those goals. But you don't have to become someone you're not. And that was just so beautiful for her to talk about on camera and on mic and to me, and I hope that you thought it was beautiful as well.

Austin Seltzer: 1:48:22

Thanks for listening to the Grounds for Success podcast. I want to thank all of the people who work on this podcast and help me out. My team is everything to me, and without them I couldn't bring these to you every single week. I couldn't post on social media, you know, with all of the clips that we have, and so I thank you guys so much. I want to also thank all of my clients on the Mixing and Mastering side, because without you, I could not have Grounds for Success. So thank you so much. If you're enjoying the Grounds for Success podcast, please follow, like and subscribe on whichever platform you're listening or watching on. It helps us out a ton and I want to keep getting this content to you in whichever way you listen or watch.