As the timeline of music has demonstrated, introductions mean everything. Toronto’s Joseph Royal has studied the art of sound and its appeal as a product, a brand, and a future, knowing that careers come full-circle because with every introduction, there’s a conclusion that defines a person and tells a story. “I’ve never been one to listen to music as just music,” he says. “For me, a culmination of sounds have always had a way to portray a musician’s story”. This experimental artist’s debut, I AM, is just another statement that skips that small talk to uncover a portrait of a musician who studies traditional genres and former breakout artists we now call icons. The extended play is self-released by his own start-up, The Greats Inc., and it pushes the music envelope by following in the groundbreaking footsteps of In Search Of…, Please Please Please, and Prince.



The reality of transforming into a buzz artist is starting to diminish and it’s why I AM is the mere model of a vocalist merging contemporary pop with airplay-driven R&B to manufacture something original. Something unclassifiable. Something that lands on an iPod, a laptop or a home theater setup with the purpose of lasting more than one play. The EP is a mere reflection of what the 24-year-old is capable of considering his itch to create but it strolls through moods and ideas built from exploration. The release’s most commercial track, “Take A Picture”, is an eclectic independent pop tune that traps you wherever you are, albeit the bedroom or an office space. Likewise, “You’re Fly” brushes off a more modern approach, clashing various decades of hip hop and bottling it all into dense layers of club-worthy confidence. From point A to point B, the extended play hits with a purpose, leaving no emotion covered and letting the addition of flow keep your heels in motion.



Royal’s beginnings as a songwriter date as far back as high school, as his love for confiding in a collection of artists sketched a new love for turning thoughts into musical notes. “Growing up, my household exposed me to very different styles of music,” he notes. “I found myself listening to everything from funk/jazz to Ghana’s high life to classic hip hop and R&B”. While finding a way to breach the outer limits of the Canadian music industry, Royal also faced the task of adapting the lifestyle of being a film actor, balancing open auditions with home studio nights to be pushed in the right direction. “Acting remains a passion of mine but it influenced me to focus more on my music as an outlet,” he says. “As time passed, recording and creating music videos allowed me to express all of my emotions and add visuals to the stories I want to tell”.



Originally from Brampton, Ontario, staying put has never been much of an option for the aspiring composer as a productive lifestyle and boost in popularity found Royal investing time to discover the underbelly of events that go as far south as South By Southwest. While he cites James Brown and Sammy Davis Jr. as early favourites, keeping an open ear to the speaker helped him expand his limitations, finding inspiration through Pharrell and The-Dream. “Studying your mentors expands your perception in a way that you find an emotional connection to composing, production and delivery,” he says. “Taking in the concept of music from all sides evokes you to set higher goals for yourself”.



Time is has forced Canadian music to imitate itself but Royal’s been able to build his fan base through downloads of rough material and ventures into social media entertainment. His music today is much stronger and less restrained as his individuality now adopts outside influences. It’s not quite as iconic as a mixtape glowing with samples or a radio single 2 Chainz has adorned with a Record Of The Year guest spot, but I AM marks an “X” on a spot in music Royal can call his own. Like many creative types have noted through their early years, writing songs can only get you so far, but exemplifying a brutal sense of passion can convince anyone to put on a pair of headphones for three minutes or more. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.