Oklahoma City worship band Royal Company is a songwriting collective that exists to point people to Jesus through music. We believe that our God is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. When we gather together, we are in His royal presence. We also believe that through His life sacrifice, we are made sons and daughters of God, and are now part of His royal family.

Artist Name:
Royal Company

Age:
20-30

Genres:
Christian / Worship / Pop

Hometown:
Oklahoma City

Label:
Dream Worship

Hobbies/Interests Apart from Music:
Clay: Oklahoma University football, any and all movies, reading
Makayla: Sand volleyball, cooking, and bike riding.

Last Netflix Binge:
Chad: The Social Dilemma
Makayla: Seinfeld and Breaking Bad

Very First Musical Purchase:
Clay: Backstreet Boys’ Backstreet’s Back album. You WISH you were that cool.
Chad: Huey Lewis & the News Greatest Hits
Makayla: A Barlow Girl CD, so embarrassing.

CCM: If you had only five words to describe your new album, it would be…?
Chad: Hot, hot, hot, hot, hot
Clay: Get ready for funky Christmas.

CCM: Do you have a favorite song from the new album? Why?
Clay: ‘O Come All Ye Faithful’
Chad: What Clay said.

CCM: What led you to pursue a career or ministry in music?
Chad: When your passion meets your call, there you find your purpose. Our passion is music, and our call is to spread the good news of Jesus. Therefore, Our purpose is to shine the light of Jesus through the context of music.
Clay: Music has always been what gives me energy. Whether it’s my first DC Talk CD, or a guitar solo on a Zeppelin record, I love music, and I believe God is an avid music fan as well. I think no matter what, it’s the most pure artform humanity has that He has given us.

CCM: Do you remember that moment when you realized you wanted to make an actual career out of music?
Chad: I was 13, and I caught my dad listening to Reel to Reel with classic rock artists like The Edgar Winter Group, Three Dog Night, and The Eagles.
Clay: When I saw School of Rock at age 11. I knew I had to be part of whatever was happening on screen.

CCM: What are your hopes for the new project?
Chad: Spread the hope and joy of Christ coming to earth.
Clay: That we can dance away the craziness of the year with our King in celebrating his arrival!

CCM: If you could potentially tour with any other artist or band (that you haven’t already), who would you choose and why?
Chad: Foo Fighters, because Dave Grohl is awesome.
Clay: Jack White. I saw that dude live and he played for three hours. I loved it.
Makayla: Alessia Cara

CCM: What was the last song you listened to on your playlist or stereo?
Clay: ‘Funny Thing’ by Thundercat
Chad: ‘Fade Out’ by James Bay

CCM: What was the last book you read?
Clay: Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
Chad: Can’t Hurt Me by David Goggins
Makayla: Love Does by Bob Goff

CCM: If you could tell the world about another artist/band to check out, who would it be?
Clay: Tame Impala or Thundercat
Chad: St. Lucia

CCM: What has been interesting to you musically lately? Perhaps something new to you in terms of listening habits or influences?
Chad: The simplicity of the two and four back beat. Nothing better than kick on one and three and snare on two and four. One of Michael Jackson’s key ingredients to writing hit songs. I’m fascinated by how it draws you in and makes you want to be a part of it.
Clay: I have been super into re-exploring bands that were huge when I was really young. I went on a journey listening to Smashing Pumpkins for like three straight hours the other day. I think sometimes we can get a vast amount of inspiration from music that has already come and gone.

CCM: Name a song that you wish you’d written (and why).
Clay: ‘Don’t Start Now’ by Dua Lipa. That song is undeniably sweet on all fronts. The bass is bouncy, the percussion is perfect, and the hooks are spicy.
Chad: ‘White Christmas’ because it came out in 1942 and it’s the highest grossing song of all time. The 40s were an incredibly underrated era of music. The song does nothing but spread the warmth and cheer of the best time of year.

CCM: What can listeners expect in terms of the sound, style and lyrics?
Clay: They can definitely expect Christmas-inspired lyrics, but as in usual Royal Company fashion, we kept the track stocked with plenty of poppy goodness- synths, funky basslines, four-on-the-floor kick drums; the whole nine yards!
Chad: Christmas in the club.

CCM: Who are your biggest musical influences?
Clay: Prince, Max Martin, ABBA
Chad: Foo Fighters, John Mayer, Michael Jackson, Sly & The Family Stone, Billy Preston, Billy Joel, and Led Zeppelin.

CCM: Are there any underlying themes or threads that tie this project together?
Chad: The birth of Jesus, along with fun rhythmic guitar and lush synth.
Clay: We love Jesus, we love celebrating his birthday, and we love to show Him our appreciation through making absolute JAMS.

CCM: How important is your faith or spirituality within your music?
Chad: VERY
Clay: I don’t know if I could play a note without faith.

CCM: What message do you hope listeners will take away from your music, regardless of what they believe?
Chad: That when they don’t have hope, they have hope in Jesus. They are not lost, and there is a God that loves them enough to sacrifice His life in order to bring them into the family of God. All we want to do is simply point people to Jesus.
Clay: I hope they can always sense authenticity. We would not play the music that we do if we didn’t believe what we wrote or sang. I also want them to sense joy, because it’s there!

Leave a Reply