Seven years ago an underground MC, Soup the Chemist, influenced a high school freshman to trade his polyphonic hip-hop beats and predictable lyrics for a more organic, thought provoking music taste. At that time, he was following a trend of mainstream zombies, but some inspiration from hand-me-down sounds, compliments of one of his long time friends, allowed Royce Lovett to spark his voyage as a self-managed artist.
Royce’s sound is categorized in his own personalized genre “cerebral-soul.” He says his music makes people tap into their intellect. “Music can motivate you to change, get into your mind and into your soul,” Royce says. “It’s a ripple effect from one place to another.” He commonly uses this motivation in performances by involving the crowd, and making fans feel in touch with the music. Whether it’s a simple snap or “getting lost in the music” Royce makes his audience a part of the music.
Lovett’s guitar is his musical weapon. It has helped to define his sound and influence his career. His acoustic guitar plays such a significant role in Royce’s life that it’s hard to believe he began playing the acoustic guitar only four years ago in 2005. He picked up the instrument and taught himself how to play.
In Royce’s transitional stage he stumbled across Lauryn Hill’s unplugged album, which he admits he played exclusively for months. The album made him realize that unlike hip-hop, which requires studios, producers, microphones and sound engineers, he could pluck his guitar anywhere with his voice and create divine music.
Since learning to play the guitar, Royce has performed in several shows including “Natural Soul”, “JamFest”, “Chocolate Rock”, “Hip Hopalooza”, “Hip Hop on Hollis Ave” and at many festivals and night clubs. He has also released two albums, one of which was a compilation with friends.
“Ought-ism”, Royce’s debut album, was released in November of 2009. He describes the album as introducing the face to the mirror. Looking at the image in the mirror and scrutinizing it. Within the next year Royce hopes to have a standing fan base in Florida and begin traveling more across the southeast coast. He says he’s not interested in world-wide stardom, but wants to make good music and be happy.
Royce’s personal motivation has paved the way for his many accomplishments in music, and although he manages himself, Royce has a large support group to cheer him on. Royce’s wife, Hannah Lovett, has been a great encourager and manages the business finances; and his parents, Rosa and Johnny Lovett, have been great supporters, who have given him a firm foundation in the love of God.