Following the release of her latest single If I Loved You, Los Angeles singer-songwriter Royse pays tribute to the seven artists that have had the most influence on her music. This set of artists tells the story of Royse's journey within the music industry. 

Royse

James Bay

When I first heard of James Bay, I only heard one song by him that was very popular at the time, Hold Back The River. And I liked the song a lot but then I saw him perform live at Coachella. I was totally blown away and inspired by his performance. He sang each song as if it were his very last, and I loved how you could see his heart and soul in every song. He inspired me to be vulnerable with my music. And to use my voice as a tool to share love. I also put the way he performed in my shows by singing like it is my very last and to not take any performance for granted. 

Kelly Clarkson

The very first pop song that I fell in love with as a kid was Breakaway. I'll never forget looking out of the window at the age of 6 and feeling so connected to this song. It was like it was speaking directly to me. This song made me fall in love with writing music. Nothing worth singing today, but I created music at 6 years old because of this song. Fast-forward 17 years later, and I had an amazing opportunity to actually co-write with one of Kelly Clarkson's writers, and that was a very cool experience for me to see my love for writing come in full circle. 

Miley Cyrus 

When I was 10 years old, I made a big move at the time from Georgia to Texas. Her music felt like a friend that I didn't have at the time inspiring me to be a better version of myself. I remember singing her song, The Climb, at my 7th grade talent show. And every body laughed at me and said I sucked. But it also was the moment, I realized I had to pursue music. Something inside of me told me I had to keep singing even if I didn't get anyones approval. Thank you Miley. 

Adele

The first song I heard from Adele was Make You Feel My Love. And I nearly lost my mind. It was unreal! And then I saw Adele in a photo, and it was the first time I saw someone that wasn't a stick represented in the music industry. And she was beautiful! It made me realize that regardless of my weight, I could still be beautiful too. Adele's voice really inspired my voice. She pushed me to find my own sound not what I was taught to sound like. 

Kevin Hart

Now Kevin Hart is not a musician but a comedian and I still consider him an artist. He's someone who came from nothing and went through a lot of adversity to get to where he is now. He always says, "be the hardest worker in every room," and this inspired me that if you work hard, you will achieve your goals. The key is just to never give up, and I am constantly reminding myself of this. He uses comedy and laughter as a way to entertain people and for them to escape their current situation and to just laugh. I want to use my artform in a similar way where people can escape and feel better after listening to my music. 

Katy Perry

Katy Perry is the artist that has inspired me overall the most. She is unapologetically herself. She is a person that never gave up and always had a dream and a vision of where she wanted to be. I saw Katy perform live, and I have to say, it was one of the most magical experiences ever. And I thought about that, that an artist like Katy can create so much joy for people. I remember I was debating on moving out to LA for my music career and I saw her documentary Part of Me, and it encouraged me to go and make my dreams a reality. And every time I wanted to quit or give up, I would put on her documentary to encourage myself and make my dreams a reality. With a lot of handwork, a lot of faith, nothing is impossible. So thanks to Katy Perry for being a lighthouse for me in this industry. 

J Hart

J is a singer/songwriter that I met when I was in college at the Los Angeles Recording School. He came and spoke at my school, and I was so inspired by him, and him as a songwriter that I applied to be his intern and I got the gig! Yes, I was doing intern work, but he would also let me sit in sessions and learn from him while being one of the number one writers in the world and now has become a dear friend of mine. No matter what room J walks into he is kind to everyone and would work so hard with a love for what he did. He never complained about working long hours, if it was back to back sessions or getting no sleep, he loved it. He has overcome so much and puts all that in his writing and that inspired me to be vulnerable in my writing. One of the kindest and most talented people you will ever meet. He gave me a chance to put a toe in the music industry when I was just a student with a dream. Thank you J!