If you’re looking for the next song to play as you drive down PCH, windows down and music blasting, August Royals’ latest single, “Kiss My Scars,” may just be it.

“It’s an ode to a lot of self-destructive tendencies I have,” Royals says of the song. “Building my walls up around people, especially when I get too close, I get very nervous letting people in. But it’s also kind of been a bit of a self-love anthem for me too.”

Much of Royals’ songs come from personal experiences in his own life, with this song serving as a reminder to him to practice patience, forgiveness, and perseverance through some of the hard parts. And this single is different from his previous work. It’s a genre just more than pop, with the vibes of The 1975 and production choices that allow it to be even better when played live. This is a sound that Royals hopes to chase as he continues his work as a solo artist. 

 

The 23-year-old singer notes that this is his first song released without an accompanying visual – and he’s excited about it. “There’s no artists’ bubble where a music video is going to trap you into a storyline with this one. So when people hear it, it’s just completely open for their own interpretation.”

Born and raised in Macon, Georgia, Royals moved to Los Angeles at age 18. After staying there for a year, he took time to live in Nashville for a year before returning to Los Angeles, where he currently resides.

 

Though his childhood was not inherently centered around music, Royals decided to pursue the music industry because of the impact music had on him. “That never really goes away with certain songs. And I have always wanted to be able to give that to someone else and make them something to relate to – something to make their own.”

 

While the budding star’s own musical inspirations for his body of work tend to change, they remain artists who serve as both lyrical and vocal inspirations to him. His current phase includes Harry Styles (it must be noted that his favorite song of all time is “Cherry”), Taylor Swift, Phoebe Bridgers, and many R&B artists.

If you visit Royals’ Instagram account, you’ll see in one of his most recent captions an explanation of what “Kiss My Scars” means to him. The artist speaks on the song’s origin story about a relationship, his mental health, and the song’s transition to becoming “an ode to self-love.”

 

As you look through his page, you’ll also see a tag to the account @expandyourlungs in his bio. It’s a private account, serving just over 140 followers at this time, but Royals has bigger plans to come. “Ultimately I kind of want it to be a vessel, more on the creative side, whether it’s merchandise or exclusive stuff that fans have requested, that you’re engaging with me. And I just wanted it to kind of be its own little personal bubble that has a tight knit community.”

 

For Royals, social media and finding his own voice online are two things he is continuously learning to navigate. “Just like trying to figure out how much to get people and how to be authentic with that, and how to word that, there’s definitely been a challenge.” 

This year, Royals says we can definitely expect to see his EP, Inhaler, which will boast nine songs not including additional singles he hopes to drop in 2022. The name of the project is a double entendre, using inhalers as a symbol of “saving grace” both in Royals’ love for music and his personal experience with asthma.

 

His journey as an artist began with writing and keeping headphones in his ears, a strategy he recommends for anyone looking to break into the music industry. As the drop of his first project nears, the singer shares words of wisdom for other aspiring artists. 

“There are so many blueprints and plans in front of us of great artists and people who have caught their own paths,” Royals says. “There’s a lot of information out there to learn from and I don’t think there’s any better way to learn than to look at other artists’ careers.”