I Want To Be Royce Fisherman When I Grow Up
July 2024
Growing up, we tend to say "I want to be ___ when I'm older," dismissing the same amount of success or potential we have within ourselves to achieve as those we look up to. Royce Nakamatsu Katsura, known as Royce Fisherman, is challenging the notion that success means becoming someone else.
This emerging artist blends NYC and Hawai’i influences in his music, creating a unique sound that resonates with audiences. His breakout single 'Billabong Babe' gained significant traction on social media, accumulating over 5 million views on TikTok and surpassing a million plays on Spotify. Royce's journey serves as a reminder that success isn't reserved for a select few. His story encourages us to focus on developing our own talents and working towards our goals. Success is not about becoming someone else – it's about becoming the best version of yourself.
The tiktok where you share the BTS of your single ‘Billabong Babe,’ hit 4.1M+ views. Can you talk about the meaning behind the song, and the significance behind the set?
The Billabong Babe video came out of a last-minute idea while I was walking back to my apartment after eating dinner. I texted my manager, Chris, and my videographer, Leion, and they loved the idea. The setup felt personal to me because of my pride being from Hawai’i, its local culture, and my representation of that culture in New York. The video concept was easy for anyone to understand but the details of the Locals slippers, Hawaiian Sun juice, and Palolo hat are details I believe Hawai’i people appreciated. It's cool that a lot of non-hawaii people latched onto the song and appreciated the same details.
What would be your dream city/venue to perform at?
Definitely Tokyo. I would love to do an Asia tour one day. My dream venue would be Kings Theater out in Brooklyn. I saw IDLES perform there once and it was amazing.
How do you feel like living in Hawai’i/NY has played a role in your creativity?
Growing up in Hawai’i is such a unique experience. My love and appreciation for Hawai’i is expressed throughout my lyrics, and in my videos, which references its local culture. The upbeat sound of my music also reflects the energy of Hawai’i and its people. Music was never at the forefront of my life but I took piano lessons when I was younger and played alto sax in middle school. I got into music with my friends, Tyler and Cole, in my sophomore year of high school. We made a rap group and started recording below the school library in a janitor's closet. A year later, I started doing music on my own and decided to go to college for music business. Having the opportunity to live in both Hawai’i and New York has uniquely shaped my creative pursuits. New York has shown me that the impossible is possible, while Hawai’i continues to keep me grounded and remind me why I pursue music as both a career and passion.
What do you see yourself doing full-time in the next 3-5 years?
I finished my undergraduate degree at NYU Steinhardt and graduated from their music business program. In the next 3-5 years, I see myself making music, designing clothes/graphics, and pursuing other creative projects full-time.
Let's talk fashion. Tell us how you developed your own style, and how it represents you.
My sense of fashion started during the Hypebeast era of Yeezy and Supreme. I’m not ashamed of that because I feel like that’s how a lot of people my age got into fashion/clothes whether they admit it or not. Living in New York has dramatically changed my fashion style. I’m inspired by the variety of styles and iterations that influence the way that I want to express myself. Currently, I am inspired by the Hawai`i streetwear/fashion designers who are doing really dope things in the community. Here are a few everyone should check out: Harbors Vintage, Rocket Ahuna, Salvage Public, Ala Wai Research, Nightmarch, Fibers Workshop.
Story behind ‘Royce Fisherman?’ What genre do you categorize yourself into, and what do you want people to walk away with from your music?
In my freshman year of college, my homie, Max, was releasing his first single that I got to be featured on. I was switching names at the time and knew I wanted to use my real first name. We were eating outside of Weinstein one day and Max, knowing I fished a little, was like "what about Royce Fisherman?." The rest is history. I classify my music as indie-rap / alternative-pop. I want people to feel good after listening to my music. My upbeat music is how I deal with negativity in my life and hope it helps others in the same way.
Hardest and most rewarding thing about pursuing music? If you could create a song with any artist, who’d it be and why?
The hardest thing about pursuing music as a career/full-time is that you don’t make money. Streaming subscriptions have convinced people that unlimited music is worth only $12 a month and, cheaper if you’re on a family plan and artists aren’t getting paid. The most rewarding part of music is getting to meet people. I’ve met such a diverse set of perspectives through music and I feel like at the end of the day, it will always be about the people. I believe I could do music for a living (and still do) but the first time I saw it tangible was when Billabong Babe went viral. I would love to work with Amine. I feel we both have this underlying summer sound to our songs and I look up to his artistic direction. Dominic Fike would be a cool collab too. I've been a fan of him since his Soundcloud era. I would love to get him back in his rap bag.
One life motto you live by?
My mom used to tell me and my brother before baseball games, “ganbatte” which means do your best / good luck in Japanese. That motto has carried with me throughout every aspect of my life.
From lyrics to production, share the process of how you make art.
Im lucky for the talent that I am surrounded by and able to learn from on a daily basis. My creative process is developed by watching my friends and learning from them. Max was the person that got me into producing. I used to rip beats from YouTube and Max showed me the value of making your own beats which accelerated my growth. If I'm not making my beats, Max and my homie Nica (who produced Billabong Babe) are sending me things constantly. The beat almost always comes first, and I will start by mumbling melodies until I find something I like. Often, I’m mumbling a specific word that I will build around. As I continue to write, the ideas and remaining contents of the song will develop.
This or That?
City or Suburbs? City.
Billabong Babe or Natural Selection? Those are my babies. I can't choose favorites.
Vinyl or Digital? Digital.
9AM or 9PM? 9PM.