Vernon-raised musician hopes to create music to 'connect with' under new alias

The Okanagan’s own Jodi Pederson is making strides in her blooming musical career under her stage name, ROYAL.

Raised in Vernon, Pederson started out as a folk musician as a result of her Bob Dylan infused upbringing.

“It was a natural thing for me to start as a folk artist because I started music as a songwriter, it made more sense to pick up a guitar and play the songs that way,” said Pederson.

In the pursuit of music, Pederson traveled from sleepy Vernon to bustling Toronto, the beaches of Australia and moody Vancouver where she took part in the Peak Performance Project back in 2014.

Since then, she has split her time between Vancouver and the Okanagan, keeping busy honing in on her style.

For Pederson, music is something that has always been there for her, a comfort during her years as a shy youth.

“When I started writing, it became my way of sort of dealing with my emotions and making sense of what I was going through,” she said.

Now, she is hoping her creations turn into something her listeners can connect to and find that same sense of comfort in.

“Sometimes, you're going through something and you feel like you're all alone, that is why I think it is important to create music that has meaning for people to connect to — that is what I want my music to be,” added Pederson.

As time progressed, Pederson found that both she and her music were evolving from her folky roots — morphing into the dreamy swoon-pop that her new alias ROYAL has become applauded for.

“As I began to work and explore the aspects of music, that’s when I felt myself going toward the more dynamic and dramatic elements of indie-pop,” she said.

“Once I created this new sound, I thought it was an appropriate time to officially rebrand and come up with a new name. I remember sitting on a bus and while looking around I saw Royal and it really stuck with me,” she said.

“I wanted something to fit the timeless beauty I'm trying to portray in my music, something that was bold and powerful, after sitting with it awhile, I figured it was the perfect fit."

Who is ROYAL? She is exactly what Pederson intended. A stunning beauty with a crooning vocal style, doused in regal pops of red, sharing tales so heavy it feels as though your heart is filled with lead, but with such grace you can’t help but yearn to hear more.

Her recent creation, an album titled Heart of Shadows, and her live performances are where Pederson channels her new persona perfectly.

“The album is basically a collection of some of the more pivotal moments of my life. The moments who define who I am or allowed me to grow into who I am,” said Pederson.

“When I’m on stage, I really try and sink into the moments of each song. It’s almost like going back in time and really bringing those emotions forward to try to express them musically and through my movements on stage,” she added.

However, ROYAL is much more than a musical performer. She explores and portrays her messages through various media — strategically planning each visual brought into play and the significance of what it can symbolize.

ROYAL’s most recent piece of art is a four-minute long music video for her song “Vessel,” a platform that Pederson wanted to use to “showcase the emotional depths of the song.”

“The song talks about a relationship that ended and how lost I was, how I lost my identity with that relationship and how I had no direction after,” she explained.

“I feel music videos can make or break a song, it really allows the artists to share the story and portray the emotions in a cinematic way.”

The video, which stars Riverdale actors Tiera Skovbye and Jordan Connor, shows a terrified astronaut adrift in space after becoming detached from her ship recalling heartbreaking memories of her lost love.

“It takes place in space to show the isolation and how she is lost and terrified because that is how I felt during the break up that the song is inspired by,” Pederson said.

“It shows all these beautiful moments and how or why we lose ourselves in relationships in both a positive and negative way."

Currently hard at work on more projects in the studio, it may be a while before we have the chance to see ROYAL gracing an Okanagan stage.

However, Pederson says she will be back to “put on a great show” for her hometown crowd once her newer creations are all wrapped up.

You can follow along with ROYAL on Facebook or Instagram and stream her music on Spotify and Apple Music.