K-Pop Profiles

Royal Pirates

Royal Pirates

Stage Name: Moon

Birth Name: Kim Moon Chul

English Name: Andrew Kim

Position: Leader, Main Vocalist, Guitarist, Songwriter, Composer

Birth Date: September 2, 1988

Height: 177 cm

Blood Type: O

Hobbies: 

Specialties: Writing, arranging and composing music

Trivia: - Although he has lived in America for about ten years, his hometown is in Incheon, South Korea
-  He states that the meaning for their band’s name is to represent the juxtaposition of the rock genre they specialize in to mirror the double-sided world of their music, meaning that they want to connect the “royal” lineage of rock-stars past with the freedom and spirituality of modern “pirates” to create a lineage that transcends time
- He is quoted for say this: “I won’t say what needs to be said but say what needs to be heard”
- He describes himself as adventurous, sarcastic, and evil all at the same time
- He can also play the bass, the drums, and the piano
- He is deathly afraid of insects, especially cockroaches and praying mantises
- He has been singing since the age of thirteen
- His favorites bands are Muse and Coldplay
- Besides speaking English, he can also speak Japanese fluently
- Ever since grade-school, he has mastered  hard rock, modern rock, alternative rock, psychedelic rock, electronica, J-Rock, Brit-pop, and various other genres of music, all while forming his own style in the process
- He doesn’t like to eat any kind of “fishy” food, both raw and cooked
- He was inspired to become a singer after watching “The Titanic”, and grew up as a huge fan of Celine Dion

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Stage Name: Sooyoon

Birth Name: Kim Soo Yoon

Nickname: TV (because of his broad shoulders)

Position: Drummer, Vocalist, Maknae, Songwriter, Composer

Birth Date: December 17, 1989

Height: 181 cm

Blood Type: A

Hobbies: Playing Pokemon video games and watching movies

Specialties: Fashion

Trivia: - His hometown is Seoul, but he has lived in the U.S. for about ten years
- He is quoted for having said this: “I don’t have enough talent to be a special artist. But I do have greater passion”
- He can also play the bass and the guitar, which he has been playing since he was fourteen. He also has been playing the drums since he was thirteen
- He has a strong sense of a sweet tooth, and he especially loves chocolate
- He is a secret video game nerd and has played all of the Pokemon games
- Because he is an avid Pokemon fan, he is also a huge fan of Pikachu
- He dislikes rainy weather the most
- He assists Moon in arranging most of their music
- He has an eye for style and the chic
- He has written and composed his own solo songs titled “One Hundred Roses” and “Like Butterflies”
- He has been a regular on Arirang’s “K’ poppin” Radio Show ever since April
- His band members claim him to be an “experimental” cook
- He has a fear of seeing dead animals/roadkill

Stage Name: James

Birth Name: Lee Joo Hyun

English Name: James Joo Hyun Lee

Position: Bass, Vocalist

Birth Date: June 9 , 1988

Height: 190 cm

Blood Type: A

Hobbies: Exercising and playing sports

Specialties: Modeling

Trivia: - His hometown is Los Angeles, California in America, where he was also born
- He was the last member to join the group on September 20th of 2009, introduced to Moon and Sooyoon through a mutual friend
- He used to be a member of the metal band Azusa, starting at the age of sixteen. He later on became the frontman for the band The Clear and Conscious
- Korean is his second language
- He is quoted for saying this: “Sometimes it’s good to slow down and practice being present” 
- He has been playing the bass since the sixth grade
- He can also play six-string guitar and has been playing the trumpet since fourth grade
- His favorite type of food is Mexican, and loves burritos
- He is well known for his intellect and for being a true food addict
- He was previously a server at Sushi Kamon in the City of Industry, California and was an intern at Music Saves Lives. He also worked as a data entry abstracter for a private company in a Los Angeles recording office
- He admits to knowing most of the English speaking idols in the K-Pop industry, including Peniel, Eric Nam, Ailee, Amber, Jackson, Bekah, and Kevin. He also knows Arden Cho fromTeen Wolf and popular YouTuber Jenn Im from clothesencounters
- He has filmed multiple CFs (like the Shinhan Card App CF) and frequently models in advertisements (he also notably worked with the female contestants of America’s Next Top Model in March of 2014)
- He attended California State University, where he majored in Communications and Entertainment

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FORMER MEMBER

Stage Name: Richard

Birth Name: Kim Moon Chan

English Name: Richard Kim

Position: Bassist

Birth Date: October 4, 1986

Trivia: - He died on April 11, 2008 from a car accident along with two other friends of the band, David Chung and Daniel Kim

- He was Moon’s brother

- After his death, Moon and Sooyoon decided to change the band’s name from Fading From Dawn to the Royal Pirates (because it just wasn’t the same without Richard), and they added member James