Imad-Roy El-Amin, a 24-year-old Canadian-born Lebanese singer, songwriter and producer recently heard he had joined a small group of artists of Arab descent nominated for the 2017 Grammy Awards.
Amin, who goes by stage name Imad Royal, discusses dropping out of college, his Lebanese roots and the perks of being “different” in an interview with The Daily Star.
“I woke up to a text saying ‘Congrats bro, you’re Grammy nominated,’ Amin said as he described how he first heard that a record he had worked on was nominated for Best Rock Album. “I thought I was dreaming for real, the first thing I did was run to my mom and dad to tell them the news.”
The Grammy Awards is one of the top music accolades recognizing achievements mostly from the Anglophone music industry.
The 2017 Grammy nomination came for “Death of a Bachelor,” the fifth studio album by American band “Panic! At The Disco.” Amin worked on the album, producing the first single, “Hallelujah.” As such, he says he can now introduce himself as a Grammy-nominated producer. On Feb. 12, Amin and the band will find out if they have won the category at the 59th Grammy Awards show in Los Angeles.
The musician said he was approached to work on the album after a scout from the band’s management team came across one of his remixes on his profile on the online music platform “SoundCloud.”
The young artist has also been active in his solo work. Signed to major record label “Atlantic Records” and music publishing company Sony ATV, Amin released his debut EP “Octal Sounds” in 2015. Since then, he has released several singles, including, “Bad 4 U.”
Born in Quebec, Canada, Amin grew up in Washington D.C. after his family moved when he was 5 years old. Amin explained that music had always been an integral part of his life.
“Growing up, I was always drawn to music,” Amin said. “By the time I was 12, I was already becoming a proficient drummer and by 15 or 16, I started to write and record my own demo [tracks] at home.”
After high school, Amin headed to the University of Maryland to study government and politics. However, his undergraduate study quickly came to an end when he realized his passions were elsewhere.
“I lasted maybe three or four semesters in [college, until] I started a recording studio with my friends called ‘Indigo Studios,’” Amin explained. The abrupt decision to quit school and make music with friends at their studio ultimately led Amin to his current manager, Danny Kang. The then 22-year-old college dropout’s career quickly escalated, driving him west toward LA.
“I think I finally made up for the fact that I never got a degree,” he laughed when talking about his parents’ reaction to his unorthodox path. “They were very thrilled [about my nomination].”
When discussing the music industry as a person of Arab descent, Amin was nothing but enthusiastic about LA’s open and vibrant scene.
“Honestly California is a beautiful place,” Amin insisted. “I experienced more outright racism in D.C. then I have in LA. People in LA in general are way more open-minded and progressive,” he explained.
“If anything, I’ve been encouraged to write and produce music that celebrates my Lebanese-ness,” Amin added, laughing.
Despite never having lived in Lebanon full time, Amin said he spent his summers in the country with his family.
With his extended family still in Lebanon and Arabic as his first language, Amin has clearly maintained close roots to his cultural identity – a fact that has undeniably influenced his sound.
“My identity has caused me to have a different musical upbringing than most. I was exposed to a lot of classical Arabic music as well as contemporary music by my parents,” he explained.
Amin reflected about the correlation between his identity and his music. “I think it’s beautiful being a musician overall, most musicians throw their differences away to be a part of something bigger,” he said.
Holding a “soft spot” for Lebanon, Amin said he has played with the idea of coming back to the country as a musician. “I love Beirut so much,” he said. “When the opportunity presents itself, I would absolutely love to play for my people. I still speak and understand Arabic fluently and I’m very emotionally attached to being Lebanese.”
As for his plans in the new year, the Grammy-nominated musician plans to release new music and go on tour.
“In between working on my [own] stuff, I will still be producing and writing songs for others,” he said. “There are a handful of songs coming out this year that I produced and cowrote and I’m looking forward to people hearing them.”
To get the latest updates on tour dates, music releases, and inner musings, head for Amin’s Twitter @ImadRoyal.
By Victoria Yan
