Royal & the Serpent
Royal & the Serpent performing in 2021
Background information
Birth name	Ryan Jillian Santiago [1]
Born	(1994-05-25) May 25, 1994 (age 30)
Origin	New Jersey, U.S.
Genres	Indie pop [2] electropop [3] pop-punk [4]
Occupation(s)	Singer songwriter
Years active	2017–present
Labels	Atlantic
Website	royalandtheserpent.com

Ryan Jillian Santiago (born May 25, 1994), known professionally as Royal & the Serpent, is an American singer and songwriter.

A New Jersey native, Ryan Santiago was born on May 25, 1994. ^[3] She was raised both Catholic and Jewish. ^[5] Santiago took up competitive dance as a child, until she "shattered both [her] heel plates" after jumping off a stage while performing when she was 14 years old. ^{[6] [7]} She subsequently delved into musical theater. ^[6] In her teenage years, Santiago learned how to play the guitar and began writing songs. ^[6] She attended her first concert on the Oops!... I Did It Again Tour at the age of six. ^[8]

At the age of 18, Santiago moved to Los Angeles, where she attended art school and worked as a bartender in a restaurant. ^{[6] [9] [10] [11]} She has credited encouragement from a co-worker, who later became her first manager, for motivating her to pursue a professional career as a musician. ^{[6] [9] [10]}

In 2017, Santiago independently released "Temperance", her debut single under the stage name Royal & the Serpent. ^[6] On her moniker, she has explained that "'Royal & the Serpent' translates to 'Me + My Ego'". ^[12] In 2018, she released her second single, "Together", ^[13] and was featured on the song "Wicked" by music producer Tommee Profitt. ^[3] By the end of 2019, she had signed with Atlantic Records. ^{[6] [7]}

"Overwhelmed", Royal & the Serpent's first single on Atlantic, was released in June 2020, ^{[14] [15]} and her debut EP get a grip was released in October. ^[16] That year, she joined English singer Yungblud's Weird Time of Life virtual tour as a supporting act. ^[17] Royal & the Serpent's second EP Searching for Nirvana was released in June 2021. ^[18]

In January 2022, Santiago was featured as a guest vocalist on "pity party" by Stand Atlantic. Her third EP, IF I DIED WOULD ANYONE CARE, was released on January 28, 2022. ^[19] Later that year she performed as a supporting act for Demi Lovato on her Holy Fvck Tour as well as grandson on his Death of a Tour tour. ^{[20] [21]}

In 2023, Santiago performed as a supporting act for Fall Out Boy on their So Much (for) Stardust tour. ^[22] Instead of releasing a full album, she plans to release a dual-single every month from May 2023 through the end of the year. ^{[23] [24] [25]} While on tour, she released a limited-edition compilation album featuring songs from her previous EPs IF I DIED WOULD ANYONE CARE and Happiness Is An Inside Job. ^{[26] [27]}

• Official website