Bazaar Royale is a rock star, a larger than life personality waiting for the mainstream to catch on. The creator of the “Ghetto Metal” movement, Royale has built a new sound that is full of rock optimism, spiked with a gritty dose of reality—the hard times millions of people are going through around the world. On his most recent CD, “The Ride” Royale takes us on a journey of self-discovery; Who am I as an individual and What role do I play in society? If that seems like a grandiose premise, I encourage you to take a moment to press the play button and see for yourself.
Bazaar had an interesting but difficult childhood. His mother was a model /actress and singer who sang background for a number of R&B groups including Freddy Jackson and Luther Vandross. Although his mother’s career inspired Bazaar to want to also pursue a career in show business, Bazaar’s early exposure to the world of entertainment also took a negative toll on a young boy exposed to a little too much before his time. As a result, Bazaar lost his way in his early years and found himself on a path of rebellious self –destruction. Unlike a lot of artists, he doesn’t glamorous his past transgressions, instead he’d rather focus on the present moment and the positive impact he’s making now.
Bazaar works with some top-notched musicians to create a multi-layered Hip Hop, Soul/Funk in your face Rock sound. He has performed with artists such as, DMX, and Autoslave. His Ghetto Metal movement has already got some world class fans spreading the word. George Clinton, the innovative, poetic leader of Parliament Funkadelic explains it like this: “Ghetto Metal is aggression rock & roll that repossessed its own soul.” Mark Ronson, the legendary music producer who has worked with; Amy Winehouse, Christina Aguilera and Macy Grey says, “Ghetto Metal. The term sounds amazing because it just rings. It’s hip hop and rock. And not just any kind of Rock, it’s HARD Guitar Rock. There’s a raw energy that comes from Bazaar.”
Bazaar would like to invite you to take “The Ride” with him. He says, “When I was coming up, the people I liked were the risk takers, the adrenaline junkies. They put their money where their mouth is.” “The Ride” is probably the closest thing to a “concept” CD you are likely to find these days. Each track tells a stand-alone story. And together, the songs make up the soundtrack of Bazaar’s life. “Take The Ride with me, because you might learn something about yourself along the way. I’m still learning. I’m still on this journey and it’s great to have some fellow travelers along the way.”
“Hard Times, Celebrate” is the first single off “The Ride” and it features Phil Collen the guitarist from Def Leppard. The video shows Royale decked out in giant aluminum and mesh angel wings, wearing a neon halo that keeps flickering off. The chorus: “If you having hard times, need to celebrate. Sip a little wine, drink some bubbly. Your life ain’t ruined in one day. It keeps coming and coming and coming and…” His inspiration for the song? He says, “We’ve got factories closing, people losing their jobs. We’ve got Tsunamis and the disaster in Haiti. But what I learned growing up and going through some hard times myself is even in chaos there are moments of hope. There’s a smile or a laugh and you need to celebrate it, right at that moment. Don’t wait.”
In “Love the Danger” Royale’s soaring vocals are like a cross between Steven Tyler of Aerosmith and Chris Cornell of Soundgarden. The NY Post called Royale “The Ghetto Axl Rose.” And even if that sounds like a dig, Royale takes it as a compliment saying, “I love all kinds of music. I love Guns & Roses. They came in hard and from the heart.” The horn arrangements on this song are as plush as The Doors’ “Touch Me” and the chorus is as catchy as Lenny Kravitz “Are You Gonna Go My Way?” With songs like this and a personality that’s larger than life, Bazaar Royale and his “Ghetto Metal” movement are sure to captivate fans from a wide variety of musical genres. Everything from Hip Hop to Soul, Rock, Jazz and Pop. You can imagine these songs pumping over a mile high stack of amps at your local stadium with Bazaar in full glory on stage, complete with those aluminum wings and brightly glowing neon halo, in front of 30,000 cheering fans. But this is more than just arena rock that you can groove to. This is arena rock that you can groove to and that will move you on a whole deeper level. They say, “Music tames the savage beast.” In this case, Royale harnesses the heaviness of great rock n’ roll mixed with soul to inspire anyone who’s been through hard times.
Still not a believer? Press play. You will be.
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