Royal & the Serpent

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 Britney Spears' 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]

In 2024, Santiago contributed to the soundtrack of Arcane's second season with the track "Wasteland", which was released through Riot Games Music in conjunction with the season's last three episodes.^[28]