About
Also known as: Ryan Jillian Santiago
Ryan Jillian Santiago grew up in New Jersey with an origin story that swings between extremes: a competitive dancer until she shattered both heel plates jumping off a stage at 14, she pivoted to musical theater and then taught herself guitar, eventually starting to write her own songs. At 18 she packed up for Los Angeles, waited tables as a bartender, and got a nudge from a coworker who became her first manager to actually pursue music seriously. Under the name Royal & the Serpent, which she describes as translating to "Me + My Ego", she released her debut single "Temperance" independently in 2017. After signing with Atlantic Records, her single "Overwhelmed" and debut EP get a grip both landed in 2020. She has spent much of the years since as a touring support act, sharing stages with Yungblud, Demi Lovato, grandson, Fall Out Boy, and Ashnikko. She contributed the track "Wasteland" to the Arcane season two soundtrack, released through Riot Games Music. Rather than chasing a traditional album rollout, she has leaned into releasing dual singles on a rolling basis, plus a limited edition compilation pulling from her earlier EPs.
