BY EMILY DAVENPORT
Latin pop superstar Prince
Royce recently returned to his
native Bronx for a live (and
livestreamed) show.
Born and raised in the
Bronx, Royce says that he got
his start by singing in the
shower. Both of Royce’s parents
were born and raised in
the Dominican Republic, and
growing up Royce became no
stranger to the music of his
cultural background.
“My mom would encourage
me a lot in my singing,”
said Royce. “In the Bronx
and Washington Heights,
we’d listen to a lot of bachata,
merengue, especially in my
household. That drew me into
getting into the rhythm, giving
it my own little New York
American Dominican style
into the genre.”
Royce started to record his
own music when he was 16
years old out of a friend’s studio
in the Bronx. He started to
develop his own style of music
based off of what he heard
growing up but put his own
New York City twist to the performance.
“When I go to school or am
talking to friends or brothers
and sisters, we talk Spanglish.
In my concerts, I sing in Spanish
and talk to them in English.
That was really how my
music is, sometimes I sprinkle
a little English in,” said Royce.
“That’s who I sing for, I sing
for people kind of like me...I’m
singing mostly in Spanish but
I sprinkle in a little New York
flavor, and I think that with
the Dominican style works.”
Now, with six albums under
his belt and multiple #1
hits, Royce has certainly
made a name for himself in
the genre. However, Royce admits
that it didn’t click for him
that music was going to be sustainable
for him until he was
well into his career.
“I think it was late in because
in the beginning when
I was on the radio and making
BRONX TIMES REPORTER,32 MAY 14-20, 2021 BTR
money from music, there’s
still an uncertainty. You start
to think, one if this is a onehit
wonder kind of thing?
What if after 2-3 years I’m still
not here?” said Royce. “I think
like 7 years in, I was like,
‘Man i’m still here!’ I’m still
connecting with the people,
it’s another #1 hit, 14-15 platinum
hits. I think, ‘Man, this
is dope, I could do this another
10 years.’ That’s when I felt really
good about myself and really
confident and solid.”
Royce recently partnered
with Presidente beer to participate
in Reventón de Verano
(hosted by Anheuser-Busch),
a one-day music festival that
took place over livestream
with artists across the globe.
For the first time in over a
year and a half, Royce hit the
stage for an intimate show in
the Bronx to celebrate Hispanic
culture.
For Royce, the partnership
with Presidente was a nobrainer
— in addition to having
worked with the brand in
the past, Presidente is something
that Royce says is very
close to his Dominican culture.
“El Presidente is a Dominican
beer that kind of was there
in my upbringing and when
I go to the Dominican Republic,”
said Royce. “When they
approached me about doing
this show, I liked it because
it’s something that culturally,
every Dominican knows about
this beer, growing up it’s a
brand that we know always
look for. It’s close to my family
and upbringing.”
More importantly to Royce,
he wanted to do something for
his fans, and Presidente was
the perfect partner for him to
get it done.
“It’s about the fans as well.
I haven’t sung in front of a
small audience in a year and
a half since my tour got canceled,”
said Royce. “I think
that there’s a bunch of stuff
that’s all for the people, and
Prince Royce.
Courtesy of Presidente
this beer has always felt like it
was for the people.”
Royce is currently working
on new music, but he looks
forward to the days when the
pandemic is finally behind us
and can perform and hang out
with his family without risk.
“I’m feeling way better
than last year. I feel good,
seeing how New York is opening
up soon. People should
continue to take care of
themselves. Hopefully 1 year
from now we should be 100%
clear,” said Royce. “I’m working
on new music, but I’m
looking forward to trying to
be normal.”
Stay up to date with the latest
from Royce by following
him on social media @Prince-
Royce on Facebook, Twitter,
Instagram, and TikTok, or
visit princeroyce.com.
Moving to the beat
Latin music star Prince Royce on early roots and returning to the Bronx for
a show highlighting Hispanic culture
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