Anyone who has heard of Prince Royce remembers his Spanglish bachata version of “Stand By Me,” a song that united cultures and generations while introducing the world to who he was back in 2010. Now, fifteen years later, Prince Royce is circling back to the theme of reimagining classics with his eighth studio album, “Eterno.” “100% full circle moment,” Royce says. “A lot of people always ask me, Would I do it again? I wasn’t too into it because I didn’t want to do the same thing. And then I was in a meeting, and they told me, “Hey, man, you were the one who pioneered this whole Spanglish thing.” That moment reminded him of “Stand By Me”’s impact on fans and how it served as his official entrance into the music industry.
1Royce reflects on how people are gravitating back to old-school activities. “Nowadays, people are buying VHS cameras, digital cameras, and vinyls,” he shares. “They’re getting back into that nostalgia of back in the day when there were no auto-tuners, love songs, and raw music. So I think it’s a full circle moment with ‘Stand By Me,’ bringing that essence back to when I first started.”
Eterno consists of thirteen tracks, each reimagining some of the most memorable classics in music, but done through Royce’s signature Spanglish and bachata touch. Hit songs such as “I Want It That Way” by the Backstreet Boys, “Killing Me Softly” by Roberta Flack, and “Dancing in the Moonlight” by King Harvest are transformed into Royce’s style.
“I did a long playlist of songs. I just tried to see which one I just liked in general, and then I’d see which one fits in bachata,” Prince Royce explains. “I’d take the vocal, put it on bachata, and I think the ones that stayed are the ones that I felt were not forced, that the translation could be smooth, that I felt comfortable enough, that it flowed.” For Royce, being authentic was important in creating the album. “I also wanted to respect the original song and let it still have my essence. So really, I kept the ones I felt truly just flowed in bachata.”
2Royce has consistently demonstrated his Dominican and American identity throughout his career. He shares that he’s a big fan of music in English, such as “rap and hip hop, and house, and at the same time, I like bachata, salsa, merengue, and reggaeton.” When asked how he feels being a 200 percenter, he shares, “I don’t even think it’s 50/50. We speak Spanglish, so I think it’s a great way to represent that community as well, unite generations, and unite rhythms.” While creating “Eterno,” Royce found it interesting to hear himself in these songs and show two cultures combined in his music.
When asked if he had heard any feedback from the original artists of the classics he reimagined, Royce shared he had heard from Lionel Richie’s team. “He liked it a lot,” Royce shares. So hopefully, all the original artists can listen to what I did with their songs.”
3Creating the album was also a fun educational experience for Royce. He shares that there are so many songs that we listen to and don’t realize they are covers. One of the songs he reimagined, he discovered, was a cover. “For example, Killing Me Softly by the Fugees was the first time I heard it. But the original song is by Roberta Flack,” Royce shares. His version of the “Killing Me Softly” track blends bilingualism and bachata grooves into a new rendition that pays homage to the original song, but in Prince Royce’s fashion, which is a favorite track of CREMA.
4As fans listen and explore Eterno, Royce enjoys connecting with his fans. He shares, “I always like meet and greets whenever there’s an album. I think it’s important.” There are Several fan events in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Texas. Some CDs purchased will also include exclusive autographed Polaroid pictures. There’s hope of a tour after, and Royce will also be going to Europe. Royce hopes the fans enjoy the album, and he shares, “ I think it’s my purpose to just bring this music to the bachata audience, to my fans, and I just hope they really enjoy it.”
