Prince Royce listening party ahead of concert

Did you hear screaming in Hialeah earlier this week?

It may have come from more than 50 loud fans gathered around a Sprint store stage, snapping pictures and selfies and recording videos with Prince Royce.

The Latin singer, who is known as “the prince of bachata,” had a one-on-one with the fans during which he answered questions about his most recent projects, serenaded them with his most popular songs and gave away tickets for his Saturday concert at the BB&T Center in Sunrise. Some fans even cried.

Royce also shared stories about his years working as an associate at a phone store near his home in The Bronx and how he raised $8,000 to invest into his first album, Corazon Sin Cara, released in 2010.

“I came back to the store in the Bronx where I worked, and people would walk around me and by me and not recognize me,” said Royce, describing the time he visited his old job and dressed up as an associate to hand out fliers on the street.

“For me it was an exciting moment because you never know where life can take you, and I walked those streets, I worked at that store, and nobody would pay attention to me.”

Royce releases his new album, Double Vision, on Friday. It’s the 26-year-old singer’s first official English album on the market.

His new single Back it Up, featuring J. Lo and Pitbull, currently has more than 43 million views on YouTube (his latest tour started last week, when he traveled to Tampa with Ariana Grande).

Double Vision, according to Royce, was inspired by his life experiences and seeing them through two different perspectives: one in English and one in Spanish.

The album has numerous collaborations with highly recognized names in the music industry such as Snoop Dog, Tyga and Kid Ink.

“The album in English is very different. It’s a Prince Royce that the public has not seen as of yet; a Prince Royce who is a fan of R&B, pop, so I definitely feel that the public will be surprised with the CD,” said Royce, who has been working on Double Vision for three years.

“I’m not gonna stop singing bachata. This is an opportunity for me to reach a different market. The CD comes out this year in Japan, in Australia, so for me it’s always trying to grow as an artist and as a person, and also represent Latinos always.”

Royce appreciates his public and cherishes events where he can interact with his fans.

According to him, people sometimes see artists as unreachable, but to him what’s important is to share time with them.

“You always dream with being successful, but I never dreamed truly living this story and this life,” Royce said.

“I definitely owe it to the public and my fans that are always going to my concerts, buying my CDs. I think I can share it with them because without them it wouldn’t have been possible.”

Caterina Balzano

This story was originally published July 17, 2015 at 4:56 PM with the headline "Prince Royce listening party ahead of concert."