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For Black History Month, Billboard is celebrating by highlighting some of the greatest Black executives in music, and today we’re celebrating, President, Founder and CEO of Femme It Forward Heather Lowery. Heather LoweryI’m Heather Lowery, the president, founder and CEO of Femme It Forward. Heather LoweryFemme It Forward is a female led entertainment company. Our […]
A lot has happened in Prince Royce’s life since his last studio album, Alter Ego (2020). Along with having his promotion and touring plans derailed thanks to the pandemic, the bachata star went through a divorce in 2022, following a 12-year relationship. Now, Royce presents what is arguably his most personal work to date in Llamada Perdida, his seventh studio album, released Friday (Feb. 16) under Sony Music Latin/Smiling Prince Music.
“I think that at a composition level, it’s very personal. I tried not to overthink the album, to have fun, add personality,” the bachata star tells Billboard Español, confessing that the most difficult thing was not to put his feelings on paper, but to share them with his fans.
“I am kind of shy, I don’t like people knowing that I am suffering, that I’m crying. I like to pretend everything’s fine on the outside, not to be fake but, no one wants to be seen as vulnerable,” he explains. “But you know what? I think it was a way for me […] to let go. The beautiful thing about music is that in the end the audience doesn’t know if its fiction or non-fiction. It could be a little bit true, a little bit of a lie, a fusion of many things. I think that gives me the opportunity to vent, in some ways.”
With 23 tracks (22 songs, actually, plus one skit) fusing bachata with uptempo/disco, regional Mexican, merengue, urbano and more, Llamada Perdida — Spanish for “Lost Call” — is “a celebration of overcoming obstacles, especially in love, [which] represents the end of a life chapter as well as the acceptance of a new beginning,” as described in a press release.
Beyond that, the Royce and D’lesly “Dice” Lora-produced set takes us on a fascinating roller coaster of emotions. It is heartbreaking in “Un Papel and “Frío en el Infierno,” which talk about the pain of a separation and letting the loved one go, respectively; funny in “Los Lambones,” and hopeful in “La Vida Te Hace Más Fuerte.” And it includes a long, eclectic list of collaborators: There are both established and emerging Latin stars like Nicky Jam and Jay Wheeler (“Si Te Preguntan…”), Maria Becerra (“Te Espero,” with a surprising sample of Cutting Crew’s “(I Just) Died in Your Arms Tonight”) and Gabito Ballesteros (“Cosas de la Peda”), as well as less-predictable names like New York rapper A Boogie wit da Hoodie (“Boogie Chata”), Dominicans Ala Jaza (“Sufro”) and Luis Miguel del Amargue (“Anestesiada”).
“I think the overall concept of the album is the form of communication,” Royce says, explaining why he chose its title. “If you take the call, something can happen. If you don’t take it. If you say something; if you don’t say something. If you send a drunk text; if you don’t send it.”
During the interview with Billboard Español, Prince Royce spoke in depth about the album, the lessons he learned over the last four years and — half seriously, half jokingly — the role that alcohol played in his life. Watch the full interview above.
Prince Royce talks in depth about his new album Llamada Perdida with Sigal Ratner-Arias, deputy editor of Billboard Español. He explains why he wanted to name his new album Llamada Perdida, being vulnerable and open about his heartbreak while making it, what his favorite songs are, what he learned about himself while making Llamada Perdida, collaborations with Maria Becerra, Ala Jaza, A Boogie Wit da Hoodie, Luis Miguel Del Amargue, Gabito Ballesteros, Nicky Jam, Jay Wheeler and more.
Prince Royce:These are very in depth questions.
Sigal Ratner-Arias:Look at the happy face.
Prince Royce:When I was young, my slogan was “live life smiling,” and that’s still my email signature. So I try to remind myself to smile. What’s up? It’s Prince Royce and this is Billboard News.
Sigal Ratner-Arias:Hi, welcome to Billboard News. We’re here today with superstar Bachata singer Prince Royce, who brings us his album Llamada Perdida. Welcome, Prince Royce! Last night I listened to the 23 songs from your album Llamada Perdida. I loved it from start to end. Congratulations! I feel I got to know you …
Prince Royce: Really?
Sigal Ratner-Arias:A little better. I thought it was a very personal album, maybe the most personal one of yours. Do you think it is more personal?
Prince Royce:Yes. I think that at a composition level, it’s very personal. I tried not to overthink the album, to have fun, add personality. There are very serious concepts, and at the same time, I find ways to, make a joke, or find the brighter things. This album comes after an album that came out during COVID. My last album Alter Ego came out in 2020. I did four shows, then tour was canceled. It was a strange moment because usually, you release an album and you have your plan. I recorded the album, tours and those things happened. I wasn’t recording much or writing. Many strange things happened in my personal life. It was definitely, a weird time the recording of this new album.
Watch the full video above!
Ariana Grande remixes her Hot 100 No. 1 hit “Yes And ?” with her idol and iconic diva Mariah Carey, Dua Lipa is officially in “Training Season” with her latest drop, Bad Bunny, Jennifer Lopez, Zendaya and Chris Hemsworth will co-chair the 2024 Met Gala, Gunna drops his latest single “Bittersweet,” Billboard reporter Rania Aniftos […]
For Black History Month, Billboard is celebrating by highlighting some of the greatest Black executives in music, and today we’re celebrating, Quincy Jones.
Quincy JonesTo get to work with almost every major influencer in America, you know from Louis Armstrong to Billy Eckstine, Ella, Sarah, Ray Charles, Aretha, Paul Simon, everybody.
Tetris KellyFor Black History Month Billboard is celebrating by highlighting some of the greatest black executives in music, and today we’re celebrating Quincy Jones.
Tetris KellyThe incomparable Quincy Jones is a staple in the music industry with 25 songs on the Hot R&B, Hip-Hop Songs chart, four of which reached No. 1, he’s won an Emmy, a Tony, a humanitarian Oscar and an insane 28 Grammys, making him one of only 25 people to achieve EGOT status. He has an incredible resume and over 70 years of musical memories to be proud of.
QuincyMeeting Ray Charles was number one, playing with Billie Holiday at 14 years old at the Eagle auditorium. Played with Billy Eckstine, played with Cam Calloway…
Tetris Kelly 1:08But it’s not just his own successes on his CV, some of the biggest legends in music have Quincy Jones to thank for their achievements. In 1961, Quincy became the director of A&R for Mercury Records. Three years later, he will become the vice president becoming the first African American to hold a top executive position at an American major record label. Quincy has worked with some of music’s greatest and is to thank for creating the Michael Jackson we know to this day.
Quincy JonesMichael that was an accident. We did ‘The Wiz.’ And he said, because he helped me find a producers and Michael, you don’t even have the song and the picture yet. Let’s not only think about that, let’s get to the song when he asked me about the producer to see what he could do that hadn’t been done before. I was thinking about the reins of his voice and just that’s the stuff that you do like the architecture of production, you know.
Tetris KellyThere’s no denying Quincy Jones has changed the entertainment game.
Quincy JonesI’ve been so blessed to be able to contribute to how that changes is how we are represented and received. We’ve come a long way from the time when you need to see faces of color on TV.
Tetris KellyToday we honor the music Titan Quincy Jones
Kanye West posted a message on his social media seemingly praising Taylor Swift and Beyoncé. Drake drops the video for his track “Rich Baby Daddy” where Sexyy Red is seen going into labor. Shakira announced her new album ‘Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran’ is coming in March. Maná is Billboard Español’s newest cover stars! Fher […]
Billboard is highlighting the top 3 Bob Marley songs you should check out from our list of the 30 best Bob Marley songs not on the 1984 compilation album ‘Legend.’ Tetris KellyWith new movie ‘One Love’ in theaters everybody is listening to Bob Marley, Billboard has listed the top 30 Bob Marley songs that aren’t […]
Cat Janice’s “Dance You Outta My Head” has reached No. 1 on the TikTok Billboard Top 50. Coldplay’s “Yellow” makes its chart debut at No. 5 and YG Marley’s “Praise Jah in the Moonlight” jumps to No. 9. Tetris Kelly:We’ve got a new leader on the charts, plus a pair of new faces break into […]
Nicki Nicole took to social media to seemingly hint at a breakup with Peso Pluma after he is seen with another woman in a viral video. Beyoncé was seen swarmed at New York Fashion Week. Her new country track “Texas Hold ‘Em” has caused a bit of drama after a country radio station in Oklahoma […]
Ziggy Marley talks in depth about his involvement in the new bio-pic about his father, Bob Marley, ‘One Love,’ how he chose director Renaldo Marcus Green, stars Kingsley Ben-Adir and Lashana Lynch to play his father and mother Bob Marley and Rita Marley, filming the movie in Jamaica and giving back to the community, what he feels his father’s legacy is, his own music career, and more!
Ziggy MarleyYou could be in the middle of it, if it ain’t right, we can’t mess with it, we can’t mess with it. We can’t mess with Bob, and we can’t mess with Jamaica. I’m Ziggy Marley, and this is Billboard News.
Tetris KellyHey it’s Tetris with Billboard News and today I have the honor of hanging with Ziggy Marley talking about ‘One Love.’ How are you?
Ziggy MarleyGood man.
Tetris KellyWhy was now the time to tell your father’s story?
Ziggy MarleyYeah, it’s more than my father’s story really, like, carry a message with it. So is it, it talks about his life. But I think now is the time for this message of one love to be put into the global view for them, see them in billboards and watch it in a movie, this idea of one love, I think it’s a very important time and we’re in a very significant time in the world, we’re on the edge of something. So you know, the idea of one love is it’s pretty cool to have that out there. Right.
Tetris KellyAnd that is the overarching view of the film, obviously, it’s this one love and your dad’s story. How close were you to that story in the storytelling process?
Ziggy Marley You know, we were there from the beginning, we were the one who initiated the idea to do the film on behalf of my family. And so it was the first time that we actually took the prerogative to go out and seek partners to do the film with telling the story how, we wanted to tell it, making sure it’s authentic. So we were very, very involved in it from the get go to the end. And the mean, even I mean, things were being changed in the last second scripts, like it was a, it was a community project. And it was just from the first time I’m doing a film project. But from the what we talked about with the guys who have the experience, they were like, this is like we’ve never done this in film before, like up to the last second we changing lines. And it was good. It was a good adventure.
Watch the full video above!