Latin music star Prince Royce gives it up for the band at North to Shore Atlantic City
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Let's hear it for the band.
Latin music star Prince Royce thinks it's especially important to recognize musicians who actually play instruments in today's era of sampling, tape loops and pre-recorded sounds.
“It's a little more personal to me because I’m actually there seeing this,” Royce said. “I’m on a mission to show love to the musicians and people who have gone to school or put in years of work at a craft to play an instrument. I try to really support that. My job is to not let that die and figure out ways to make it cool and figure out ways for kids to want to invest in learning these things and not go the easy way out.”
The rise of hip-hop and reggaeton and their use of pre-recorded music has begot a generation or two of musicians who don't necessarily play an instrument. Royce, born Geoffrey Royce Rojas in the Bronx, performs bachata music, a guitar-based sound born in the barrios of the Dominican Republic.
Royce's musical palette is broad, and it's growing. On his latest album, “Llamada Perdida,” Mexican musical strains are added with singer Gabito Ballesteros on “Cosas de la Peda.” An island stirred dembow beat makes “Le Doy 20 Mil” percolate.
As Royce is a native of the Bronx, R&B and hip-hop shadings come in smoothly on the tracks “Morfina” and “Boogie Chata,” which features a rhyme from fellow Bronx native A Boogie Wit da Hoodie.
“When I started it wasn’t so common to fusion, to have different types of artists on one song or different types of genres on one song — and if it was done back in the day it was viewed as weird and frowned upon," said Royce, who burst onto the scene with a half English, half Spanish bachata fusion version of the rock 'n' roll classic “Stand By Me” in 2010. “Nowadays, people are a little more open-minded.
"We're seeing so many fusions, like regional Mexicans singing reggaeton or Spaniards singing bachata. There are many cultures in Latin American or Spanish-speaking countries that are now venturing into different genres, so we also wanted to do that within bachata.”
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It's a hit, thanks to singles like the bachata ballad “Calumnia” with guest Carlos Rivera, which has been viewed 10 million times on YouTube.
Prince Royce and Wisin will take the stage Friday, June 21, in an Atlantic City North to Shore festival show at the Adrian Phillips Theater in Boardwalk Hall. It’s on the first official weekend of summer, which starts Thursday, June 20.
“I’m happy to be a part of people’s start of summer, “ Royce said.
Go: Prince Royce and Wisin, 8 p.m. Friday, June 21, Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall, 2301 Boardwalk, Atlantic City, tickets start at $99; boardwalkhall.com.
North to Shore in Atlantic City
It's a big North to Shore festival Saturday in Atlantic City with original Four Seasons member Frankie Valli, 90, bringing his “Last Encore” tour to the Hard Rock in Atlantic City.
Also, the Love Hard Tour with Keyshia Cole, Trey Songz, Jaheim and K. Michele is Saturday at Boardwalk Hall, and the B-52s and the Weeklings play the Ocean Casino on Saturday.
The 2024 edition, which just hit Asbury Park and will be in Newark from June 24 to 30, is supported by the New Jersey Economic Development Authority. Visit northtoshore.com for a complete schedule of events and more information.
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Chris Jordan, a Jersey Shore native, covers entertainment and features for the USA Today Network New Jersey. Contact him at cjordan@app.com.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Prince Royce concerts: North 2 Shore festival stop in Atlantic City
