A lot has happened in Prince Royce's life since his last studio album, Alter ego (2020). With his promotional and touring plans derailed thanks to the pandemic, the bachata star got divorced in 2022, after a 12-year relationship. Now, Royce presents what is arguably his most personal work to date Llamada Perdidahis seventh studio album, out Friday (Feb. 16) under Sony Music Latin/Smiling Prince Music.
“I think compositionally, it's very personal. I tried not to overdo the album, to have fun, to add personality,” says the bachata star Billboard Españoladmitting that the hardest part was not putting his feelings on paper, but sharing them with his fans.
“I'm kind of shy, I don't like people to know that I'm suffering, that I'm crying. I like to pretend that everything is fine on the outside, not to be fake, but nobody wants to be seen as vulnerable,” she explains. “But you know what? I think it was a way for me […] to leave. The beautiful thing about music is that in the end the audience doesn't know if it's fiction or not. It could be a little truth, a little lie, an amalgamation of many things. I think that gives me a chance to vent, in a way.”
With 23 tracks (22 songs, actually, plus a skit) that mixes bachata with uptempo/disco, local Mexican, merengue, urbano and more, Llamada Perdida — Spanish for “Lost Call” — is “a celebration of overcoming obstacles, especially in love, [which] it represents the end of a life chapter as well as the acceptance of a new beginning,” as described in a press release.
From there, Lora's Royce and D'lesly produced set “Dice” takes us on a thrilling rollercoaster of emotions. It's heartbreaking in 'Un Papel' and 'Frío en el Infierno', which talk about the pain of a breakup and letting a loved one go, respectively. funny in “Los Lambones” and hopeful in “La Vida Te Hace Más Fuerte”. And it features a long, eclectic list of collaborators: There are both established and up-and-coming Latin stars like Nicky Jam and Jay Wheeler (“Si Te Preguntan…”), Maria Becerra (“Te Espero”, with a stunning sample of Cutting Crew . (I Just) Died in Your Arms Tonight”) and Gabito Ballesteros (“Cosas de la Peda”), as well as less predictable names such as New York rapper A Boogie wit da Hoodie (“Boogie Chata”), Dominicans Ala Jaza (” Sufro”) and Luis Miguel del Amargue (“Anestesiada”).
“I think the general idea of the album is the form of communication,” says Royce, explaining why he chose its title. “If you accept the call, something can happen. If you don't get 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's learned over the past four years, and — half seriously, half jokingly — the role alcohol has played in his life. Watch the full interview above.
