He’s fresh off the stage at Concierto de Campeones, yet Prince Royce is as relaxed as ever. “All good, easy,” he says with a laugh from his phone. The Latin superstar just wrapped his performance taping for Univision’s highly anticipated Festival de Campeones concert special, airing July 19. Sponsored by Metro by T-Mobile, the show celebrates culture, connection and the fans who make it all possible. For Royce, whose chart-topping cover of the Bee Gees classic “How Deep Is Your Love” just hit No. 1 on Billboard’s Latin Airplay Chart, it’s not just about the music. It’s about giving back to the community that shaped him.
“Music plays a big role in culture and bringing people together,” he says. “Just like phones do. It’s how we stay in touch — through text, video, Instagram — it’s how I keep up with my fans, family, even collaborate with other artists.”
Festival de Campeones is a multi-day event associated with Liga MX, Mexico’s premier soccer league. For sports fans and the broader Hispanic community, it’s also a moment filled with cultural touchpoints including concerts and meet and greets. Royce says with Metro being a proud sponsor, it’s not lost on him the full circle moment he’s witnessing as someone who worked in a wireless retail store during his early days in the Bronx, helping customers pay their bills and troubleshoot their devices.
“I just wanted to thank Metro and everybody that’s part of this that can get us closer to the fans and get us on stage and connect through music,” he says. “I think that's what it’s all about.”
The singer shares what fans can expect from his Festival de Campeones performance, reflects on his phone etiquette (in a world of smartphones, Royce fondly remembers his Sidekick and the days of buying ringtones) and offers his take on the power of connecting with fans around the world on his device through social media.
This partnership with Metro isn’t just about music, it’s about community. Why is it important for you to be part of something that celebrates not just music, but culture and connection too?
I just think music plays a big role in culture and bringing people together. And I think phones and social media are so important in the way we get together too, so I think it is definitely cool to be a part of that and bring my music to the Metro fans.
What can fans expect from your performance at Concierto de Campeones?
I’m giving them a little bit of everything, some classics and some songs from my new album. I hope they tune in so they can check it out.
We saw on your social media that you were just in Milan last week, now you’re in Miami. How do you use your phone to stay connected to family, friends and fans through it all?
It’s so easy compared to back in the day. I mean, whether it’s text, video calls or Instagram, it's just so seamless these days to get in touch with the fans and the family. Technology has really helped evolve that connection with the fans and the family even when you’re far away.
Is there a go-to app or some sort of feature on your phone that you rely on when you’re traveling the most?
I think video calls are really important. I send a lot of voice notes and pictures as well.
Congrats on your recent number one Latin single, “How Deep Is Your Love.” After more than 15 years since your debut album, what does a chart-topping moment feel like now compared to those early wins when you were first starting out?
It’s always an honor, but I think I’m even more grateful now than before. I think just doing this for such a long time and seeing that support and love from so many people around the world, I have gratitude to be able to do it for so long and to see that support for such a long time. Now that I’m a little more mature than when I first started, I definitely appreciate it even more.
You have over 15 million people following you on Instagram alone. Is there anything about you that your millions of followers probably don't see on Instagram?
So many things. I love playing video games, I’ve done skydiving, scuba diving, I like bowling, I like golfing. I try to upload some of it on Instagram when I can.
Oh, what's your favorite video game right now?
Call of Duty. I just beat Assassin’s Creed. I beat Mario Kart in two hours, so Call of Duty is what I’m playing right now.
What’s it like to be connected to so many people on social singing your music? Does the power of connectivity still blow you away at how far your music could reach, especially now with the way social is?
One hundred percent. There’s so many platforms, so many ways you can connect with people just instantly. I even contact my peers, colleagues and other artists to pitch songs to them, and I get to meet them through social media and the internet, and I think it’s just kind of crazy how far we’ve come, you know?
So kind of a fun question, but we know that you used to work at a wireless store back in the day, and now you’re part of this major wireless campaign for Metro. What does that evolution feel like for you, just to look at where you started and where you’re at now?
I think it’s full-circle moment for sure. I used to be at the store, and I used to help people pay their bills on the computer, and now things have just grown so much. I would deal with insurance and selling phones and all these things. And just seeing how far we’ve come in general, just in the cell phone world, and just being able to still work with cell phone companies like Metro by T-Mobile too. I’ve always loved technology, I’ve always loved being hands on, and I’ve always been kind of tech-savvy, you know? So, I think it’s cool that I get to still work in that field somehow.
Is there anything about your time working in wireless retail that has stayed with you even now?
Well, it was my first true job, and it was really the money that I made selling cell phones that I used to make my first album, so it’s something I keep close to the heart. I just have good memories working at a cell phone store. I always tell people that was a great job for me, especially at the time. I had two phones, I was paying my bills, I was funding my music career. I would do night school after the cell phone store. I’d pull up in my uniform there. It was a job that I see really lead to my current career, and I’ve always been grateful.
Do you remember what kind of phone you had back then?
I had BlackBerrys, I had a Razr and I had a couple Sidekicks. I miss the flip phones kind of. I remember buying ringtones. I miss the Sidekick a lot too. It was fun. I remember chatting on AIM back in the day and the screen popping out. Those were good times, man. I’m very grateful and happy about the era that I lived. This album that I did, which does classics again, I thought about all these things. People are buying VHS and old-school cameras and vinyls are coming up in sales. I think people have that nostalgia of these times from back in the day.
From his first Razr to global tours, Royce’s journey proves that when you’re truly connected — anything’s possible. And with Metro by T-Mobile offering 5G plans with the price of talk, text & 5G data locked in at $40 for five years — and a free phone to boot — it’s not just about showing up at the biggest cultural moments. It’s about showing up for the community, period.