Prince Royce, whose real name is Geoffrey Royce Rojas, was born and raised in New York City, New York.
We don't have a lot to go on with Prince Royce's religion, but all signs point to Catholic. If he's not Catholic, it's likely that he either grew up with it or around it. His parents are from the Dominican Republican, which is predominantly Catholic.[1]
And in his single, "Corazón Sin Cara," he uses some Catholic imagery:
Light a candle, pray to God. . . Light a candle, ask for forgiveness.[2]
The Catholics are big on lighting candles and asking for forgiveness. Admittedly, this is pretty weak ground to tread, but it's all he's given us. Maybe we'll hear more from him in the future.
Child of Immigration
Royce doesn't have a lot to say about political parties or candidates, but he's part of the immigrant story in the U.S. He hasn't come out with an opinion on Arizona's immigration law, SB 1070, or President Obama's Dream Act, but he's a huge figure in the United States' growing Latino population.
He's clearly feels a strong connection to the Dominican Republic. He's a bachata singer, a style that emerged from that country;[3] he participated in New York City's Dominican parade in 2011 despite bad weather;[4] and he used to visit his grandparents in the Dominican Republic every summer while growing up.[5]
Royce, who sings and speaks interchangeably in both Spanish and English, had this to say about what moving to the United States meant for his parents–and consequently for himself:
[T]hey had no shoes, they had nothing to eat. . . . [T]hey emigrated to the United States with the dream to have a little more than what they had in the Dominican Republic. And I think we take that for granted. . . . I was living in the Bronx, maybe feeling like I was poor, but I wasn't poor like they were. I had a TV, I had a bed, I had a Playstation. I had enough to eat every day.[6]
It's possible that Royce is a fan of Obama, since he said it was "truly and honor" to sing for him and the First Lady at an event for the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.[7] But no word on that for now.
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