Prince Royce took over the center of the Democratic National Convention on his third night (August 19), and performed his 2010 Bachata national anthem “Stand By Me.”
“We felt that ‘Stand By Me’ would go perfectly with the message of the unity convention and singing in both Spanish and English was important,” says Prince Royce Billboard.
As the only Latin artist to perform during the virtual event where Joe Biden was officially nominated as the Democratic candidate for the upcoming presidential election in 2020, Royce says he was motivated to be part of convention and represent Latinos.
“Of course I said yes,” he says. “All eyes are on the convention that is virtual for the first time and I was happy to be a part of it and to represent the Latino community.”
At the end of his performance, Royce sent out a message of unity and issued a call for action. ‘Mi gente, let’s stand together and do not forget to vote this November, “he said. Together we can make a difference. “
A record 32 million Latinos are projected to be eligible to vote in the 2020 presidential election, according to the Pew Research Center, making Latinos now the largest minority group in the electorate. “There’s no excuse for not voting,” Royce said. “The future is in our hands.”
Below, Prince Royce shares exclusively Billboard what motivated him to perform at the DNC and what he expects from the next president of the United States.
Billboard: What motivated you to be part of the DNC this year?
Prince Royce: They stuck out to invite me to perform and of course I said yes. All eyes are on the convention which is virtual for the first time and I was happy to be a part of it and to represent the Latino community.
Why did you make decisions about the song you chose to sing?
We found that “Stand By Me” would go perfectly with the message of the convention of unity and singing in both Spanish and English was important; it represents who I am and my community.
What do you expect from the next president of the United States?
What I expect from every future president of our nation is to be a true leader, to have integrity and dedication, to care about all the Americans who put our country above politics and to be a unifying force in our diverse nation. We need the kind of leader who represents the values of our country and is able to handle the pandemic well that has disproportionately affected our country.
What is your message to those young Latinos who have not yet decided whether they will vote in the 2020 elections?
There is no excuse for not voting. It is our responsibility as citizens, and I mean that for whoever can be your favorite candidate. We need to really study each candidate’s platforms and vote for who we think is best to lead our country. The future is in our hands.
As a young Latino voter, what are some issues that are close and expensive to your heart?
What is important to me as a voter is unity and non-racism, education, immigration reform, the environment, our economy and dealing with the pandemic crisis in our country, which disproportionately affects Latinos and continues to plague our economy with each passing year. month.
