Bachata artist Prince Royce hit with virus
NEW YORK — Bachata singer Prince Royce says he got a wake-up call with a COVID-19 diagnosis and now he wants to wake others.
Royce revealed Thursday that he is recovering from the virus.
Royce, 31, said he decided to speak up out of a growing frustration with seeing people going out and gathering without masks — even while cases are spiking in several states. Like many, he is worried that more people will get infected over the Fourth of July weekend.
“At first, I was very scared, like ‘Nobody can find out, I shouldn’t tell anybody.’ But I felt that I have a duty to tell my communities, you know. I live in Florida, I’m from New York, I have a place in California. And I’m seeing what’s happening across the country. I see what’s happening in the world,” said Royce via Zoom from his home in Miami.
For him, it all started about two weeks ago on a Sunday, when he woke in the middle of the night not feeling well after spending the day at the pool making Tiktok videos and battling a “really bad headache.” But he attributed it to a day in the sun and the cold AC, and went back to sleep.
When he woke up, he was feeling worse and had a temperature of 101 degrees. He took painkillers. On Monday, the fever was gone, but the headache persisted.
“I said, ‘I’m gonna go get tested for COVID just to be responsible, but I don’t think I have it.’ And that’s how I found out,” said the multiplatinum bachata singer.
Royce said the diagnosis shocked him. “I thought I was washing my hands,” he said. “I thought I was wearing the mask, you know. And I think that for me it was just a wakeup call. … I thought for sure like I wouldn’t have gotten it cause I’ve been ‘taking precautions.’ ”