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In USA TODAY\u2019s\u00a0The Essentials<\/a>, celebrities share what fuels their lives, whether it’s at home, on set, or on the road.<\/strong><\/p>\n As far as Prince Royce<\/a> is concerned, the mark of a great song is that it “lasts a lifetime.”<\/p>\n The multiplatinum Latin pop star<\/a>, who broke out in the early 2010s with his charming bilingual rendition of the Ben E. King classic “Stand by Me,”<\/a> is tipping his hat to the greats once more on his latest album “Eterno” (out now). The singer reimagines pop standards from the likes of Elvis Presley<\/a>, the Bee Gees<\/a>, Backstreet Boys<\/a> and others with his signature bachata style.<\/p>\n But for Royce, it’s about more than just throwback jams: “As an artist … you want to put out music that could go through generations and that can fit in other genres and rhythms and hopefully can just cross the globe.”<\/p>\n Royce, who grew up in a Dominican family in New York City, says these tropical-infused covers not only “show love and respect” to the original hits but also allow him to share a slice of his bicultural heritage with fans of varying backgrounds.<\/p>\n “I grew up listening to American music, but I also grew up listening to Latin music in Spanish and English, and that’s just my upbringing, all these rhythms in one place,” Royce, 36, says. “And I kind of can bring that mix of my upbringing to (Dominican Republic), to American people, to people who know both languages.”<\/p>\n Music isn’t the only esencial in Royce’s life. The singer dishes on some of his beloved staples, from video games and daily workouts to action-packed TV.<\/p>\n Who needs a gym buddy when you have man’s best friend?<\/p>\n Royce stays in shape with a series of daily workouts that span “old-school” weight training with metal free weights to outdoor runs and golfing. As for warming up, the singer gets his blood pumping with morning walks with his Belgian Malinois dog Ruby.<\/p>\n “The physical aspect just forces me to be healthier, to wake up early,” says Royce of his exercise regimen. “Subconsciously, I wouldn’t stay out drinking all night because I know I got to walk my dog and go to the gym, get up early and grind.”<\/p>\n Royce, who’s “never really been that much of a dog person,” gushes about his canine pal. “It’s like a military dog,” he says with a laugh. “She’s like 70 pounds. It’s my first big dog, but she’s a sweet girl.”<\/p>\n “Originally, it was more like, ‘let’s get a dog to protect the house’ type of vibe,” Royce adds. “We kind of got lucky. \u2026 We read all these things online that said Belgian Malinois are crazy and they’ll eat up everything in the house, but she’s been good so far.”<\/p>\nPrince Royce stays fit with ‘old-school’ workouts, ‘sweet’ dog Ruby<\/h2>\n