Start learning to track your progress 0 / 70%
70%

empolvado — dusty

Empolvado means 'dusty' or 'covered in dust'. It's derived from the noun polvo, which means 'dust'.

In this heartbreaking song, Prince Royce describes himself as a 'recuerdo empolvado' (a dusty memory), painting a vivid picture of feeling forgotten and left on a shelf. It's a beautifully sad and poetic word that captures the feeling of being a neglected part of someone's past.

Prince Royce kicks off this bachata track with a voicemail tone before sliding into a classic tale of getting completely demoted in someone's life. He describes how his lover used to be his safe haven, but now treats him like a mess of scattered puzzle pieces: "Tomas mi alegrĂ­a y mi tristeza / Como tu rompecabezas" ("You take my joy and my sadness / Like your jigsaw puzzle"). He piles on the metaphors to show how useless he feels, calling himself an abandoned toy ("tu juguete ya guardado"), a dusty memory ("un recuerdo empolvado"), and a deleted text ("un mensaje borrado").

The biggest gut punch is the title line, where he realizes he went from being their soulmate to an ignored notification on a screen: "Fui el amor de tu vida y ahora soy / Una llamada perdida" ("I was the love of your life and now I am / A missed call"). You will also spot everyday spoken shortcuts like pa' ti, which is short for para ti ("for you"). It is a dramatic, bittersweet track about watching your relationship get treated like an old story with the pages torn out.

Prince Royce, born Geoffrey Royce Rojas on May 11, 1989, in The Bronx, New York City, is an American singer and songwriter of Dominican descent. From a young age, Royce showed a passion for music, experimenting with songwriting and poetry before launching his professional career in 2008.

He is best known for his fresh blend of bachata, Latin pop, and R&B, which propelled his 2010 self-titled debut album to the top of the US Billboard Latin Albums and Tropical Albums charts. Hits like "Stand by Me" and "CorazĂłn Sin Cara" earned him critical acclaim and multiple awards, making him one of the leading figures in modern Latin music. Royce has since released several successful albums, including "Phase II," "Soy el Mismo," and "Five," collaborating with stars such as Shakira, Jennifer Lopez, and Pitbull.

Prince Royce continues to innovate by mixing traditional bachata with contemporary sounds, inspiring a new generation of Latin music fans worldwide.