Stay ConnectedThe global Latinx community is evolving and growing fast. Alt.Latino is here to celebrate it and all of its nuances through music. Each episode, NPR Music’s Felix Contreras and Anamaria Sayre sit down with a different living legend or rising star to discuss Latinx culture, heritage, and the shared borders of our experiences. Let the chisme begin!
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The sheer volume and variety of Spanish-language music released every year is breathtaking. Even those of us with our ears to the ground are bound to miss things. So, in this episode we travel back through the year to resurface some of the remarkable albums that somehow didn't make it on the show. Catch Afro-Caribbean jazz, a history-spanning classical strings project, the return of Juana Molina and much, much more.
Artists and albums featured in this episode:
- Alex Cuba, 'Índole'
- Enyel C, 'Nuevo Caribe'
- Berta Rojas, 'La Huella de las Cuerdas'
- Cazzu, 'Latinaje'
- Conrad Herwig, Eddie Palmieri and Luques Curtis, 'Reflections-Facing South'
- Juana Molina, 'DOGA'
This podcast episode was produced by Noah Caldwell. The executive producer of NPR Music is Suraya Mohamed.
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This year was bookended by two major statements in Latin music. In January, Bad Bunny released DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS, and followed that up with a 31-show residency in Puerto Rico over the summer. Then, in November, the Spanish vocalist Rosalía released her genre-defying masterpiece LUX, which sent legions of music lovers scrambling to try to grasp the magnitude of an album performed in 13 different languages.
But they were only the tip of the iceberg of yet another year of mind-bending creativity in Spanish language music. This week we look back at some of the other artists and recordings that made 2025 another year of adventurous and rewarding listening. These six artists made only a fraction of music that caught our attention. But we only have so much time on these podcasts! Use this as a starting point to explore the year that was on your own. And check out more of NPR Music's coverage of the best music of 2025 here. Enjoy!
Artists and albums featured in this episode:
- Bad Bunny, DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS
- Rosalía, LUX
- Queralt Lahoz, 9:30 PM
- Roxana Amed, Todos los Fuegos
- Arath Herce, Musas en Mi
- Mon Laferte, Femme Fatal
- rusowsky, DAISY
- Lido Pimienta, La Belleza
This episode was produced by Noah Caldwell. The executive producer of NPR Music is Suraya Mohamed.
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Some folks think by December all the releases for the year are complete. Not quite. This week we feature a new music show with albums that should be considered along with the year’s best.
We've got pop and alternative from Mexico, funk from Colombia, rock and ambient from New York and a Tejano master celebrated by his fellow Texans. Plus, Felix brings the zen.
Artists and songs featured in this episode:
- Diles que no me maten, 'Manos de Piedra - Revisitada'
- Dianna Lopez, 'Sun Frequencies (Renewal)'
- HUMBE, 'fantasmas'
- Rene Lopez, 'Any Chance'
- Duplat, 'Vete del País'
- Ruben Ramos. 'El Año Viejo (ft. Gaby Moreno)'
This podcast was produced by Noah Caldwell. The executive producer of NPR Music is Suraya Mohamed.
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The annual Latin Grammy awards are always full of glamour and glitz. But they're also an ideal time to take the pulse of the industry - which is exactly what Anamaria Sayre did this year, perusing the red carpet to talk with the most exciting names in Latin music.
In this episode, Ana brings Felix her report from Las Vegas, where Bad Bunny won Album of the Year, the independent Brazilian music scene made a splash, and the whole industry seemed to be saying: "Show us where you're from."
This podcast episode was produced by Noah Caldwell. The executive producer of NPR Music is Suraya Mohamed.
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Spanish vocalist and composer Rosalía has been a major presence in Spanish language music since she released her 2018 album, "El Mal Querer." She started by leaning into her flamenco roots, but since then she has expanded her musical vision to become one of those musicians who defies category.
Her new album "LUX" stretches that descriptor to its limit. Her musical tools this time include the London Symphony Orchestra, singing in 13 languages, guests like Icelandic performer Björk, and her own vocals that hit operatic heights. This week, Ana and Felix dissect the album and play excerpts from Ana's interview with Rosalía. How can you go wrong?
You can read extended highlights of Ana's interview with Rosalía at NPR.org
This episode was produced by Noah Caldwell. The executive producer of NPR Music is Suraya Mohamed.
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Ever since I heard the Argentine saxophonist Gato Barbieri back in the Seventies, I’ve been fascinated by musicians from South America who found their way to jazz.
Lately there seems to be a strong showing of contemporary musicians from various Latin American countries who not only play jazz but also mix certain Latin American folk traditions into their sound.
So, this week I spoke with six of them: vocalist Claudia Acuña from Chile, Argentine vocalists Sofia Rei and Roxana Amed, Mexican vocalist Magos Herrera, guitarist/vocalist Camila Meza and tenor saxophonist Melissa Aldana.
Each has a story about identity, living the jazz dream and how they came to jazz.
Hopefully you’ll use this roadmap to start your own journey into jazz, if you haven’t already.
- Felix
Music heard in this episode:
Claudia Acuña - “Prelude To A Kiss”
Sofia Rei - “El Gavilán”
Gato Barieri - “To Be Continued”
Roxana Amed - “Corazón delator”
Mangos Herrera - “Luz de Luna”
Camila Meza - “Utopia”
Melissa Aldana - “A Purpose”
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Not to sound like a broken record, but I'll say it again: the variety of creative expression in what is inadequately labeled "Latin music" continues to astound me.
From the bossa nova-by-way-of-Guatemala of Fabuloso and Los Skeepers, to the evolving torch singing of the Chilean-via-Mexico vocalist Mon Laferte, to the ‘Western noir’ of California singer Andrés Miguel Cervantes, to Nathy Peluso’s Argentine take on Seventies New York City salsa, to jazz from southern Spain’s Chano Domínguez... how do we even try to keep up with this kind of output?
Someone has to do it, and we’re glad it’s us.
Featured artists and songs:
- Milo J, 'OLIMPO', 'Bajo De La Piel', 'Jangadero'
- Fabuloso & Los Skeepers, 'Si Te Gusta'
- Mon Laferte, 'Las Flores Que Dejaste En La Mesa', '1:30'
- Chano Domínguez & Emaginario, 'March Of The Siguiriyas'
- Nathy Peluso, 'ÁNGEL'
- Andrés Miguel Cervantes, 'Dreams of Jacumba'
This podcast episode was produced by Noah Caldwell. The executive producer of NPR Music is Suraya Mohamed.
See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.
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The past month has been a whirlwind. The El Tiny takeover of the Tiny Desk... interviews with some of the most exciting artists in Latin music... and, of course, puppets! So, for today's episode, we emerge from the craziness and dig into our neglected mailbag, which is brimming with new music. What did we find? Simple beauty. A young songwriter from Veracruz whose spare compositions have wowed his elders. An offbeat producer from Madrid. And, a joyful ode to a city half a millennium old.
Featured artists and songs:
- Arath Herce, "Musas en Mi" and "Quien Pensaría"
- iLe, "Si Te Contara"
- TRISTAN!, "Voyage" and "Ártico"
- Venezonix ft. Pahua, "La Soledad"
- Meme de Real, "Estaba Sentado" and "Embeces"
- Bomba Estereo ft. Carlos Vives, "La Samaria"
This podcast was produced by Noah Caldwell. The executive producer of NPR Music is Suraya Mohamed.
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There's no question that Mexican vocalist and composer Silvana Estrada is special to Alt.Latino. Ever since she launched her 2022 album "Marchita" with a series of revelatory singles, she seemingly spoke directly to Alt.Latino co-host Anamaria Sayre.
Since those earliest days, the two have been able to spend quite a bit of time together in interviews and other public gatherings, which only brought them closer on a personal level. Now, as Estrada releases her new album, "Vendrán Suaves Lluvias," and celebrates the publication of her Tiny Desk Concert, it seemed like a good time to sit in on the ever-flowing conversations between the two of them.
The result is a conversation that is probably a lot more personal than you’re used to. And that’s OK. Because Silvana is a performer of complex emotions, and while you can experience those emotions through songs, sometimes you have to hear things for yourself. Enjoy.
This podcast episode was produced by Noah Caldwell. The executive producer of NPR Music is Suraya Mohamed.
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Gloria Estefan is one of those musicians whose work and mere presence in the record industry deserves without question platitudes like ‘pioneering’ or ‘ground breaking.’ In fact, we have often mentioned her in that light throughout the 15 years of Alt.Latino. So it was a thrill to invite her to chat with us once again, this time immediately after a stunning Tiny Desk performance that will publish Oct. 13. She gives serious Favorite Tiá vibes, and since she and Felix are close in age, it felt like a conversation with a good friend with a fascinating life story - who just happens to have one of the richest song catalogs in Latin music history.
This podcast episode was produced by Noah Caldwell. The executive producer of NPR Music is Suraya Mohamed.
See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.
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