PODCAST · music
Alt.Latino
by NPR
The 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! Support NPR and get your music exploration sponsor-free with Alt.Latino+. Learn more at plus.npr.org/nprmusic
Episodes
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Los Tigres' Tiny Desk, explained
Last week we published a Tiny Desk Concert that ended up being unusual for a few reasons. First of all, it was the final production of our sixth annual El Tiny series. This was a very emotional moment for a lot of reasons. People really love Los Tigres del Norte, to the point that playing their...
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Every El Tiny song has a secret
The Tiny Desk’s magnetism is its intimacy. We strip back lights and a big stage and get to see artists speak honestly about who they are directly to an audience around the world. This becomes all the more profound during our El Tiny takeover of Latin Music Month, where artists whisper truths and...
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Tim, The Beatles and all of Brazil
The music of Tim Bernardes fits as easily in the poetry of the cosmos as it does in the songwriting canon of his country. Brazil has a legacy of some of the greatest most intricate, emotional songwriting there is, and if you ask me, I’d argue Tim fits right into it. So, I invited him in to play a...
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Melissa Aldana and Gonzalo Rubalcaba talk jazz
Jazz has often been called America's musical gift to the world. This week's guests remind us not only of the well-documented ways that Cuba revolutionized that gift, but also how it blossomed in South America. Chilean tenor saxophonist Melissa Aldana and Cuban pianist Gonzalo Rubalcaba stopped by...
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YEИDRY's life in six songs
YEИDRY's music is almost as diverse she is. Born in the Dominican Republic and raised in Italy, the singer’s repertoire of genre and sound pulls from multiple continents, and even more unique cultural roots. It’s complicated to explain so many mixed identities, but, as we know quite well at...
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Los Texmaniacs keep tradition alive
Shortly after Los Texmaniacs did what they do best at the Tiny Desk, I pulled them into a studio to chat with them about the traditions they represent with their music. It turned into a master class on the accordion-fueled style known as conjunto, a mix of European folk music and Spanish-language...
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Brazil and Colombia on our minds
This week Ana features two very different Brazilian artists that both draw heavily on the '60s and '70s Tropicália genre. Felix presents two very different approaches to Colombian folkloric music and a new Spanish-language singer-songwriter who turns sadness into light. Artists and albums…
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Guadalajara loves metal?
I like to think I’m the one who keeps things fresh on the show — or at least that’s what I tell everyone. But this week Felix once again proved that false, bringing in a fresh corridos tumbados duo from Guadalajara who takes a something-old-turned-new genre and smashes it together with metal.…
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Cypress Hill en español
Latin identity has been at the core of Cypress Hill's music from the very beginning -- their 1991 track "Latin Lingo" gave voice to the Latin roots of hip hop with its funky Spanglish callouts. But it took the band thirty-five more years to make an album of original songs written in Spanish…
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Electrónica rising in Mexico
Mexico isn't the first place you think of as the cutting edge of experimental electronic music. But two new projects show that might be changing. LATIN MAFIA recently teamed up with British producer Fred again.. to make a bold new album featuring collaborators like Mabe Fratti and Lil Yachty. And...
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Ana's thoughts after seeing Harry Styles in Mexico
Harry Styles just finished a 5-night run in Mexico City. You know who else had a 5-night run in Mexico City? Michael Jackson in 1993. Mainstream artists have a long history of being enticed by the energy of performing for a Latin American crowd … which means there’s also a long and less-known...
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Ana's summer playlist
To celebrate Ana's world premiere as a DJ -- a gig playing for 5,000 people in Central Park, which she definitely, absolutely prepared for -- this week we present her summer playlist. We've got song of the summer contenders (Aitana's "SUPERESTRELLA"), sleeper hits we missed when they dropped...
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Is Bill Evans techno?
Bill Evans might not be techno. But in this week's episode, the slow-building angst and tension of electronic producer Debit's new music reminded Ana of the beloved jazz piano master. And that kind of genre cross-pollination is everywhere in this week's showcase of new music: Brazilian field...
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Spain wins (at music, too)
We'll take any excuse to talk about the insane quality of music coming out of Spain these days. This week, we got one: Spain defeated Argentina on Sunday to win the 2026 World Cup Final. So, this episode is a celebration of the multitude of music scenes across Spain that we can't get enough of....
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Country twang, Brazilian flow
With last week's best-of show behind us, we've got a clean slate to dive into our favorite new music kicking off the second half of the year. Felix brings a batch of country tracks, while Ana -- to absolutely no one's surprise -- continues her exploration of Brazil's endless supply of captivating...
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The best Latin music of 2026 (so far)
It’s that time of the year again: a mix between Christmas and Halloween for me and Felix. We gift you our best album picks of the year so far — and there’s nothing spookier for us than having to choose. So here it is, the music we’ve loved and listened to the most in the first half of 2026, some…
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Mon Laferte's captivating coda
On this week’s Alt.Latino, Anamaria and I both gush about 'Femme Fatale Vol. 2,' the new album from Chilean-Mexican singer Mon Laferte, who is on one of the more amazing creative streaks I've witnessed in a while. Also, Ana and I sometimes unintentionally align when picking new music for the…
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They opened for Miles Davis and Sly Stone, then disappeared
This week's episode is a musical time machine. In the late 1960s, the band Zapata sprang out of a street gang in northwest Washington, D.C., with a sound that combined a variety of contemporary styles: Afro-Caribbean rhythms, soul jazz and the golden era of American R&B. The mixture worked. For a...
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The sounds of Cuban resilience
We're living in a moment when the geopolitical intersects with the personal in a profound way. The relationship between the United States and Cuba is once again in the news, and it happens at a time when there are a handful of new releases from Cuban artists on the island and around the world.…
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A Tejano masterclass with El Gato Negro, Ruben Ramos
Ruben Ramos' life story mirrors the history of what we now know as Tejano music. His family's musical roots in Texas go back to 1918, and as a boy he was brought into the family bands, first as a drummer and then as a vocalist. He's been playing big band-inflected Tejano music now for more than…
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The Vaqueros of Hawaii
We don’t often get to discuss the ways that Latin American music made its way west across the Pacific Ocean. But this week we have two incredible projects that celebrate that journey. First, a Japanese band that fuses traditional minyo folk sounds with cumbia and other Latin rhythms. Then, a...
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Gipsy Kings are back, Julieta Venegas' norteña roots and more
Two different pioneers - from two different continents - are at the heart of this episode of new music. Since the late 1980s, Gipsy Kings have been infusing Catalan rumba flamenca with a pop sensibility that defies the purists. Their new single "Historia," from an upcoming album of the same name,...
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Our favorite Latin Tiny Desk Contest entries
Since 2014, we've been hitting bands up to send in their videos for the opportunity to win the Tiny Desk Contest. And almost from the beginning, Alt.Latino has been pulling aside the bands and artists that play Latin music. It’s always been a highlight to see the incredible talent that's out…
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El futuro es Milo J
I've been dying to interview Argentine artist Milo J ever since he came to NPR earlier this year to perform at the Tiny Desk. The 19-year-old started his career as a trap artist, but his latest album, 'La Vida Era Más Corta,' mines Argentine folklore to present a bold vision of his country that...
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Flamenco meets Música Mexicana
Fusion is at the heart of so much of the music we cover - especially on this week's episode. Flamenco producers descend on Hermosillo to experiment with regional Mexican music. Young Argentine artists blend trap with folk and rock en Español. A sunny Rio sound is born in Spain. Plus, a New…
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Argentine indie, Venezuelan reggaeton and punk from San Antonio
This week's new music show spans the breadth of Latin America. Argentine indie artist Paula Prieto goes experimental. Venezuelan reggaeton pioneers Chino y Nacho return to the limelight. Brazilian singer Marina B reminds Felix of The Beatles. Guatemala's Doctor Nativo pays homage to the...
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Jorge Drexler returns home
Jorge Drexler is one of the most decorated singer-songwriters in Latin America. His albums are always high profile events, and his latest record merits the attention. It's called Taracá, and to make it he returned home to his native Uruguay - after living in Spain for 30 years - to explore the...
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Sonic Bloom: Fresh, funky new tracks from Rio, Granada and more
Listen to this episode out in the springtime air. It starts with a bucolic jaunt through Brazilian guitarist Fabiano do Nascimento's latest orchestral project, then finds La Plazuela's fresh Spanish funk and Macha's irreverent side project. Other sounds along the way: Caribbean pop from…
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Dominican indie, Peruvian cumbia and experimental Argentine pop
Two phrases spoken during this week’s episode stand out because they represent how Ana and I approach our searches for new music. The first: “The only limit is the imagination.” In my constant hunt for the sound I have never heard, this thought is my mantra. The new music we’re bringing this week...
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Songs she loves: Sofia Rei and the magic of the human voice
From the very beginning of Alt.Latino, female vocalists have captivated us the most -- and New York-based Argentine vocalist Sofia Rei has been high on our list of favorites for a while. She uses the human voice like paint on a canvas, layering voices to create choirs that take flight at the mere...
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A Tejano master gets his flowers. Plus, Yahritza y Su Esencia returns
This week's new music pairs well with a glass of wine - or, at least, that's what Ana chose while taping this happy hour edition of Alt.Latino at Felix's dining room table. And the music on tap spans a huge breadth of styles. Yahritza y Su Esencia returns with a powerful sophomore album after a...
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If the singer falls silent, life falls silent: The female power anthem hall of fame
International Women's Day is more than a perfunctory holiday in many parts of Latin America. In Mexico City, for example, more than 120,000 people turned out on Sunday to protest femicide and celebrate the ongoing fight for basic rights for women in the country. In honor of the holiday, this…
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From church basement to salsa immortality: Remembering Willie Colón
On Feb. 21, the musical world lost a legend and pioneer of salsa: Willie Colón. The trombonist, songwriter, producer and arranger was a key part of the transition of Afro-Caribbean dance music from regional traditions to worldwide popularity. For an insider’s perspective on that history, this…
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Chicano soul, Canary Islands merengue and a percussion supergroup
This week on Alt.Latino, it's another new music episode with a global panorama: Canary Islands merengue, Chicano soul, Afro-Brazilian roots and more. Plus, a percussion supergroup that Felix could listen to for hours. Featured artists and albums: (00:00) Introduction (00:55) Quevedo, 'NI…
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A Brazilian summer and a lost Mexican masterpiece
So, I was away for a bit and the new music just piled up during the holidays, and while we were watching Bad Bunny make headlines at the Grammys and the Super Bowl. Our first new music episode of the new year has quite a variety of styles from lots of different countries. We could say that about...
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Puerto Rico takes the field at the Bad Bunny Super Bowl
Bad Bunny's Super Bowl halftime show was many things: a time-traveling journey through the history of Puerto Rico, a statement of pan-American unity, and a masterpiece of cultural expression. This week, co-hosts Felix Contreras and Anamaria Sayre are joined by Isabella Gomez Sarmiento — who…
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Bad Bunny makes history at the Grammys. Up next, the Super BBowl
Last Sunday, Bad Bunny's 'DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS' became the first exclusively Spanish language album to win album of the year at the Grammys. This coming Sunday, the Puerto Rican megastar will perform at the Super Bowl halftime show. For this week's episode, Anamaria Sayre and Isabella Gomez...
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Venezuela speaks: Producer Ella Bric spins songs with a 'teardrop of optimism'
This month we’ve been looking at the music of Venezuela from a lot of different angles. For this episode, we’ve invited trumpet player and producer Ella Bric to be our guest DJ. She shared what she thinks are the most socially, culturally and politically impactful pieces of music to come out of...
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Rawayana on their new album and a changing Venezuela
Sometimes life imitates art - or at least the two can seem eerily connected. On Jan. 1, the Venezuelan band Rawayana released a new album, '¿Dónde Es El After?,' which began with a lyric that many interpreted as a wish for their country's leadership to be gone. A few days later, Venezuelan...
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Our Love Letter to Bob Weir
Over the weekend, we lost a musician who shaped the lives of countless people: the late, great Bob Weir. He was a founding member of the Grateful Dead who played guitar, wrote and sang in the band for 30 years. After Jerry Garcia died and the Grateful Dead disbanded in 1995, Weir kept the spirit…
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Music as protest in Venezuela
Venezuela has a deep tradition of reflecting political change through music. This week, as the country reels from the seizure of its president by American forces, we explore the recent history of Venezuelan protest music, and from the Nineties right up until the present. First, we share an…
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What We Missed In 2025
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…
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What Were Felix and Ana's 2025 Favorites?
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...
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Zen and the art of new music
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...
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Roots and unity at the Latin Grammys
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…
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Rosalía in her own words
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.…
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Portraits of Jazz and Identity in Latin America
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...
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Salsa, bossa nova, and Argentina's next big thing
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…
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What's in our mailbag? The beauty of simplicity
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.…
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A Tiny Desk chat with Silvana Estrada
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...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
The 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!
Support NPR and get your music exploration sponsor-free with Alt.Latino+. Learn more at plus.npr.org/nprmusic
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Alt.Latino have?
Alt.Latino currently has 150 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Alt.Latino about?
The 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...
How often does Alt.Latino release new episodes?
Alt.Latino publishes regularly with 150 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
Where can I listen to Alt.Latino?
You can listen to Alt.Latino on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Alt.Latino?
Alt.Latino is created and hosted by NPR.
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