NPR Music - Alt.Latino: Roots and unity at the Latin Grammys

Episode Date: November 19, 2025

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.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

From NPR Music, this is Alt Latino. I'm Felix Contreras. And I'm Anna Maria Sayer. Let the Chisme begin. The Chisme is that you went to Las Vegas without me again. You didn't want to come. You never want to come. I should go back.

I don't want to cramp your style, though. Yeah, I'm pretty cool without you, feelings. I don't want to have to be towing you around all the parties, you know. So anyways, I went without you this year. You went there with a purpose, though. I did. You were given a task. I was given a task.

I always use the Latin Grammys, I feel like, as a space to really take stock, understand where Latin music is at. Last year I had gone and reported kind of similarly on what's happening right now, which to me is this, like, massive explosion of Latin music. And you kind of get to see at the Latin Grammys how people are dealing with that. At last year's Grammys, it was like Mexican Regional was having the crazy, like, we didn't see it coming kind of. really like peaking moment. We saw, you know, as per always, reggaeton is always on the rise, but we hadn't reached this year with Bad Bunny yet. You know, a number of things like that were happening. So I kind of wanted to check in on some of those trends that I covered last year and also understand some of the new stuff that was popping up. What makes it so interesting is that the

industry is so dynamic. I did some research while you were away. Oh, you did work while I was gone? And according to various industry sources, the Latin music industry has been growing steadily for over 10 years straight. And that's surpassing the general market, the English language market, because that's kind of flat. So a lot of people are listening, a lot of people are paying for it, and a lot of people are making music. And Felix, this is something I've been hearing anecdotally from people throughout the

industry. Like even a lot of, I think, American labels are really kind of looking to Latin America right now and realizing what a valuable and massive audience that is. And so I think, generally speaking, at the... Latin Grammys, it's pulsing with that energy. The excitement, the newness, that feeling of, wow, people are really paying attention to us in a way that maybe hasn't happened before. And also beyond that, this thing that I've been talking about of people returning home to music from their respective countries, which I talked about last year, and this really massive

unifying of a larger Latin America, which most notably is something we talked about all year long with Bad Bunny. And I think his acceptance speech, he was. one album of the year, does a really good job of kind of honing in on that concept. What he's saying there, Felix, that he's dedicating of all of Latin America, but then especially Puerto Rican's, and then goes on to say he's like, never forget where you're from. Like that is the most important thing. Never forget where you're from. And then in the same breath goes,

some people, like there's all kinds of ways to choose to support your patria, like your love for country, your love for home, you're to fight for who you are. Some of us chose the music. And it's just like in a very tight way, right? Him describing both one, being who you are and loving where you're from is powerful. And the undertone of that is it's politically powerful too. As we've been talking about it, and it's, God, you can't really get away from it.

Like, he is probably the biggest, most well-known name, most popular name out there in Latin music. And music in general and has been for a long time. But this year in particular, at the Latin Grammys, was a big year for him. Yeah. I mean, this is an artist, Felix, for the last five years, has been one of the most streamed artists on Spotify, period, like in the world. Like, he's probably the biggest artist in Latin America, maybe one of the biggest in the entire world, huge in the United States. And yet he's only ever taken home awards at the Latin Grammys in the urban and regitone categories. So this was a big year, a turning point year for him, where he actually took home album of the year

and was also nominated in the other three big categories. But the other thing that I want to know that he did, which is one with the speech and two with his performance, because he performed at the show, but he did something really special. he brought out Chewy which is the more independent band from Puerto Rico a lot of young just starting kids in that band he brings them out not really

his featured acts he basically transforms his performance into a chewy performance that he then hops onto like very obviously the Latin Grammys was like we want a bad bunny show and Benito goes great here's a chewy show and I'll hop on and sing my verse on the song

like very special moment that signified a lot to about like how he's moving as an artist and what his priorities. Like it was a really big like practice what you preach moments. I know we talk about this a lot. Maybe people are listening. It's like, okay, enough bad money. But I do have to wonder, like, maybe this is a preview of what he may do at the Super Bowl.

Interesting. Big audience. Let's document and note that that was, you said that right here right now. It may, may not be. There's no way to know. But anyway, back to the. the Latin Grammys because you also, you were hammering home this point and I want to hear more about it. Yeah, so like I said, that thing that he said about speaking to all of Latin America

really, really important at this moment in time. It's a trend that I've been seeing, especially this year, of really like Latin America actually, and we saw it in the response to the Bad Bunny album, right? Like Venezuelans and Colombians and Mexicans all looking at what Bad Bunny was saying and being like, I feel that way too, and creating more of a unified Latin America around that. And something I saw really interestingly at the Latin Grammys, Felix, was that coming up with the Brazilians. Really? I got to spend some time with them. This is like my favorite thing that I did all week.

And they had some interesting things to say about it. I think it's a important moment for Latin America and for national sovereignty, how do I say this? A sovereignia national. National sovereignty in Portuguese. That's Anna Franco Electrico, one of the leaders in what is this incredible burgeoning, especially right now, alternative music scene in Brazil. So she's saying here, and Felix I really had to brush up on my Portuguese.

The movement is making it clear that Latin America is coming together, and all of us just want to connect, because, at the end of the day, we understand each other. So my question in all of this was, why does it matter so much that Brazil is even feeling this coming together? And I think to understand that, we have to take a step back and understand Brazil a bit better, which Felix, we rarely do. Brazil is massive, like, massive. The way they described it to me, these artists, they're like, it's a country that's a continent. And it feels isolated. It's like this island in Latin America where they say it's actually easier sometimes to get to and cheaper to tour in the U.S. and in Europe than it is to just get to other parts of their country.

But it's also massive culturally. It's the second largest music market in the world, Felix. Like second only to the United States. I know we can speak from Tiny Desk perspective specifically too. It's our second largest country. So they have this very specific and very much isolated but complete. cultural platform experience. They don't really import and export that much.

Why the distance from the rest of Latin America historically? I mean, it's actually pretty simple. You speak Spanish, we speak Portuguese, and we are speaking in English here. I think there is an abysm of language that disconnects Brazil from the rest of Latin America. And in a way, we feel like, we feel bad about it. So that's Maria Beraldo. She's another artist from that scene. And the thing about this new scene, Felix, is it's not something we've really seen in the country before.

So typically we've seen like mega global superstars like in Anita, Pablo Vittar. And then we see these really, really teeny tiny indie artists who don't make that much of a splash. And this new kind of like in-between scene, they're seeing themselves as powerful as having a voice and needing to take matters into their own hands. So they decided they needed to show up to the Latin Grammys because Brazil has. has been isolated for such a long time. There are, of course, Portuguese categories. But the thing is, is that it's kind of really hard to escape those Portuguese categories. We saw, for one of the first times ever, in the major three categories,

Linneker was actually nominated an album of the year, record of the year and song of the year, which is almost unprecedented. She didn't win, but still a big deal. Okay, before we move on, I just want to point out that we had Linneker on a tiny desk back in 2018. You're always on it, Felix. And I met her at South by Southwest, I think earlier that year, maybe it was 2016. And I was always impressed by her steadfast dedication and musical vision to what, it was it, how she wanted to express Brazilian music within Latin music, but also in world music.

So I was especially happy to see her win in the Brazilian categories and also to get nominated in a major category. Big fan of hers, and I'm so glad that she had success. And I think that that is an energy, Felix, that a lot of these alternative independent artists in Brazil are now adopting and really taking on. They see this as, you know, a responsibility to carry what they describe as all the diverse parts of Brazil, right? Like, that's their point is that Brazil is so much and is known for so little because of its isolation. And to them, it's really a mission because they're doing this for much bigger reasons. We have a colonized mind, you know. Like we look to the United States so much.

They explained to me that for many years Brazil has valued the U.S. and Europe much more than any parts of Latin America, which honestly is something I've heard echoed in a lot of different parts of Latin America that I'm seeing people across the continent's challenge right now. Their response, as is the response of many independent and alternative artists across Latin America right now is the music. We are here as an independent scene because we're hacking this system in a way, you know. Our music is a hacking project.

It's like our existence is hacking the system. But why, Felix, is it important for them to be here right now? We need to be here occupying the space. and we need to like hack this and yeah push it to be bigger. And people really valorize like Grammy. So it's important for us like to be here. So let's hear a little bit of Linear before we go to a break. This is the song for which she won.

Best Portuguese Language song. And my Portuguese is not nearly as good as yours, Anna. I know I'm going to mess this up. It's called Belludo Maron. In a day In'ereto Coled Assoys

With time To go To scurrier A-2 Sentir your Pell and Your Wrae Not ligo

If it's Friow Or does Cull Today Who I I'm I'll

I'm N'Nus Ones of Apoet Or something Torsending Tostst not be

Mintira Inquant you dole I'm I'm I'm to guard

in the memory the tone of my yellow marron I'm I'm

I'm to get but I I I I'm do

two days to pass to So we're taking a quick break, we'll be right back. Okay, we're back. All right. So we talked about Bad Bunny. We talked about this amazing Brazilian performance.

What else did you see out there? What else did you feel? What else was happening out there? Anna. Okay. So something we have to talk about is Gatelipako Amoroso. Because really, Felix, it actually felt. like Bad Bunny was a side character next to these guys.

Like you would think that Bad Bunny would have been the talk of the town this year, but it was like every room, every conversation, every whatever, Katri Elipako were like the focus of everything. And more than that, they also won five Latin Grammys, the same tied for the most number of Grammys won with Benito. And I think to me, there's a lot to be said about that. but really it was part of a larger wave of acknowledgement of Chile and Argentine, you know, all that really far south, South American art that we haven't always seen in previous years.

I think there's usually a Mexican dominance. Sometimes there's a Puerto Rican dominance. But that was something that I saw overall. Wasn't it more of an investment there? Okay, we need to point out, Anna, as a personal point of pride for all Latino and NPR music, that Catri Alec Paco's win for the best Latin alternative. album also included a Grammy win for our colleague Josh Newell because he is the engineer listed as a producer and mixer because part of that album was recorded at their Tiny Desper performance

concert. Let's just hear a little bit of that part of the record. The thing is Felix that I think part of the reason that people are gravitating so much to South American music right now is that there has been a lot of the music that's been popular has been really like homage to home. Like, Catre Lipaco are very Argentine. And, you know, all the Chileans that were there were very Chilean. And I think that this is consistent with this idea we've been talking about people really valuing where they're from, including that in the music, that becoming popular. I spoke with Colombia's Monsieur Perrine on the red carpet.

We love them. Always very thoughtful, Catalina from Monsieur Perine, always very thoughtful. They were nominated in this new roots category, Felix, which to me was kind of like the Latin Grammy. attempt to acknowledge this trend of people really valuing where they're from it. It was really interesting because it included kind of like newer, younger artists and then also more like classic like a Natalia Lafourcade, for example, who's been doing this type of thing forever. So they were nominated specifically for their track, Hardin del Paraiso.

Bajo the Cielo to The ocean Baja Baja And rompiening the coriante can't a

Corrason Perdito That Jora and Jorra Because is testigo of the life that

he got in the oldvido and with his yant he was recording

the way to his boi Banclaire He did he's his

So they told me that this song was an homage to their home and the land that they come from. And they explained where that comes from and why so many artists are making music like this now. These songs are like urgency, no? I, I was, I thinking a necessity profound, to conmover to who listen to... So they basically told me that they were making this music with an urgency to move whoever hears it and to convince people that life is huge and worth it. And that this is where the Latin American song comes in. It reminds us of the power of our story, of our roots.

And it doesn't help us to talk about categories and how they divide us as a species. We need to see ourselves as the same. We have the opportunity to take care of our life, to honor it. And besides this, to love and make beautiful things to create connection and protection for each other. It's a breath for everyone. They specifically have been making this kind of music for years

and it's rewarded them deeply as people and as artists. It's permitted to us, I know, I think to make part of the life of much people. And it's, it's beautiful to believe in ourselves, in our history, you know, plantarn us over the land with love and with they told me it's something that's allowed them to be part of the lives of so many people and what a beautiful thing

to be able to believe in themselves and their stories and plant themselves on their land. Before we move on, I do need to point out, Anna, Moncier Perinet, Tiny Desk, 2016. Wow, Felix,

you're just the tiny desk accountability right now. I'm so excited because of these bands that we've been championing for a long time, they're getting their flowers, man. They're getting, you know, they're getting the recognition.

Well, and that's, that's always really interesting for me to see them nominated in this category, because it's like they have been doing this whole homage to home, pedestal, your roots and where you're from and your land thing for so many years, but it's finally like, the world is waking up to the value of creating art like this. And so now they get to be recognized for it. And I got to point out that, you know,

when we first start, started doing Alt Latino, Jasmine Garst and I, and then over the years, there's always been an emphasis for more of a pan-Latin feel, like especially around the Despacito times. Like, what is something that everyone can relate to? And I tell anyone who will listen, like Latin music right now, Spanish language music, whatever we want to call it, is the most dynamic, most fascinating part of the music industry. And I listen to a lot of stuff because it's so dynamic, so vibrant, So it changes. We're witnessing, listening, how the approach to making music is changing.

And this emphasis on home where you're from and going back to your roots is, man, it's just, it's spectacular. It just makes what we do so much fun. It does really feel, Felix, like everyone's kind of understanding the mandate right now of, like, the power that this music can have and in this, in this struggle, in this fight, and this, in what we're doing in the world right now. And it was really cute. You would love this. Danny Lux, who's our sweet little regional Mexican star on the rise, showed up to the red carpet with his mom. Oh, my gosh.

So adorable. And I talked to his mom, and she was like, I just, I'm in love with my son's music. Wow. Like, I'm so in love with my son's music because it feels right to me. And Danny was like, I'm here. And it's all about my parents. And it's all about continuing to build and create these genera. in the future who can see and value and feel valued in this country with this music.

And that was an undertone, too. I think the fact that this awards takes place in the United States is relevant here. It's all relevant right now. And Anna, let me ask you, was there any comment? Was there any reflection? Was there any indication about what's happening here in the United States in terms of the immigration and the enforcement of these immigration laws? You know, not a ton.

Felix, I will say, I think maybe to a surprise. extent or maybe not because sometimes we don't talk about these things and sometimes, you know, I've had different conversations with artists from outside the country that they're like, well, that doesn't really involve us. Los Tigres, they did a performance. I don't know if you saw it, but it was full dedicated to the cause. They were playing protest scenes and scenes of really deeply evocative immigrant story experience images in their performance.

I mean, they have always been. It's always been their role. They talked about it a lot after in the media center. One thing that was really interesting to me, Felix, that I did not know. I was sitting there in the media center and the guy who won in the Tejano category, he comes out and he goes, yeah, this is actually going to be my last album. I'm quitting music to run for Congress. It's that Bobby Pulido, right?

Yeah. I didn't know that. Yeah. I was like, I was sitting there in the media center like, whoa. And this is like when you see that really direct link, right? And he was like, I'm in this to fight for who I am and where I'm from and my people. And this is now the next step in that journey for me. Which is a very, very big, bold step.

So here and there, right? Felix, like here and there, there were explicit. But I think overall the fact, again, that there are these artists saying these things, taking place, paying homage to where they're from, winning in categories for talking about where they're from in the music. And it's happening all in the United States in Las Vegas. I think that that in and of itself feels really significant. To wrap this up, I mean, I'm so glad you were able to be there and get all this information firsthand, right, from the artists themselves. On the ground floor. On the casino floor, Felix.

One of the things that I always do, and I know that you do it now, is like I look at the down ballot, what we call the down ballot, some of the, not the major categories, but some of the, I have my own specialties, favorites, down ballot, right? were there any winners in a down-ballot category that you really, really enjoyed or were happy to see? Okay, so Felix, this is hard because I was hanging with the Brazilian, so I was excited about all of those. But really, I have to say, my favorite win, which wasn't actually a win, El Davila Gular posted on Instagram. I just successfully lost for the 14th and 15th time. And he goes, but what people don't understand, is that I have came home to two beautiful Gat and Grammys

and he posts this photo of him in bed cuddling with his cats and that was my favorite win of the night so here he is on the track he wrote with Matalela Furtade that was nominated in the Roots category Aso Chirreter Like

How much That's That's That no Acob My Suffre It's

an incendio of I I've I've I've I've Like

I The Wholes of Sentim That that I don't

I I I'm I I'm I I for

you You have been listening to All Latino. This week we've been wrapping up on his visit to Las Vegas in the Latin Grammy coverage. Our audio producer is Noah Caldwell. Surrah Mohamed is the executive producer of NPR Music. Executive director of NPR Music is Sonali Menta. I'm Felix Contreras. And I'm Anna Maria Sayer.

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