Marisa Arbona-Ruiz

The higher the Dominican singer-songwriter's star rises, the tighter he grips his artistic freedom. The new Candela caps a trio of albums connecting dots between bachata, merengue, trap, pop and more.

It's been another watershed year for Latin music. Alt.Latino's Felix Contreras, Stefanie Fernández, Catalina María Johnson and Marisa Arbona-Ruiz round up the year's best.

For Latinx musicians who have found themselves excluded from the stages of mainstream festivals, a growing range of festivals and tours catering to Latinx artists and fans is changing the game.