Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Anamaria Sayre

From left: Alizzz, Jorge Drexler, C. Tangana.
Ash Ponders for NPR
From left: Alizzz, Jorge Drexler, C. Tangana.

Change was the inescapable yet exhilarating undercurrent of my year. Between moving back across the country, graduating from school and completing a full circle year with NPR, I needed a soundtrack to color all the transition and match the unpredictability of my own personal moment. There was no shortage of music that fit that need. I'm dedicating this page and este año to all the amazing Latinos who carried on with la lucha this year and made expectation-defiant, wide-reaching sonic masterpieces. These artists filled life with a lot of smiles and copious amounts of living room dancing.

Top 10 Albums of 2021

▶ LISTEN ON SPOTIFY

• C. Tangana, El Madrileño
• Mon Laferte, SEIS
• Natalia Lafourcade, Un Canto Por México, Vol. II
• Little Simz, Sometimes I Might Be Introvert
• Mexican Institute of Sound, Distrito Federal
• Rodrigo Amarante, Drama
• Rita Payés and Elisabeth Roma, Como La Piel
• Cimafunk, El Alimento
• Myke Towers, Lyke Mike
• Olivia Rodrigo, SOUR

Top 10 Songs of 2021

▶ LISTEN ON SPOTIFY

• Gabriel Garzón-Montano, "Tombs"
• Valeria Castro, "guerrera"
• Rauw Alejandro, "Todo de Ti"
• Nicki Nicole (feat. Lunay), "No Toque Mi Naik"
• Bad Bunny, "Yonaguni"
• Silvana Estrada, "Marchita"
• Lucky Daye (feat. Yebba), "How Much Can a Heart Take"
• Maria Becerra, "Acaramelao"
• Girl Ultra, "rosas (dimelo)"
• Salt Cathedral (feat. Ximena Sariñana), "Te Quiero Olvidar"

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Anamaria Sayre is a multimedia producer for NPR Music with a focus on elevating Latinx stories and music. She's the producer for Alt.Latino, NPR's pioneering radio show and podcast celebrating Latin music and culture, and the curator of Latin artists at the Tiny Desk.