Monchy & Alexandra

When Ramón Rijo, a.k.a. Monchy, hired Alexandra Cabrera in 1998, he didn't care if she lacked the "assets" of a supermodel – he just wanted a singing partner with pipes. For nearly a decade, the Dominican duo kept it real and under the radar as better-known groups like Aventura got fans hooked on urban Bachata. Now, Monchy & Alexandra have finally arrived.

Monchy & Alexandra's tracks are syrupy sagas of love, loss, jealousy and betrayal; it's no surprise that their videos play like telenovelas. For Alexandra, who directs each video with Monchy, music is all about positivity: “[I]f you are feeling down, a good song can lift your spirits up and make you look at life from a different point of view.”

Fans have snapped up more than half a million copies of the group's albums since the 2001 debut, Hoja En Blanco. The critics are not far behind. Monchy & Alexandra have been nominated for a Latin Grammy, and grabbed Tropical Song Of The Year at Univision's Premios Lo Nuestro in February. The duo’s collaboration with Ilegales, the dramatic don't-wanna-be-la-otra-mujer jam La Otra, has helped the veteran Bachateros continue to climb the charts.

But Monchy & Alexandra's hot streak may soon be interrupted: Alexandra is pregnant, and her maternity leave is set to start in August. In the meantime, the duo continues touring in Europe and parts of the U.S.