One of the first acts to popularize bachata outside of the Dominican Republic, Monchy & Alexandra took the Latin music world by storm in the late ’90s and much of the 2000s. ∙ Brought together in 1998 by Ramón Cordero and Mártires de León, Monchy & Alexandra actually recorded their first hit, the romantic duet “Hoja en Blanco,” before the two had ever met in person. ∙ The duo’s debut LP, Hoja en Blanco—originally released in 1999—was reissued in 2001 for US audiences, propelling the title track to No. 13 on Billboard’s Latin Tropical Airplay chart. ∙ In 2001, Monchy & Alexandra became the first bachata group to perform on the iconic Latin TV variety show Sábado Gigante. ∙ The pair broke into the Top 10 on Billboard’s Top Latin Albums chart with their 2002 album, Confesiones..., which spawned the hit single “Te Quiero Igual Que Ayer.” ∙ Confesiones... earned a Latin Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary Tropical Album, as did its 2004 follow-up, Hasta el Fin—the duo’s first LP to crack the Billboard 200. ∙ After more than a decade apart, the pair reunited—at the invitation of modern bachata artist Romeo Santos—for a guest appearance on “Años Luz,” a song from his 2019 album, Utopía.