El Alfa has placed an expiration date on his career as an active musician. On Wednesday, Jan. 8, the Dominican superstar published a grief-stricken post on Instagram mourning the death of his grandmother while declaring his plans to step away from social media for the moment, and from music indefinitely, beginning in December.
In a separate post published earlier this week, the artist born Emanuel Herrera shared news of his grandmother’s death with his audience of more than 14 million users. As he continued to reflect on her life in his latest upload, paired with images spanning decades, he wrote: “Her happiness was to see me succeed, but I can’t even stay awake!! I say goodbye momentarily to my audience that loves me. I’ll be back soon, goodbye Instagram.”
While El Alfa credits his grandmother with keeping him inspired and teaching him to lean on his faith in God, he also expressed sadness towards the time he sacrificed in pursuit of his success. “I could have spent more time with her but my work didn’t allow it,” he wrote. “The days of my retirement are getting shorter. ON DECEMBER 18TH OF THIS YEAR I WILL NEVER SING AGAIN… rest in peace grandma. I LOVE YOU.”
Last month, El Alfa wrapped the El Mejor del Planeta tour, which made stops in 16 cities across North America. His most recent album, El Rey del Dembow, was released in November 2023. Since making his debut in 2008, the musician has spearheaded the global spread of Dominican dembow. It’s an honor that has been presented to him by his peers and the rising generation of artists exploring the genre, alike, but El Alfa has been reluctant to fully embrace his legacy.
“I think when I look at myself and say ‘I’m the leader of a genre,’ I’m going to want to think I’ve made it, and I’m going to sit down and take a break. I don’t want that yet,” he told Rolling Stone in 2022. “I’m seeing the whole world get behind it and it brings me happiness, but I’m not the one that’s going to beat his chest and say, ‘I did this, I did that.’ My joy is when someone else says it.”
If December 2025 does bring El Alfa’s nearly two-decade long reign to a voluntary end, he made his mark.