Luis Alfonso Palacios II, known as Louie the Singer, took the long road to music success in an effort to avoid the limiting expectations of the industry as a Mexican American country artist.

On Sunday, three contestants were crowned winners of the inaugural, government-run “Mexico Sings” competition, meant to promote songs that aren’t about drug cartels or violence. Mike León, from ...

MEXICO CITY — One winner sang a ballad fusing mariachi and hip-hop. Another belted out a song she wrote about a missed opportunity with a crush. A third wooed voters with a booming ode to Mexico.