Grupo Niche one of the worlds top known Colombian salsa and cumbia groups was formed by Jairo Varela, along with talented musicians that consisted of Nicolas Cristanelo playing the piano, Francisco García on bass, sax player, Alí Garcés, trombonist, Alexis Lozano, Luis Pacheco on percussion, Jorge Bassam, and Héctor Viveros on vocals, making their debut with the release of "Al Pasito" in 1980.

After becoming one of the major tropical acts in their native country, the group had the opportunity to participate in a salsa festival at New York's Madison Square Garden in 1986. Grupo Niche's new lineup debuted in 1987 with "Tapando El Hueco," touring Europe for the first time in 1989. A year later, Puerto Rican singer Tito Gómez decided to leave the band, being replaced by Carlos Alberto Cardona from Colombia. During the '90s, Grupo Niche turned to romantic lyrics, leaving behind their traditional songs based on social issues.