In 1982, Grupo Niche had its first national hit, “Buenaventura y Caney,” which allowed the band to make its first of many tours in the United States. In 1984 Jairo Varela composed and produced the song “Cali Pachanguero,” which would give national and global prominence to Grupo Niche and was declared the official theme of the Feria de Cali. International tours would increase from that moment on.

In 1987, differences between several musicians in the group and Varela led to a new stage of Grupo Niche in 1988, which resulted in great achievements such as “Nuestro Sueño” and “Cómo Podré Disimular,” with which the band conquered Peru and Venezuela. More than 1 million people gathered at Lima’s Campo de Marte to see the group.

In 1990, Varela produced Cielo de Tambores, the group’s most successful album to date. Songs such as “Una Aventura,” “Busca por Dentro,” “Se Pareció Tanto a Ti,” “Sin Sentimiento,” “Cali Ají,” and “Debiera Olvidarla” crossed borders and were undisputed hits throughout Latin America.

In 2001, Varela made the thoughtful decision to move the headquarters of Grupo Niche to Miami, a more convenient location for launching the numerous international tours that the band took annually.

From 2005 onward, Varela dedicated himself to producing new songs for Grupo Niche, releasing a song every six months. The band continued its international touring, including new territories such as Japan.

In 2007 Varela suffered a heart attack that forced him to give up smoking. New songs like “Un Día Después” and “Robando Sueños” showed a new sound, something more sophisticated and romantic.

From 2010 through the rest of his life, Jairo Varela, in his perfectionism and meticulousness, dedicated more time to the recording studio, trying out different voices with new nuances and styles. The new song “Aprieta” sounded like an epilogue to the famous “Buenaventura y Caney.”

In June 2012 Varela fulfilled one of his most cherished dreams when Grupo Niche was hired for the first time in Africa, which he considered a journey to the land of the band’s ancestors.

On August 8, 2012, Jairo Varela suffered another heart attack, which proved fatal. An outpouring of grief arose among the people of Colombia and other nations, with a funeral that lasted four days. Numerous tributes from governments and individuals followed, and Varela became a legend.

The passing of Jairo Varela marked a new era for Grupo Niche. Hundreds of unreleased songs, recorded in demos and written down in notebooks, would begin to be produced in the coming years. Varela’s eldest daughter, Yanila Varela, who was her father’s right hand, succeeded him as general manager.

In 2012, 2014, and 2015 Grupo Niche increased its tours around the world, and the band traveled more frequently in Europe, the US, Canada, Mexico, Ecuador, Peru, and Colombia and conquered new regions such as Australia. At the end of 2014, the group made a historic presentation with El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico at Madison Square Garden.

In 2021 Grupo Niche received Grammy and Latin Grammy awards for the album 40, and in 2023 they won a Latin Grammy for the album Niche Sinfónico, produced by José Aguirre, in whom the Varela family, led by Yanila Varela, gave all its confidence. Niche Sinfónico was also nominated for Best Tropical Latin Album at the 2024 Grammy Awards, and Grupo Niche was nominated in 2025 in the same category for the album Clásicos 1.0.

The history of Grupo Niche continues to be written every day since Jairo Varela left a great musical testament, surely to the delight of millions of admirers.