by Carlos Passage
Grupo Niche has announced that a new album is on the way. The album is scheduled for release this semester and follows their acclaimed “Clasicos 1.0,” their Grammy-nominated album featuring 11 classic songs written by their leader, Jairo Varela, which were reimagined and redesigned in a lengthy and challenging sonic endeavor.
“Clasicos 1.0” includes masterpieces of universal Salsa such as “Gotas de Lluvia,” “Una Aventura,” and “Cali Pachanguero.”
Along with the news of the new album’s release, Grupo Niche has just announced that they have signed a booking agreement with the largest Latin concert promoter in the United States, CMN, led by fellow Colombian Henry Cardenas.
The news was revealed from CMN’s Chicago headquarters in a press release:
“I started working with Jairo in the ’80s,” said Cardenas. “I am extremely happy to continue this great work, this partnership with Grupo Niche that began in the 80s with our great composer and group director, Jairo Varela. For me, having them in our portfolio at CMN is a way of honoring their legacy.” Honored to be alongside this great group that is not only Colombian but represents a global genre.”
According to Billboard’s year-end report, CMN was the sixth highest-grossing concert promoter in 2025 with $344.9 million in revenue, thanks to 3.1 million tickets sold and 287 concerts around the world.
Under this new alliance, Cardenas Marketing Network will join forces with the group’s manager, Yanila Varela (daughter of Maestro Varela), to take the group to new global stages, expanding its reach with a strategy of consolidating the loyalty of its army of millions of traditional fans while seeking new and younger followers.
Niche joins the CMN roster, which includes Bad Bunny, Marc Anthony, Christian Nodal, Ana Gabriel, Romeo Santos, Prince Royce, Ricardo Arjona, Chayanne, among others.
The orchestra’s new tour is called the Niche Disco Tour and follows its Legacy Tour, which visited 15 countries with 75 shows in 2025.
In addition to news of a new album, the signing of an alliance with CMN, and their Grammy and Premio Lo Nuestro nominations, Grupo Niche has revealed their return to Codiscos, their first record label in Colombia. This strategic move is being celebrated throughout the industry. Codiscos is known for its powerful distribution network.
It’s worth remembering that Grupo Niche was the first Colombian artist to reach a Billboard chart. This happened in 1985 with their album “Triunfo,” which reached No. 18 on the Top Tropical Albums chart.
Carlos Passage