• This project highlights the work of Jairo Varela, composer for the Grupo Niche, a leading Colombian salsa band and whose tenth anniversary of his passing was commemorated this year.

• This is the 12th album of the tribute projects that SURA has been offering since 2010, with the help of Jose Gaviria, with whom more than 400 thousand physical copies have been released and more than 40 million playbacks and/or downloads have been recorded on digital platforms.

• This version will be available on all digital platforms and will feature six songs performed by Puerto Rican Power, Son Pasión, Maía, Aymée Nuviola, Chabuco and Andrés Cepeda.

• For every peso collected from each playback or download, the SURA Foundation shall donate the same amount to culture promotion initiatives on the part of the Delirio Foundation in Cali.

Bogota, December 14, 2022 - Seguros SURA has launched a new musical production "Homage to the Grupo Niche, the songs of Jairo Varela", as a tribute to Colombian salsa music thereby ratifying its commitment to promoting the musical legacy of Latin American artists, encouraging interest in cultural values and contributing to the memory and respect for the traditional artistic genres of our region.

Since 2010, our Sura insurance subsidiary, with the help of the producer Jose Gaviria, has been in charge of convening more than 100 Latin American singers who, through their songs, have made 12 editions of this musical project possible. 

Through the SURA Album, which this year has been made available free of charge on all music platforms, tribute will be paid to Jairo Varela as the composer of the Grupo Niche, in the form of six songs performed by the artists: Andrés Cepeda, Maía, Chabuco and Aymée Nuviola;  as well as the bands Puerto Rican Power and Son Pasión.

"We recognize the transformative power that music, art and any artistic expression holds over society. This year, on the tenth anniversary of Maestro Varela's death, we wanted to commemorate his musical career with Grupo Niche and recognize the importance of his music in the popular culture of both Colombia and our entire region," stated Juan David Escobar, CEO of Seguros SURA Colombia.

Since this initiative began, more than 400,000 physical copies have been distributed with more than 40 million playbacks registered on digital platforms. It should be noted that, recordings such as "Mujeres por Colombia" (2011); "Raíces" (2018) and "En Barranquilla me Quedo", a tribute to Joe Arroyo (2020) have been nominated for Latin Grammy Awards for their productions. "This year we hope that people will continue to enjoy Latin American rhythms with our SURA Album. It gives us great satisfaction to be agents of the country's musical memory and culture," added Juan David Escobar. Seguros SURA is committed to strengthening  cultural practices for youngsters with the income received from these musical recordings. That is why, in this edition, for each song played back or downloaded on the different digital platforms, the SURA Foundation shall donate the same value to support the Delirio Foundation, an organization set up in the city of Cali, which was created for the purpose of smoothing out  opportunities for both artists and bands in order for them to find a trade and professional recognition in their art.

"We recognize Delirio as a relevant player for preserving and disseminating the culture present in the Valle del Cauca, as well as its leadership in promoting artists and bands within the region. Each year, through SURA's musical project, we support a cultural initiative that is directly related to the territory or the artist being honored," stated María Mercedes Barrera Tobar, Director of the SURA Foundation in Colombia.

Overall, sales of the SURA Album in previous years have supported cultural organizations such as the Gratitud, the Rafael Escalona, and the Batuta Foundations, among others. This together with the SURA Foundation’s own initiatives, especially that of “Memory and Creativity: the Indigenous Enterprise”.

This musical version will be available from December 14 in its digital format and can be heard for free on platforms such as Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, Deezer, Claro Music and Tidal. In this way, everyone will have the opportunity to relive salsa milestones and get ready for the Christmas celebrations.

About the songs:

Respecting the original ambiance of the songs, with new arrangements, on this album you can listen to: La negra no quiere, Buenaventura y caney, Gotas de lluvia, Se parecido tanto a ti, Busca por dentro and Cali Pachanguero.

About the artists:

• Aymée Nuviola: a recent Latin Grammy winner and one of the most respected female salsa voices in the world. In this album she performs the song "La negra no quiere".
• Andrés Cepeda: a Latin Grammy winner and one of the most beloved artists by all Colombians, who on this occasion performed the song, "Buenaventura y caney".
• Maia: Nominated for a Latin Grammy, one of the leading female voices in multiple genres in our country. In this album she performs the iconic romantic salsa song entitled "Gotas de lluvia".
• Chabuco: A Latin Grammy nominee, with a unique way of interpreting his songs that places an unmistakable stamp on all his recordings and who in this tribute performs “Se pareció tanto a ti”.
• Puerto Rican Power: Latin Grammy nominees; a group with unmistakable strength and its own unique style that has maintained them as one of the most important salsa bands in the world. Here they perform the song: "Cali Pachanguero".
• Son Pasión: Ex-participants of Factor X, recognized in the industry as some of the most promising salsa brothers in Colombia. "Busca por dentro" is the song that they interpret on this album.

About the production:

The album was recorded in Santa Marta, Cali, Barranquilla, Bogota and Miami, with the general production of Jose Gaviria and the musical production of Jose Gaviria & Milton Salcedo, a duo with great experience and who recently worked on the tribute to Joe Arroyo titled "En Barranquilla me Quedo" which was nominated for the Best Salsa Album in 2021.

Link to the album: https://links.altafonte.com/vxbrpbp