Grupo Firme on Tour
They're playful, they're romantic and they play like a group of guys having fun in their garage on a Saturday night. And that, in many ways, is just what Grupo Firme is. The Regional Mexican music juggernauts got their start in 2014, and since then they've built a strong following that adores their penchant for passing a bottle and singing their hearts out. It was their live cover songs that initially helped Grupo Firme find their audience. Recorded cheaply, on the fly and "en la peda" (a little drunk), these videos showcased the band's genuine love for the music they play — and gave fans an accurate taste of what it would be like to see them live. That's made Grupo Firme a popular touring group in Mexico, the U.S. and even Colombia.
Grupo Firme Background
Grupo Firme formed in Tijuana in 2014, founded by vocalist Eduin Cazares and early collaborator Joaquín Ruiz. The band was first known as Fuerza Oculta, and though the members lived in Tijuana, they hailed from Culiacán, Mazatlán and Nayarit — the heart of Regional Mexican music. Most had been playing in a range of different bands for years. Cazares's parents didn't agree with his decision to make music his career, and he moved out at age 15. That experience seems to have lit a fire under him: From then on, he and Ruiz performed anywhere — in the streets, on sidewalks or from the backs of trucks. They covered popular songs by the likes of Los Tigres del Norte, Los Tucanes de Tijuana and José Alfredo Jiménez, among others. And crucially, Cazares went to college and studied marketing. He did relentless market research and learned how to use social media to build the band's following. When they took their covers online, their version of "El dinero ni nada" was one of the first to catapult them to true digital popularity. That's translating into chart success. In early 2020, they had their first Top 10 hit in Billboard's Regional Mexican Airplay chart with a cover of Banda el Recodo's "Cada Vez Te Extraño Más."