The anecdote is repeated, confessed by many moms and dads at the end of the concerts. Suddenly, they are the ones who can't stop humming at the wheel The Fruit Dance, The Salad Dance or The Lola Turtle. It is the phenomenon Pica-Pica, the children's musical trio creator of the domestic soundtrack of many families with children, all given to their videos and songs, between humming in the kitchen and choreographies in the living room. Without missing even the characterization with the costumes of Belén Pelo de Oro, Nacho Bombín and Emi Bombón, because the small fans do not forgive a detail, merchandising of the formation included.

They have gone from being born in Madrid to reaping cyber and earthly success, both united next Saturday in the form of a tribute by YouTube, which will give them the Golden Button, a recognition to the few Spanish groups that have achieved (attention, drum roll) the spectacular figure of 10 million subscribers to their channel. The amount imposes, but it is little compared to the visualizations of his hit (Bus Potpourri), which accumulates about 8,000 million repetitions on the famous online video platform. YouTube will reward them on the stage of the Gran Teatro CaixaBank Príncipe Pío, where they will star in the first of the two morning shows they have this coming weekend within the Madrid Live Experience 2023 festival, an appointment where they have been habitual in recent editions.

"It's a wonderful place to perform," Belén tells GRAN MADRID on the eve of her shows, always special because it is her city. She comes from Canillejas and her companions from Argentina, but proud cats have long been proud. From dance and interpretation, and after passing through another of the most popular children's groups of recent years (Cantajuego), they tried their luck in the form of a trio. A coin in the air without even its own name. "It was 2011, when social media wasn't what it is now. We filled the Teatro Galileo and soon moved on to the Pequeño Teatro Gran Vía. And all by word of mouth", Belén reviews an electrifying time, where they had to put on a title and record albums before the demand of parents and also promoters, wanting to take them on tour throughout Spain. They were baptized as that powdered candy of the 90s where the lollipop was wet. "It had a lot of sonority and joy," recalls the Madrid member of the group.

Young and old

The references to the childhoods of the parents, now forty, are another of the keys of his show, where the adults are not only holding coats or parking carts. Dads and moms jump and dance like their kids. "Our goal is for the whole family to have a good time with our own songs and also the versions of children's songs of always," says Belén, referring to the classics that are not lacking in her repertoire, with tribute to Miliki and Los Payasos de la tele in the form of Auto nuevo or Susanita tiene un ratón.

In 2015 the members of Pica-Pica left other jobs to devote themselves fully to recording and touring. By now they had tried their luck in South America. They also won over the little boys from Mexico or Chile, where they will return this fall. A rhythm stopped in its tracks in the pandemic, like all groups. With the children locked up at home, they came up with a way to help. "We made educational videos for them," they say of the dark days of 2020, before returning to the stage and recording their colorful clips, always with a very careful aesthetic and design. The melodies also overflow the usual children's compositions. Drops of rock and even ska slide into some of their liveliest songs, where you can see the influence of a very good friend of the group: Bernardo Vázquez, the singer of the mythical The Refrescos, parents of the Madrid counteranthem Aquí no hay playa.

  • YouTube
  • Chile
  • Argentina
  • Cats
  • Mexico
  • theatre