Pa’ Ponerte a Gozar!!! Live Latin Energy — For Every Generation.
My name is Pablo Antonio Zelaya — known professionally as Pablo Antonio, founder and bandleader of Pablo Antonio y La Firma, the DMV’s most recognized and most relevant tropical Latin band. I came to the United States from Chirilagua, El Salvador at the age of 9, and it was here in Northern Virginia where music became my life. I have been performing since 1981 and every night I step up to that microphone I think about the road that brought me here.
This is our story.
Chirilagua, El Salvador — Where I Come From
I was born in Chirilagua, El Salvador — a humble town I left at age 9 with my family to come to the United States. In El Salvador music was always present — I sang at home, in the streets, with friends — but it was when we arrived in Northern Virginia that everything changed.
My Tío Jorge led Grupo Explosión in Northern Virginia. He didn’t just introduce me to the stage — he opened the door, taught me, supported me emotionally and financially, and believed in me when I was just a kid discovering what he could do with his voice. At age 10 I joined his band, and from that moment there was no turning back.
At age 11 I had the opportunity to travel to New York City with the band — my first real journey. We walked into the Twin Towers and I remember that moment as if it were yesterday. Music had taken me there. That day I understood that the stage was not just a place to sing — it was a passport to the world. I knew in that moment that this was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.
Tío Jorge was tragically taken from us in a car accident at the age of 34. Every performance I give is a dedication to him — because everything I am in music began with his faith in me and his unconditional love. Rest in peace, Tío Jorge. I carry you always.
The Road to Pablo Antonio y La Firma
After Grupo Explosión, I continued growing as an artist as a member of three more bands — Grupo Cobra, Super Banda Unión, and Telvis y Su Grupo Fuego. Each experience taught me something different: the music business, the dynamics of a band, what works on stage and what doesn’t. I learned by observing, living, and feeling — without reading a single note of music, without playing an instrument. My instrument is my voice. My talent is innate.
Over time Virginia became home in every sense — I grew up in Alexandria, graduated from TC Williams High School, and earned my degree from George Mason University in Fairfax. The same communities where I studied and grew up are the same ones I serve with our music today.
Pablo Antonio y La Firma was founded in 1998 — alongside two other founding members who were an essential part of the band’s early years. Over time each took their own path, and since 2015 I have led the band as its sole leader. Today my son has become my right hand — managing our entire sound system and technical production at every performance with a level of professionalism I am incredibly proud of. By his side is Jhonny Ayquipa, our musical director — a musician who despite his young age brings a depth of knowledge, dedication and stage presence that elevates the entire band. I could not do this without him. Alongside them, a group of loyal and dedicated musicians who share the vision, the pride, and the dream — because Pablo Antonio y La Firma is not just a band, it is a family. Performing since 1999, we are still here.
A Life in Music — Performing Since 1981
I don’t play instruments. I never read sheet music. My gift is my voice — and an innate ability to connect with an audience, to read a room, to know exactly what the dance floor needs at every moment.
Performing since 1981, I have appeared at weddings, quinceañeras, cultural festivals, corporate events, and diplomatic gatherings across Washington DC, Maryland, Virginia, and beyond. I have shared the stage with Lalo Rodríguez, Andy Montañez, Milly Quezada, Tito Nieves, La Sonora Dinámita, and many more. I have performed at the Historic Lincoln Theatre, the Grand Hyatt Washington, the Sofitel Lafayette Square, the Organization of American States, EagleBank Arena, and the Kennedy Center Millennium Stage among others.
In 2014 we received the Héroe Latino Award. In 2017 and 2018, Pablo Antonio y La Firma was named Best Latin Band of the Year, DCBX Awards — two consecutive years.
See our full performance history on our Legacy and Recognition page.
Original Music
I have written and recorded approximately 21 original songs — all sung by me — plus 4 covers. Our music is available on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube, Pandora, TikTok, and all major digital platforms. We are currently working on a new single for summer 2026.
The music we make is not just entertainment. It is identity. It is culture. It is the sound of a community that celebrates, grieves, dances, and lives.
Pablo Antonio y La Firma Today
Today Pablo Antonio y La Firma is a full live tropical Latin band serving the DMV with merengue, cumbia, salsa and more — fully live, at every performance, no exceptions.
If you are looking for the tropical Latin band with the deepest history, the strongest credentials, and the most heart in the Washington DC, Maryland, and Virginia area — you just found it.
Explore the official Pablo Antonio y La Firma discography — two studio albums, multiple singles and an original music catalog registered with ASCAP since 1999.