A large crowd of children has filled nearly every seat of a Greenville, N.C. auditorium. They wait eagerly while Andrés Salguero and Christina Sanabria – the music duo better known as 123 Andrés – hide behind the stage curtains. They’re about to put on a show for the kids, most of them bilingual Spanish speakers.

“Uno, dos, tres, doce!” says Salguero (who captures the moment on cellphone video) while Sanabria walks out dancing and clapping.

He then belts out a long “Hola!” in a sing-songy voice, and the crowd breaks into cheers before replying with their own “Hola.” Some stand in excitement, while three kids can be seen holding up the flag of Colombia – Salguero’s birth country, as well as Sanabria’s parents. For many of the children, it’s their first time seeing live music like this.

“We feel a huge responsibility because each word we say, we know it’s going to reach young ears. And maybe they fall in love with the song and they hear it over and over and over again,” Salguero told DCist/WAMU.

Salguero and Sanabria, who are married and live in Fairfax, Va., have been performing for more than a decade throughout the D.C. region, as well as in cities across the United States, Panama, and Mexico.

In many ways, this performance in Greenville is no different – except for the fact that the duo are just a few days past a massive win at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards. Their 2023 release, We Grow Together, Preschool Songs, won the best children’s music album.

“It did feel a little bit surreal, but then here we are 24 hours later, getting ready for a show at a theater with elementary school children,” says Salguero told. “It was glamorous. But it was one day, and we’re back to doing what we love doing. That is, visiting communities all over the country.”

It’s those same performances at local libraries and schools, especially throughout the D.C. region, that Sanabria credits for winning their award.

“D.C. was such a wonderful and supporting environment for us because there’s so many families who love music, who want fun activities for their children, and who are interested in their children growing up with multiple languages,” Sanabria told DCist/WAMU.

One of the duo’s first performances was held at the Mary Riley Styles Public Library in Falls Church, Va., according to Sanabria. They’ve gone on to play for kids throughout the region, including the Alexandria Library, the DC Bilingual Public Charter School, and lots more.

“All those librarians and teachers and parents who took a chance on us,” says Sanabria. “It’s just very humbling.”

Amy Sutton-Cannon, a youth services librarian for the Charles E. Beatley, Jr. Central Library in Alexandria, says it’s a no-brainer for them to invite 123 Andrés to perform for local events in recent years because of the atmosphere they create for kids and parents alike.

“No one exemplifies joy like Andrés and Christina,” says Sutton-Cannon. “They’re great musicians and they’re big proponents of the library, but I think they have this exuberance that really captures an audience and builds a connection with them.”

The award-winning album We Grow Together, Preschool Songs was written as a way to help preschool-aged children work on basic shapes and colors, as well as social-emotional learning. While not a direct translation, says Sanabria, the songs are crafted with melodies and rhymes that work in both English and Spanish.

“There’s songs with really nuanced messages that we love,” says Sanabria. “Many classrooms, many teachers are using these songs every day to explore all of these topics.”

As a former teacher herself, Sanabria says it’s rewarding to be able to write pieces like “Special As Can Be” for kids to reinforce, in the first-person, their own self esteem and value.

“It’s so powerful to see these classes of kiddos – singing that song, jamming to it – and that it’s an affirmation and a sentiment that they really internalize. ‘I’m special, I am brave, I can ask for help. I can do it,’” says Sanabria.

As an immigrant from Colombia, Salguero says they’re also filling a specific need for immigrant families. Before starting 123 Andrés, he says he often saw that immigrants were left out when it came to children’s music, books, and other content.

“Who is writing those songs telling that experience, that immigrant experience?” says Salguero. “So that’s how we found our calling, our mission.”

In addition to putting out music, including a 2016 album that previously won a Latin Grammy, Salguero and Sanabria have written children’s books and host a podcast with PBS called “Jammin on the Job,” which teaches kids about different careers.

“My biggest goal is to leave a legacy,” says Salguero. “That we become part of people’s life in a way that is meaningful and durable into the future. Because we got the Grammy. Yeah, that’s amazing. But that? Being part of a culture, being part of Latine culture in the US? That would be real.”

123 Andrés is currently on tour with upcoming shows in New Jersey, New York, Alabama, and Kentucky, among others. On May 19, 2024, they plan on performing at the Publick Playhouse at 5445 Landover Road Hyattsville, MD, 20784. Tickets can be purchased online for $6.