Pablo Villanueva Branda, widely known by his stage name Melcochita, is a Peruvian sonero singer, comedian, actor, and musician born on September 17, 1936, in the La Victoria district of Lima, Peru. He began his artistic career performing in Augusto Ferrando's "La Peña Ferrando." In the 1950s, performing under the name Pacocha, he and his brothers established the band Son Cubillas. Over his career, Villanueva has balanced his musical output with a prominent comedy career on Peruvian television, appearing on shows such as A Reír, Risas y Salsa, and Recargados de Risa, as well as starring in feature films like Gemelos sin cura.
As a musician, Melcochita has focused on salsa and son cubano, recording albums in both Peru and New York. His recordings in the catalog span from 1969 through 2025. In 1993, he released the album "El retorno de Melcochita," followed by "Tributo al jefe Daniel Santos" in 1998 and "Montuno para ti, vol. 1" in 2013. In 2019, he received a Latin Grammy nomination for his single "La Momia."
Melcochita has remained active as a recording artist well into his eighties. His recent output includes the 2017 single "Y Se Llama Perú" and several 2023 album releases, such as "A cataño," "Dancing Salsa Deluxe," "Hermanos de la salsa," and "Melcochita entre amigos." In 2025, his work continued with the album "El Sonero Llegó" and the singles "El Cantante" and "El Compadre."
