The Annual Amapiano Awards are back; this time, they’re even bigger and better. After the official premiere in 2021, 2023 is expected to be the greatest Awards event ever. As we transition to a new calendar year for the awards, which will now be staged in April each year, the Second Annual show will be placed at The Sun Bet Arena, Time Square in Menlyn, Pretoria, on Sunday, April 2, 2023. The theme, “Amapiano To The World,” represents the influence and strength of the genre in producing its own new generation of local superstars in the mold of Wizkid and Davido. This South African Song is a style of house music that is derived from the word ” Amapiano” itself, which means “the pianos” in Zulu. It has suddenly exploded in popularity in the West and is now one of the trendiest genres played at our events!
The mid-2010s saw the emergence of the South African Songs, with house music subgenre amapiano being major among them in South Africa. Synths and broad percussive basslines distinguish this deep house, jazz, and lounge fusion. High-pitched piano melodies, Kwaito basslines, slow-moving South African house rhythms from the 1990s, and Tribal house-inspired percussions set it apart. This underground trend, which is thought to have begun in 2012, gained enormous popularity during the Covid-19 outbreak and has continued to grow ever since. Towards the end of 2019, we saw that many young people were beginning to use Amapiano music in their cuisine videos, dancing videos, fashion videos, and memes, taking its popularity to greater heights.
According to well-known South African artists and DJs, the country’s top genre, amapiano, a bright, jazzy dance music derived from regional house influences and international R&B, has endured throughout the epidemic.
In South Africa’s townships, historically racialized residential areas, Amapiano started to take off in 2016. With ride-sharing services like WhatsApp, it has grown quickly and naturally, giving rise to its own evolution and subgenres. Amapiano is well-known to Afro fans in the United States, but Covid-19 lockdowns probably prevented it from spreading here. Amapiano’s appeal throughout Africa, especially in Nigeria, which is rising as the world’s fastest-growing entertainment and media market, is a positive indication of its potential for a global influence.
Amapiano is the latest international sensation from the folks of South African Songs to emerge post-COVID. The genre, which first emerged in the middle of the 2010s, developed from South African house music. It filled the hole left by Kwaito in the noughties and later served as a soundtrack for young people in South Africa. It draws inspiration from a deep, soulful house, jazz, and lounge, and at times has a UK Funky feel. It is frequently characterized by ethereal pads, synthesizers, and roomy bass lines. Today, amapiano has become much more than a music genre; it is an inspiring style and dance and has an impact on South Africa’s music business.
These sounds have also crossed international boundaries. While the Amapiano trend has recently taken over TikTok and Spotify, underground musicians in the UK are also drawing influence from similar rhythms in their own work. We’ve heard it in Scratcha DVA’s music, especially when he collaborates with South African musicians like Mxshi Mo, and it’s also made its way onto the USBs and hearts of DJs here.
While amapiano is popular in South African Songs culture, it has also spread internationally. The #amapiano hashtag has received more than 570 million views on TikTok. The AmaPianoGrooves playlist on Spotify has seen a 116 percent rise in total streaming over the past year, including a 75 percent increase in the United States.
Amapiano has gained significant attention on the global stage thanks to the notable international breakthrough of renowned genre acts like Major League DJz, Uncle Waffles, Scorpion Kings, Focalistic, Musa Keys, and T x C. We are beyond thrilled to be at the fore of advancing this crucial period in our culture and history.
