Subgenre of house and Kwaito music from South Africa
Amapiano
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Stylistic origins
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Cultural origins
| Mid-2010s (disputed), in
Gauteng
,
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Typical instruments
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- S'gija
- Private School
- Quantum Sound
- Cardi-Ano
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Amapiano
, a
Zulu
word loosely translated to "the
pianos
", is a subgenre of
kwaito
and
house music
that emerged in
South Africa
in the mid-
2010s
. It is a hybrid of
deep house
,
jazz
, and
lounge
music characterized by
synths
and wide, percussive
basslines
.
Origins
[
edit
]
There is ambiguity and debate concerning its origins, with various accounts of the musical styles in the
Johannesburg
townships. Because it has some similarities with Bacardi,
[1]
some people assert the genre began in
Pretoria
but it remains uncertain.
[2]
[3]
[4]
Various accounts of who formed the popular genre make it impossible to accurately pinpoint its origins.
[5]
The word
amapiano
is an
IsiZulu
or
IsiXhosa
word that can be loosely translated to "the
pianos
",
[6]
The genre is mostly sung in one of South Africa's indigenous languages such as Zulu, Xhosa,
Sotho,
Setswana
, and
Xitsonga
.
Description
[
edit
]
Amapiano is a subgenre of
house
and
kwaito
music.
[7]
It is a hybrid of
deep house
,
jazz
, and
lounge music
characterised by
synths
and wide percussive basslines.
[8]
Amapiano is distinguished by high-pitched piano melodies,
kwaito
from South African basslines and low tempo. It also includes the 1990's South African house rhythms and
percussions
from other local subgenres of house known as
tribal house
.
[9]
An important element of the genre is the prevalent use of the "
log drum
", a wide percussive bassline, which was popularised by producer
MDU aka TRP
. According to one of the amapiano pioneers,
Kabza De Small
, he asserts that:
"I don't know what happened. I don't know how he figured out the log drum. Amapiano music has always been there, but he's the one who came up with the log drum sound. These boys like experimenting. They always check out new plug-ins. So when MDU figured it out, he ran with it."
[10]
The use of percussive basslines in South African house music predates amapiano, and was possibly pioneered by kwaito producer M’Du (also known as Mdu Masilela.)
[11]
Subgenres and fusion
[
edit
]
Ojapiano
[
edit
]
Ojapiano is a fusion of the traditional
Igbo
instrument
?ja
and subgenre of amapiano which emerged in Nigeria in the early 2020s. The term was coined by Kcee in the 2020s. There have been several pioneers of the genre since its emergence including
Kcee
,
Snazzy the Optimist
,
Oxlade
and renowned American pop rock band
OneRepublic
.
[12]
[13]
[14]
[15]
Popularity
[
edit
]
In 2019, the genre experienced increased popularity across the African continent, with noted increases in digital streams and chart successes in countries far from its South African origin.
[16]
[1]
In 2021, an awards ceremony was created that was dedicated to the genre, the South Africa Amapiano Music Awards.
[17]
In 2022, the American online music store
Beatport
added the genre to its platform with its own dedicated charts and playlists.
[18]
The genre was popular amongst young people on social media platforms, where videos using amapiano music were uploaded, which fueled the dancing scene in South Africa.
[19]
Amapiano music has always been dominated mainly by men. Social media users in South Africa are constantly fighting to change the narratives about how they helped the country advance.
[20]
In October 2023, the amapiano song, "
Water
" by South African singer
Tyla
gained international prominence following a viral Bacardi dance challenge on social media.
[21]
It became the first song by a South African soloist to enter the
U.S.
Billboard
Hot 100
in 55 years,
[22]
and was a top 10 hit in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, the Netherlands, Sweden and New Zealand, where it reached number one.
[23]
International artists
[
edit
]
The genre's popularity has created a proliferation internationally, where producers attempt to replicate or fuse the sound with other genres for their next hit.
Examples of such is Nigerian artist Davido's "Champion Sound" with South African artist Focalistic. This track was a major hit that led to the surge of Nigerian artists attempting to use the south African sound.
The track "Monalisa" by
Lojay
featuring
Chris Brown
contains the signature "log drum", also known as the
slit drum
and other amapiano percussive elements.
[24]
The "Top 50 - Nigeria"
Spotify
chart contains a plethora of amapiano-inspired songs. Some of the songs are explicitly titled amapiano, such as "Amapiano" by
Asake
featuring
Olamide
.
[25]
This has led to a misconception in the United States that amapiano originates from Nigeria. This can be seen in a recent tweet by American artist
Swae Lee
, where he tweeted the
Nigerian flag
, alongside the words "Wait till y'all hear Swae Lee on Amapiano [sic]".
[26]
South Korean
girl group
Le Sserafim
took inspiration from amapiano for their track "
Smart
" off of their third EP,
Easy
.
[27]
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Selaluke, Stephen (29 August 2020).
"Bacardi music back due to popular demand"
.
The Citizen
. Retrieved
2 July
2021
.
[
dead link
]
- ^
"Amapiano: a township sound with staying power"
.
TimesLIVE
. Retrieved
29 October
2019
.
- ^
Joyce, Liam Karabo (23 October 2019).
"Meet the vocalist featured on the biggest amapiano tracks"
. Independent Online
. Retrieved
1 November
2019
.
- ^
"Amapiano a new movement... Period"
.
SowetanLIVE
. Retrieved
29 October
2019
.
- ^
"Charting the Meteoric Rise of South Africa's AmaPiano"
.
Spotify
. 2 October 2019
. Retrieved
29 October
2019
.
- ^
"Amapiano - what it's all about?"
. musicinafrica.net
. Retrieved
30 January
2021
.
- ^
"The Yanos Plug: Amapiano to The World"
.
The Yanos Plug
. Retrieved
29 October
2021
.
- ^
"The 10 Best Amapiano Songs of 2019"
.
OkayAfrica
. 17 December 2019
. Retrieved
29 March
2020
.
- ^
Prspct (21 November 2018).
"New age house music: the rise of "amapiano"
"
. Archived from
the original
on 4 March 2020
. Retrieved
29 October
2019
.
- ^
"Kabza De Small and MDU aka TRP set to release 50-track album [listen]"
, retrieved
10 January
2022
- ^
"How Far Can Amapiano Go?"
.
The New Yorker
. Retrieved
1 August
2023
.
- ^
Esomnofu, Emmanuel (16 June 2023).
"Exploring "Ojapiano" & The Evolution of Nigeria's Most Spiritual Flute"
.
The NATIVE
. Retrieved
19 December
2023
.
- ^
Ibeh, Ifeanyi (25 March 2024).
"Snazzy the Optimist Introduces Fresh Sound with New Tune 'Asa'
"
.
The Guardian
. Retrieved
5 April
2024
.
- ^
Omenye, Alex (3 November 2023).
"Kcee And Oxlade Anchor on Hope In "I Pray"
"
.
The Culture Custodian (Est. 2014.)
. Retrieved
5 April
2024
.
- ^
"Kcee to feature One Republic on Ojapiano remix"
.
NotjustOk
. Retrieved
5 April
2024
.
- ^
Machaieie, Mario (21 October 2019).
"2019 The Year Of The Yanos, How Amapiano Blow up"
.
Online Youth Magazine | Zkhiphani.com
. Retrieved
29 October
2019
.
- ^
Langa, Phumlani S.
"Mzansi's first amapiano awards have social media abuzz"
.
City Press
. Retrieved
21 February
2023
.
- ^
Bain, Katie (5 May 2022).
"Beatport Adds South Africa's Amapiano Genre To Its Platform"
.
Billboard
. Retrieved
2 September
2022
.
- ^
"The evolution of amapiano"
.
The Mail & Guardian
. 19 September 2022
. Retrieved
7 August
2023
.
- ^
"5 Recognized South Africa Amapiano Female Artists"
.
HipUpMusic
.
Archived
from the original on 13 May 2023
. Retrieved
13 May
2023
.
- ^
Mendez II, Moises (6 October 2023).
"Tyla's "Water" is Making Waves on TikTok"
.
Time
. Retrieved
1 November
2023
.
- ^
Aradi, Gloria (10 October 2023).
"South Africa's Tyla makes historic Billboard Hot 100 debut with Water"
.
BBC News
.
Archived
from the original on 10 October 2023
. Retrieved
12 October
2023
.
- ^
"Water (Tyla song)"
,
Wikipedia
, 1 November 2023
, retrieved
1 November
2023
- ^
"South Africa: Lojay and Sarz on the making of 'Monalisa' & their blend of Afrobeats and Amapiano"
.
theafricareport.com
. 21 October 2019
. Retrieved
12 July
2023
.
- ^
"5 Top 50 - Nigeria"
.
Spotify
. Retrieved
13 July
2023
.
- ^
@SwaeLee (11 July 2023).
"Wait till y'all hear Swae Lee on Amapiano"
(
Tweet
) – via
Twitter
.
- ^
Delgado, Sara (22 February 2024).
"LE SSERAFIM Talk New Mini-Album "Easy" & Coachella 2024 Plans"
.
Teen Vogue
. Retrieved
28 February
2024
.
African electronic dance music
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Genres
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See also
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