When you think of groovy African rhythms from voices like Niniola, one is likely to unconsciously burst into dance moves. That is the near-hypnotic effect of the South African native genre of Amapiano, which has now become a prominent vibe within the Naija music scene.
Rooted in the electronic dance music of the kwaito, which is another popular South African genre that emerged in the ‘90s, Amapiano features elements of RnB, Jazz, and slight pop-fusions. Now, Naija heavyweights like Niniola, Burna Boy, Wizkid, among others, are exploring the sounds with infectious and catchy harmonies.
Streaming services like Spotify, which is popular for its Amapiano Groove playlist, have helped promote the sound across the Naija musicscape and the entire African music scene.
“Amapiano has helped to accelerate the export of African music to the rest of the world and as a platform that immerses itself in the cultures of all the markets we are present in, it was important for us to help support the development of the creator’s community and in turn further elevating the genre and driving its discoverability,” Spotify’s Sub Saharan African representative, Melanie Treigaardt, said.
Among the most streamed Amapiano tracks in Nigeria include Sponono by Kabza De Small, Madumane, Burna Boy, WizKid, Cassper Nyovest, Soweto Baby by DJ Maphorisa, DJ Buckz, WizKid, and Squander by Falz, Kamo Mphela, Mpura, Niniola and Sayfar.
The streaming giant also revealed that streams of the AmaPiano Grooves playlist have increased by 210 percent, globally, over the past year and the genre has seen an increase of 170 percent, over the same period, demonstrating the rising popularity of AmaPiano. Within the UK and USA, Amapiano has also clinched the second and third spots respectively for countries, who have streamed AmaPiano the most over the past 90 days.
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