One would have to be living under a rock to have not heard South African sensation Tyla’s song ‘Water’, or Korean pop group Le Sserafim's track 'Smart'. The beats and sounds we hear in these songs are inspired by and part of a genre of South African music called amapiano.
What is amapiano music?
The most important part of amapiano is the sound of the log drum, and as the name suggests, piano melodies. A contemporary music style, amapiano has elements of kwaito, deep house, and jazz. The music has a chilled-out, laid-back vibe that is mostly about the slow and rhythmic beats, not the vocals. If an amapiano track does happen to have vocals, they are velvety and soulful.
In a conversation with AFP, choreographer Thando Nhlapho described amapiano as a confluence of different musical styles: "So amapiano is a mixture of spantsula, isbujwa. We take that, and we modernise it to amapiano. So, it's very complex, but it's authentic to South Africans."
The origins of amapiano music
Originating in South Africa in the early 2010s, amapiano has been called the "spiritual successor" of house music. In Zulu, amapiano means “the pianos,” and this term was coined around the mid-2010s. While some say it was born in Pretoria, others say Johannesburg is the birthplace of amapiano.
The global response to amapiano music like ‘Water’ by Tyla
Today, this fresh genre is redefining music and dance culture worldwide. Amid the Afropop boom of the past couple of years, amapiano is getting global recognition and love outside Africa as well.
For instance, Tyla's 'Water', a fusion of amapiano with pop, R&B and Afrobeat elements, was trending on TikTok and Instagram for ages. Le Sserafim's amapiano-inspired song 'Smart' gave K-pop stans a glimpse into this genre. Prominent amapiano DJ, Uncle Waffles, brought these unique beats to Coachella in 2023, too.
In terms of the pioneering amapiano artists to check out, Kabza De Small and MFR Souls are among the iconic acts who first popularised the genre. Today, the likes of Sha Sha, Focalistic, Mawhoo, Ami Faku, and Bontle Smith have joined their ranks and are taking it forward.
Amapiano-inspired dance culture
The dance culture this genre has inspired in South Africa is becoming a rage. Dancers from across the world are congregating in Johannesburg to move to amapiano beats, since this is where it all began. After the way Tyla’s ‘Water’ inspired an amapiano dance movement on social media, people from across the world are waking up to this genre.
Professional dancer Venus Chidinma told AFP that the beats of this genre make it easy to dance to, because it’s not about the vocals or the language of the lyrics: "I feel like amapiano, compared to other styles, is something about the music where it's not about the words, it's not about what they're saying, but you feel it inside of you. It doesn't matter where you come from, what race, what colour. Like, you feel it, and you have to just move. It's just from inside you."
Speaking to AFP, choreographer Emmanuel Mwenya summed up the power of this music best: "So, whether you speak Chinese, you speak Zulu, Bemba, Nyanja, English. It's like dance is one language. So, like, it all connects, no matter where you're from.”
