Top 10 Interesting Facts About Amapiano. Much like gqom that came before it, amapiano is a South African style of music born from kwaito, which itself has its roots in Afro-pop and the traditional Zulu musical heritage. That new sound is called amapiano – a vibrant and heady mix of deep house, gospel-inspired keyboards and traditional percussion. It’s fun, funky and impossibly cool. The sound has witnessed already popular artists emerging from their known sound to try out the new amapiano sound.
With many independent artists releasing amapiano tracks, the sound has become a platform for newcomers to enter into South Africa’s music scene. Here are 10 interesting facts about amapiano:
1 Amapiano emerged from the townships of South Africa, particularly Pretoria, a small city just outside Johannesburg.
2 The groove of deep house meets the South African sound of kwaito with the addition of jazz piano and percussion often inspired by Bacardi house.
3 Amapiano has a slow deep groove, South African-inspired percussion, repetitive, raw vocal style and jazzy samples (from soulful piano to flute).
4 In 2020, 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.
5 Amapiano is one of the fastest-growing genres’ in the country.
6 Amapiano is a style of house music that emerged in South Africa in 2012
7 Another bone of contention has been who the originators of amapiano are, but some think DJ Stokie, whose career spans 20 years, is the one who pioneered the sound – and he certainly believes so. “I’ve been playing the piano for years and years,” he said.
8 Amapiano DJs are being booked internationally, playing in Belgium, Spain and the UK where there is a huge house scene.
9 The titles of Amapiano king and queen belong to Pretoria’s Kabza De Small and Zimbabwean vocalist Sha Sha.
10 Amapiano’s supposed inclusivity is having an isiZulu plural article (ama) conjoined with an English noun (~piano).
