5 Amapiano Songs That Went Global. Ending off 2021 on a high, amapiano has continued its dominance over the past six months. Whether it be streaming services, social media, radio, television and other platforms, there’s simply no escaping the genre. Amapiano producers and artists are always at work, dropping hits, and are currently the most booked in the country, despite the pandemic and its regulations on public events. Streaming data and charts also show that amapiano is the most streamed genre at the moment.
Not even the pandemic could stall the pace of the movement’s growth. The year saw lots of amapiano hits and projects being released by artists. Here are 5 Amapiano Songs that went global:
Woza by JazziQ ft Kabza De Sbmall, Lady Du and Boohle
Mr JazziQ, who Spotify SA recently announced as the most streamed South African artist by Gen Z audiences, had a crazy 2021 and is continuing his run. For his first release of 2021, he enlisted “Piano King” Kabza De Small, Lady Du and Boohle for the inviting “Woza”. The track served as the lead single to JazziQ’s latest album Party With The English and has been doing really well on streaming charts since its release. A clip of three guys dancing to the track outside of the White House in Washington DC recently went viral, which subsequently resulted in a dance challenge.
Ke Star Remix by Focaalistic featuring Davido and Vigro Deep
Focalistic excitedly announced the new feat Ke Star remix with Davido featuring Virgo Deep made in the US. It was announced on Twitter that the remix is the first ever South African song to reach the global billboard chart in US through Triller. “Just received dope news. Ke Star remix reached the global billboard chart via Triller in the US. This is the first ever SA song to do so. “SQUAD SA MARADONA GOING ALL THE WAY HARD,” the rapper reacted to the post.
Amanikiniki by MFR Souls and Major League DJz featuring Kamo Mphela and Bontle Smith
Early this year, Kamo Mphela performed the hit single in Namibia and shut down the stage. The amapiano hot property was brought to tears after her blazing performance which saw Namibians dancing and singing along. Performing at a popular restaurant in Windhoek, The Catch, the crowd did not want to let her go because we could all watch her the whole day.She performed the hit song Amanikiki which left the crowd thirsting for more of her and her killer dance moves.She captioned her video, “In the end, stars align” which means that her dreams are finally becoming a reality.
Focalistic x Mr JazziQ “GUPTA” (featuring Lady Du & Mellow and Sleazy)
Amapiano heavy hitters Focalistic and Mr JazziQ put out their much-teased collaborative single “GUPTA”, which features vocalist Lady Du and production duo Mellow and Sleazy. This aspirational song came after the release of Mr JazziQ’s album Party With The English and the success of Focalistic’s “Ke Star Remix”. The two reportedly have an upcoming EP together and Focalistic has also revealed that he has another EP with Nigerian superstar Davido, as well as unreleased music with Tanzania’s Diamond Platnumz and Ghana’s Stonebwoy. The song went global to a point of topping the radio charts in the world.
Kamo Mphela “Nkulunkulu”
In late March, Kamo Mphela delivered the lead single and title track of her independently released EP Nkulunkulu. The song, whose title translates to “God”, is essentially a catchy prayer for wealth, happiness and a life full of blessings and prosperity. The tracks’ striking visuals, which contain a lot of choreographed dancing, has inspired a number of Tik Tok videos and, to date, amassed over 5 million views on YouTube. Since the beginning of the year, Kamo has performed in Namibia, Zambia, Tanzania and Nigeria. She also has been featured on the remix of Nigerian rapper Falz’s amapiano cut “Squander”. This year, a video of a South African teacher who works in China shared a video teaching Chinese learners Kamo Mphela’s song. A popular Asian Tik Toker shared a video of himself dancing to the song, participating in the #Nkulunkulu dance challenge which saw masses participating in it worldwide.
