Amapiano is a type of music from South Africa that became well-known in the early 2020s. It combines elements of kwaito, deep house, gqom, jazz, soul, and lounge music. This music style uses electronic sounds called synths and has strong, rhythmic bass sounds. The name "amapiano" comes from the IsiZulu language and means "pianos."

Origins

There is no one person who is considered the true founder of amapiano. This has led to confusion and disagreement about where the music originated. Different stories describe the musical styles found in the townships of Johannesburg. Because amapiano shares some similarities with bacardi house, some people say it began in Pretoria. However, this is not certain. Many different accounts of who created the music make it difficult to know exactly where it started.

The word "amapiano" comes from the Zulu language and means "pianos." The music is mostly sung in eleven of South Africa's twelve official languages, including IsiZulu, IsiXhosa, SiSwati, Sesotho, Sepedi, Setswana, English, Xitsonga, Tshivenda, Afrikaans, and IsiNdebele.

Description

Amapiano is a music genre known for its piano melodies, deep house, soul, kwaito, and log drum basslines. The samples used in this genre often include sounds from gqom music. Bacardi is sometimes incorrectly thought of as a subgenre of amapiano or as a style that began in the 2020s.

A key feature of amapiano is the use of the log drum, an electronic version of the log drum that originated in West Africa. This rhythmic bassline became popular in amapiano music through the work of producers like MDU, also known as TRP. Kabza De Small, one of the early creators of amapiano, explains that the use of electronic or log drum sounds in African music came before amapiano. This sound may have developed from the traditional West African log drum, as suggested by kwaito pioneer M'du (also known as Mdu Masilela).

Subgenres and fusion

Afropiano, also known as Nigerian amapiano, is a mix of afrobeats and amapiano. It became popular in the early 2020s as a type of afrobeats. People who started the genre include Clemzy and L.A.X.

Bique is a music style that uses a wavy log drum sound. It is named after the country Mozambique in Southeastern Africa. Examples of bique songs include "Ize (Bique Mix)" by ZanTen and DJ SOL K, and "Bique (Deep Groove)" by FOI and Jay Music.

Bongopiano is a mix of bongo flava music and amapiano. It started in Tanzania during the 2020s. In the 2020s, many famous Tanzanian artists, such as Diamond Platnumz, Marioo, Harmonize, Nandy, Jux, Mbosso, and Zuchu, released bongopiano songs.

In the mid-2010s to early 2020s, Gqom 2.0 became a subgenre of gqom. Other gqom styles include 3-Step and sgubhu. Gqom 2.0 is known for a slower tempo combined with elements of amapiano, afrohouse, and afrotech.

New Age Bacardi is a mix of bacardi and amapiano. It started around mid-2021. An example is the song "Trust Fund" by Mellow & Sleazy, which features Kabza De Small, Mpura, Focalistic, and DJ Maphorisa. DJ Maphorisa said Pretoria-based producers helped combine the styles, and the tempo of New Age Bacardi is slower than original bacardi.

Ojapiano is a mix of the traditional Igbo instrument Ọjà and amapiano. It started in Nigeria in the early 2020s. The term was created by Kcee in the 2020s. People who helped start the genre include Kcee, Snazzy the Optimist, Oxlade, and the American pop rock band OneRepublic.

Popiano blends pop music with amapiano. A well-known example is the 2021 song "Overdue" by Kooldrink, DJ Lag, and Tyla, which mixes popiano with gqom. Since popiano began, Tyla has been called "The Queen of Popiano."

Private school piano, also called soulful amapiano, uses shakers, soft log drum sounds, and chords that change gradually. It is mainly credited to Kelvin Momo. This genre often includes live instruments like the guitar, saxophone, violin, and trumpet.

Quantum sound is a genre based on re-edits of music. It is influenced by gqom, especially the taxi kick style. Producers like RealShaunMusiq, Sizwe Nineteen, and Nandipha808 are linked to this genre.

Popularity

In 2019, the music style became more popular across Africa, with more digital streams and chart success in countries far from its South African beginnings.

In 2021, an awards event was created to celebrate the genre, called the South Africa Amapiano Music Awards.

In 2022, the American online music store Beatport added the genre to its platform, including special charts and playlists for it.

The genre was widely enjoyed by young people on social media, where videos using amapiano music were shared, helping to grow the dancing scene in South Africa.

In October 2023, the afrobeats and amapiano fusion song "Water" by Tyla became famous worldwide after a viral Bacardi house dance challenge on social media. It was the first song by a South African solo artist to enter the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in 55 years. The song reached the top 10 in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, the Netherlands, Sweden, and New Zealand, where it reached number one.

International artists

South Korean girl group Le Sserafim used amapiano music as inspiration for their song "Smart" from their third EP, Easy. Chinese rapper Vinida Weng combined amapiano with Fujianese rap for her song "Waiya!". Egyptian artist TUL8TE created an amapiano-inspired song called "Enty Crazy" for his album Narein.