Amapiano — a genre born in South Africa’s townships during the previous decade — has rapidly evolved from a local blend of jazz and house music with traditional log drums into a pan-African super-genre. Initially popularised in the country’s northern cities, the compelling beats and danceable melodies spread deeper into Africa in the early 2020s, propelled by influential DJs and growing social media interest. In East African countries, amapiano has transformed club culture, fused with regional styles by local DJs and artists. This cross-pollination has inspired new nightlife fashion and dance moves, reflecting a cultural shift encompassing more than music alone. East African musicians have collaborated with South African counterparts and producers, and DJs from the East have popularised amapiano in their mixes. The genre’s adaptability and appeal make it a staple in clubs and on social media nowadays, with recent global hit singles signalling its continued growth. Amapiano is connecting Africa culturally, not only in nightspots, but also from other social perspectives. The genre transcends borders and unites diverse communities through music. It’s not every day that a new music genre comes around. amapiano is the latest on the scene, and its exciting rhythms and uniting elements are shaking up East Africa’s clubbing culture. Here is a look at how it came to be and how it’s already making its mark. Amapiano’s South African roots The amapiano music genre originated in South Africa’s townships in the mid-2010s, blending African house and jazz music enhanced by signature log drum rhythms. There’s some debate about whether amapiano originated in South Africa’s Johannesburg or Gauteng townships. However, it’s really no big deal which city it was, as music forms an integral part of South Africa’s culture. Its penchant for linking with emotions and memories [2] often serves as inspiration and reminders of the country’s periods of oppression and resistance. The emergence of amapiano joined notable previous township genres of Marabi, Kwela, Mbaqanga, and Kwaito [3] as a form of celebration and remembrance among ethnic South Africans. Artists and DJs there fused amapiano’s infectious beats with their local styles, energising club scenes and sparking unique pan-African musical collaborations. The genre’s rise in popularity Amapiano is a Zulu word that translates directly to “the pianos” in English. The description is apt, as the genre’s repetitive piano melodies and catchy basslines produce a dance sound that encourages listeners to get up and move their feet. This catchiness saw amapiano take off — in 2019, Y FM created the “Amapiano Hour,” which gave the genre a daily slot on the air and broadened its reach. The early 2020s saw it spread into East Africa’s Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda thanks to social media and influential DJs and musicians like Kabza De Small, DJ Maphorisa, and MFR Souls. Soon afterward, South African amapiano songs by artists and DJs including Vigro Deep, Focalistic, Busiswa, DJ Felo le Tee, and DBN Gogo started appearing in clubs and streets in East African countries. Artists across the continent began incorporating the amapiano sound into their releases in the early 2020s. A combination of pandemic lockdowns and viral social media dance challenges meant the African continent and the world further grew its popularity, with global artists, DJs, producers and record labels enthralled by the uplifting, enticing melodies. The East African amapiano invasion As the 2020s progressed, amapiano found more enthusiastic listeners and collaborators in East Africa as Kenyan, Tanzanian, and Ugandan DJs began including amapiano tracks more regularly in their club sets. Local East African artists experimented with combining the genre’s rhythms with Swahili lyrics in regional styles. This cross-pollination has further amapiano-energised East African nightlife until the present day. Amapiano’s arrival in East Africa sparked a noticeable transformation in the club culture, reshaping everything from DJ playlists to dance floor dynamics. Once monopolised by the Afrobeats, bongo flava and dancehall music genres, clubs began regularly featuring amapiano tracks, with their distinctive sound setting a new dance-floor tone. DJs in major East African cities like Nairobi, Dar es Salaam, Kampala and Kigali embraced the genre, often playing entire Amapiano sets or hosting themed nights, which drew in revellers eager to enjoy the infectious sound. The shift to amapiano is as cultural as it is musical. Club-goers have adopted new dance styles inspired by the South African “pouncing cat” moves to create distinctive East African interpretations. The genre’s chilled but energetic vibe has also influenced nightlife fashion, with partygoers often choosing relaxed, expressive attire to mirror the music’s free-spirited ethos on their nights out. Men in Kenya regularly wear canvas sneakers, moccasins, golf shirts and Kwaito-inspired bucket hats. Kenyan women clubbers often wear body-con dresses, leggings, joggers and loose-fitting pants. East African producers and artists now experiment more and more with amapiano elements in their own tracks, often fusing them with traditional rhythms. Tanzanian artist Chege worked with South African amapiano producers Tony Duardo, Ciza and BoiBizza on his ‘Ola Mama!’ single, for example. Fellow-Tanzanian Marioo released the amapiano-influenced bongo flava song ‘Naogopa’, featuring Harmonize. Uganda’s DJ Slick Stuart and Roja have worked with DJ Felo le Tee to incorporate amapiano into their popular club mixes, which helped popularise the sound across the region. These collaborations and remixes reflect amapiano’s South African roots and East Africa’s eclectic musical heritage. The result is a spirited, developing club scene where the genre acts to connect cultures, inspiring creativity and redefining the meaning of partying in East Africa. As the sound gathers traction, more artists are experimenting with it, growing its influence further. This musical evolution promises even more future innovation in East African clubs. Will amapiano sustain its influence? Looking ahead, amapiano’s East African influence and growing global appeal show no signs of fading. Its adaptable rhythms make it a staple online, in clubs and on the radio, and local innovation and engagement should see it continue to prosper. The amapiano tide is still coming in, with more East African artists and producers experimenting with the genre. New sub-genres and creative fusions will likely emerge, combining the signature log drum and piano melodies with regional languages, traditional instruments, and the storytelling culture. In late 2023, South African singer Tyla’s single ‘Water’ became the first by a soloist from the country to reach the Billboard Hot 100 in 55 years. [8] Considering the track includes elements of amapiano, R&B, soul and pop, signs are that the burgeoning genre will continue its global growth and popularity. ‘Water’ eventually peaked at number seven on the chart and reached the top 10 on three European national charts. With the genre’s prolonged popularity on social media platforms, every indication is that if amapiano doesn’t already feature on road trip playlists globally, it will soon. As its global influence grows, amapiano is developing into more than just a musical genre, especially in East Africa and its South African birthplace. It is a cultural connector uniting club environments with growing collaborations by African artists and producers across the continent. Amapiano drives fashion in East Africa and beyond, with clubbers adopting the style popularised by the genre’s musical talents. It is truly helping to shape a vibrant, pan-African identity in the region’s clubs, energising dance floors and rubber stamping the feeling that music does transcend borders. The author is a freelance journalist writing about music, pop culture and their historical importance.
