Today Amapiano is everywhere. Some of the world's biggest artists, including Beyonc , have spoken about being Amapiano fans and have put out tracks featuring Amapiano artists. In 2023, Beyonc even played Amapiano legend Uncle Waffles' song Tanzania during her Renaissance world tour. The genre also got its first Grammy in 2024, with Tyla's Water taking home the Best African Music Performance award.
But that popularity wasn't always guaranteed. When Amapiano first emerged on the streets of South Africa's townships a decade ago, many derided it. It was seen as something for people from low-income areas and was given little chance of achieving mainstream popularity. As more and more young people learned about the genre and spread its songs and videos via social media, however, it was set firmly on the path from underground movement to global sensation.
Young people have always driven big shifts in the music sector, says Jodie Tabisher, Spotify's Artist, Label and Partnerships Manager for South Africa. But with Amapiano, their impact has been and continues to be especially significant.
It's an assertion borne out by Spotify's internal data, which shows that 40% of Amapiano streams in 2023 came from people aged 18 to 24. A further 22% came from people aged 25 to 29. It hasn't hurt that the biggest artists in Amapiano are more or less the same age as their listeners. Even a genre pioneer like Kabza De Small, for example, is only 31 years old.
For those artists, Amapiano hasn't just provided a chance to connect with young artists, though. It's also provided an avenue where they can express themselves fully and authentically.
Amapiano was kind of like a breath of fresh air, the light of the sun, something that was close to our heart, says 27-year-old rapper Focalistic, who plays in the Amapiano space. Just being from Africa, we're obsessed with saying things in our own voice right now. It's how you make an imprint.
Throughout my career, I've been fortunate enough to have a front-row seat to Amapiano's early growth and its later global explosion, says Phiona Okumu, Spotify's Head of Music for Sub-Saharan Africa. One of the things that's always stood out to me, and which I think has helped the genre achieve its global standing, is just how distinctly South African it sounds, looks, and feels. Just by being authentic, Amapiano music and artists channel the most infectious parts of Mzansi dance culture.
While young people have been the biggest drivers of Amapiano over the past decade, its appeal now transcends racial and social boundaries.
When you get to America, the biggest thing from South Africa is Nelson Mandela, and that's because he stood for his country, says Focalistic. That's what Amapiano is: It's about representing where we come from, and I think it's a blessing that people relate to it around the world. At the same time, they can hear the emotion. I think emotion sells it more than just words.
Young Stunna, the 26-year-old singer best known for his hit singles Bopha and Adiwele, concurs.
With Amapiano we're united, he says. I was inspired by artists like Aymos because they knew how to put a story inside the music.
That ability to unify people might help explain why, despite its growing international popularity, Amapiano remains most popular in its home market. According to Spotify data, 55% of all Amapiano streams globally came from South Africa in 2023. It also made up 78% of all streams in sub-Saharan Africa.
Ultimately, it's unlikely that Amapiano would have achieved its current trajectory if its creators didn't produce tracks with infectious dance beats. As singer and dancer Kamo Mphela explains, you cannot separate Amapiano from dance.
Music doesn't move without dance, she says. That's personally my perspective that it is its own language, it's very universal, I don't think both can exist without each other.
Backing this assertion up is the significant role that things like Amapiano dance challenges on social media have played in driving the genre's popularity. There have been instances of dance challenges' leading to the discovery of Amapiano songs and artists and assisting in increasing their streaming numbers, such as Tyla's Water or Uncle Waffles' Yahyuppiyah.
Small wonder, then, that many of today's most popular Amapiano artists are multitalented.
When you look at South African music, Mphela adds, there are people who sing the cha-cha, there are the DJs, and there are the wafflers who DJ and dance, but there are quite a few that actually sing and dance, so that's just me being smart about it and that's the gateway for me.
Phiona concludes that much of Amapiano's success is built on what came before it. But, she adds, the success of Amapiano artists should also give South Africans confidence in their own ability to succeed.
Never would we have thought that piano would go to the places that Kwaito dreamed of all those years ago. It's happening because we stuck to our guns, she says. We know we're fly, we have the dances, we have the songs, we have the beats, we have everything.
Europe Stories
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
09/10/2026
September 10 2026, 06:00 (PDT) Dolby Expands Dolby OptiView Platform with New Capabilities at IBC 2026
New Sports Intelligence helps providers better unders...
07/10/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...
10/09/2026
RT to Broadcast Amgen Irish Open free-to-air
New multi-year agreement will see RT continue to bring the Amgen Irish Open to Irish audiences
Ryder Cup hig...
10/09/2026
More than 30 women report allegations of sexual harassment, misogyny and bullying within National Ambulance Service
Tonight on RT Prime Time, 9:35pm, RT One ...
10/09/2026
Series 3 of Nero's Class begins Friday 11 September on RT Listen
The third...
09/09/2026
New parts aimed at hip-hop and pop productions
The latest update to Celemony's innovative virtual session musician expands the collection of built-in in...
09/09/2026
Save up to 40% until 21 September 2026
Sonarworks are currently running their Autumn Sale, with discounts of up to 40% currently available across their rang...
09/09/2026
Upcoming title officially launches in September 2026
Bjooks' celebrations for this year's 909 Day will be welcome news amongst drum machine lovers, ...
09/09/2026
September 9 2026, 22:35 (PDT) Cinema Sunshine Becomes Japan's First Exhibit...
09/09/2026
Wednesday 9 September 2026
Tom Daley adds final stitch to giant Baa-Ewe' t...
09/09/2026
Red Seat Ventures Integrates Barometer into Speakeasy to Maximize Podcast Revenu...
09/09/2026
Baselight-powered color comes natively to Media Composer, connecting creative de...
09/09/2026
RT brings three packed days of live radio, entertainment, news, weather and fun
Join RT Radio 1: Morning Ireland, Oliver Callan, Today with David McCullagh,...
08/09/2026
Built for rap producers, by rap producers
Sauceware Audio, the independent plug-in company founded by Grammy-nominated producer Jacob (Travis Scott, 21 Sava...
08/09/2026
Classic Sound Techniques design revived
Warm Audio's latest release delivers a meticulous recreation of the preamp circuitry employed by the Sound Techn...
08/09/2026
Latest soft synth inspired by the Memorymoog
XILS Lab have just launched a software instrument that draws its inspiration from Moog's iconic Memorymoog,...
08/09/2026
September 08, 2026 NORTHRIDGE, Calif. - Soundcraft today announced the launch of its Signature Plus Series Analog Connected Mixing Consoles. As the next genera...
08/09/2026
Tuesday 8 September 2026
Sky Go gets a major upgrade for Sky Glass and Sky Stream customers
Today, Sky launches a new version of the Sky Go app for Sky Glass ...
08/09/2026
Documentary thriller simulating a Russian attack on UK soil will culminate in a live final episode reuniting the playersTuesday 8 September 2026
Trailer releas...
08/09/2026
Tuesday 8 September 2026
Jamie Demetriou and Amelia Dimoldenberg to host next t...
08/09/2026
Wuppertal September 8, 2026
Riedel Introduces New OnAir Headset PlatformRiedel Communications today announced the launch of its new OnAir headset platform, a...
08/09/2026
BERLIN, September 8, 2026 - J nger Audio will introduce a major expansion of its flexAI audio processing platform at IBC 2026. The flexAI system adds autonomous...
08/09/2026
New Vendor-Agnostic Broadband Intelligence Fabric Reduces Operational Complexity and Improves Service Quality for Broadband Service Providers SAN JOSE, Calif. -...
08/09/2026
Arvato Systems Brings TI Expertise to the Stage
Panels, workshops, and real-world examples at the TI-SUMMIT 2026
Arvato Systems, a partner of the TI-SUMMIT 2...
08/09/2026
On October 1, Apple Arcade is rolling out a lineup of fun new games for players ...
07/09/2026
Two new full-range, flat-response cabinets introduced
HeadRush have recently introduced a pair of new full-range, flat-response cabinets designed for player...
07/09/2026
Answering questions about AI in game audio
GameSoundCon, the largest professional conference for video game music and sound design, have announced that they...
07/09/2026
New directional headset mic on show at IBC
Just ahead of this week's IBC show, DPA have announced the launch of a new directional headset that's bee...
07/09/2026
We are not building systems to replace human decision-making; we are building systems that execute our decisions at machine speed. The media companies that win ...
07/09/2026
Monday 7 September 2026
Freddie Meredith joins cast of SNL UK ahead of start of Season 2
Freddie Meredith Images
ZIP (3MB)
Saturday Night Live UK announces ...
07/09/2026
Monday 7 September 2026
Sky and NFTS team up to launch new routes into screen careers
Sky has today announced a new apprenticeship programme, with application...
07/09/2026
Monday 7 September 2026
Sky Sports announces most comprehensive NFL coverage to...
07/09/2026
Dolby, MainConcept, Techex and J nger Audio will showcase the industry's first demonstration of Serial Audio Definition Model (S-ADM) in a cloud-based produ...
07/09/2026
dB Broadcast will showcase APIS Hive, its software platform for designing, deploying and managing modern broadcast infrastructures, at IBC 2026.
Developed from...
07/09/2026
552,000 streams on RT Player
The historic fight, which saw Katie Taylor become...
06/09/2026
Recreates Rolands TB-303 & MC-202
BS-203 MacroAcidizer is the first virtual instrument from Born Second, and it offers a recreation of two Roland classics -...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
05/09/2026
MK2 & Bass system control app improved
HEDD Audio have just launched a new and improved version of the control software that pairs with their MK2 and Bass m...
04/09/2026
Media organisations interested in the Media Innovation Europe 3.0 Business Innovation Synergizer (BIS) can now consult a new FAQ document providing additional a...
04/09/2026
Powerful new soft synth announced
Traveler is the first software instrument to be released by KeySolutions Sounds, and it's an ambitious one! Said to co...
04/09/2026
Free virtual instrument range expanded
The latest expansion of e-instruments' free Fragments series introduces a packed-down version of the company'...
04/09/2026
Company recognised for second time
Two years after winning an Engineering, Science & Technology Emmy Award for dxRevive Pro, Accentize have been recognised ...
04/09/2026
Bilbao - 3rd September 2026 -AgileTV, a leading provider of end-to-end TV and vi...
04/09/2026
RT ANNOUNCE NEW DRAMA THE MURDER OF MR. MOONLIGHT
BASED ON THE DISAPPEARANCE...
03/09/2026
Yospace will be at IBC from 11th - 14th September (booth 5.C78). For more inform...
03/09/2026
Create musical synth bass sounds from scratch
Anthony Marinelli Music have recently announced the launch of Bass DNA, a new online course that teaches music...
03/09/2026
Most powerful Tonex hardware to date
IK Multimedia's latest release introduces their most advanced Tonex hardware unit to date, combining their AI Machi...
03/09/2026
Upmix & downmix software upgraded
Penteo Audio Plugins have announced that the latest version of their powerful upmix and downmix software is now available....
Today Amapiano is everywhere. Some of the world's biggest artists, including Beyonc , have spoken about being Amapiano fans and have put out tracks featuring Amapiano artists. In 2023, Beyonc even played Amapiano legend Uncle Waffles' song Tanzania during her Renaissance world tour. The genre also got its first Grammy in 2024, with Tyla's Water taking home the Best African Music Performance award. 
