3 Interesting Facts About the Amapiano Genre
Official Newsletter for the Global Awards Ceremony for Amapiano
Majority of Amapiano Artists Don’t have traditional 360 Major Label Deals and Own their Masters & Publishing
For a long time, it was almost impossible for musicians to find success while remaining independent and retaining ownership of their master recordings and publishing rights. In South Africa, many legendary artists, such as Brenda Fassie, faced legal battles over their music after signing away these rights. However, Amapiano artists have somehow managed to defy this norm and achieve significant success as independents.
The roots of Amapiano itself explain this shift. The genre was born in the shacks and backrooms of South African townships, where most producers were solely focused on creating music, with little formal knowledge of the music business. Amapiano wasn’t a commercial sound in its early days, and record labels showed no significant interest in signing Amapiano demos. As a result, Amapiano became a DIY movement from the start. Producers would create tracks and share them via WhatsApp, while those with internet access and knowledge of digital distribution used platforms like Tunecore and DistroKid to get their music out.
Amapiano artist and dancer Kamo Mphela This grassroots distribution network allowed the music to spread organically, blaring from speakers in local taverns and nightclubs before gradually gaining momentum. In 2019 Amapiano began gaining mass commercial momentum with songs such as “Labantwana Ama Uber” by Semi Tee, Miano & Kammu Dee achieving massive commercial success on radio, TV as well as social media. Then in 2020 covid happened and the COVID-19 lockdown in South Africa then provided the perfect catalyst. With people stuck at home and spending more time on social media, Amapiano content that had been bubbling under the surface suddenly went viral. The genre’s fresh, exciting sound caught the attention of a broader audience, while Amapiano DJs and producers, with time on their hands, continued to experiment and produce more innovative tracks.
Throughout this entire ecosystem, record labels were notably absent. For many Amapiano artists, this revealed a new path: they could succeed without traditional labels, relying instead on independent distribution. This realisation made the need for record labels obsolete in their eyes—what they needed was not a major label record deal, but effective distribution for their music. This ultimately led to the majority of Amapiano artists being independent and hence owning their masters today.
Amapiano singer & vocal sensation Mawhoo TikTok is the Genre’s Biggest Marketing Tool: Not Radio Promotion. Not TV.
If you’ve been following the South African music industry for a while, you’ll recall a time when achieving success for a song was nearly impossible without radio or TV support. Artists relied heavily on costly PR teams or major label backing to ensure their music received prominent features, and without radio, many careers struggled to gain traction.
However, TikTok has transformed this dynamic. As a dance genre, Amapiano aligns seamlessly with TikTok’s format, allowing songs to go viral through dance challenges and trends. With Gen-Z spending more time on their phones and less on traditional media, TikTok has become a crucial platform for music discovery.
The impact of TikTok on Amapiano is clear from the numbers. For instance, “Tshwala Bam” by TitoM & Yuppe has been featured in over 5 million posts on the platform. This extensive usage boosts engagement and drives increased streams on services like Spotify and Apple Music. TikTok’s global reach also introduces Amapiano to international audiences, further elevating its presence on streaming platforms.
Fresh Amapiano talent Khalil Harrison TikTok has become crucial in supporting Amapiano’s independence. A song can be created in a township, shared on WhatsApp, and uploaded to streaming platforms in one day. It might then be played at a local nightclub by a DJ, filmed by a TikTok user, and shared online. The next day, the song could go viral, reaching users in Tokyo and the US, trending on TikTok, and becoming the most streamed song on Spotify by the end of the week.
While this path to following TikTok success has had immense benefits for the artists, it has sometimes led to a lack of structure within the genre especially in instances where there is a lack of guidance by experienced personnel. Nevertheless, TikTok’s influence in elevating Amapiano to new heights is undeniable. In essence, TikTok has come to rival radio and TV in music promotion, to the point where these traditional media often rely on TikTok to identify the hottest tracks on the market. Despite these shifting dynamics, it’s still important to recognise that radio and TV remain crucial components of any artist’s marketing strategy.
15 Years On: The Genre Is Still Predominantly Male-Dominated
In July 2024, we published a list of the “Top 20 Most Popular Amapiano Artists” based on streaming data. The list was impressive, but it highlighted a striking imbalance: 18 of the 20 artists were male, and only 2 were female, reflecting a 90% to 10% ratio. The female artists on the list were Uncle Waffles and Zee Nxumalo while the male artists included the likes of Major League DJz and Tyler ICU.
While the Amapiano genre has produced numerous success stories, the number of female musicians achieving notable success remains relatively smaller to male artists and this has resulted in a limited number of female artists dominating the scene. A quick glance at Spotify’s largest Amapiano playlist, “Amapiano Grooves,” features familiar household names such as DBN Gogo, Pabi Cooper, Uncle Waffles, Nkosazana Daughter, Zee Nxumalo, Kamo Mphela and Mawhoo. In contrast, the list of male artists is constantly evolving, with new talent including Shakes & Les, Lee McKrazy, Scotts Maphuma, and Khalil Harrison, among many others breaking through more frequently.
Amapiano talent Lee McKrazy Zee Nxumalo stands out as one of the most recent female talents to achieve significant commercial success. As the genre continues to grow, we hope that more female artists will achieve similar success, leading to a more balanced representation in the Amapiano scene.
By the Amapiano Awards Research Team
