Phiona Okumu, Spotify’s Head of Music in Sub Saharan Africa, disclosed this in a statement on Friday in commemoration of the 10th anniversary of Amapiano music.
Amapiano, meaning “the pianos in Zulu, is a subgenre of Kwaito and house music that emerged in South Africa in 2014.
It is a hybrid of deep house, jazz and lounge music characterised by synths and wide percussive bass lines
Okumu said in 2023, the South African dance genre hit over 1.4 billion streams on Spotify.
“South Africa, United States Of America, United Kingdom, Nigeria and Germany are the top five countries streaming Amapiano in the last 10 years.
“The top five Amapiano playlists in 2024 are: AMAPIANO grooves, SoulPiano, Beast Mode Amapiano, Amapiano 101 and Amapiano Rising.
“Top 10 Amapiano artistes streamed in Nigeria in the last 10 years are: Focalistic, DJ Maphorisa, Tyler ICU, Titom, Yuppe, Kabza De Small, Mellow and Sleazy, Tumelo_za, Uncle Waffles and Justin99.
“One of the most affirming parts of watching Amapiano explode over the past decade is seeing how people use it for self-expression,’’ Okumu said.
She said that the genre had recorded over 345 per cent growth in 2023, with critical assessment from 2014.
She said Amapiano attracted over 153,000 per cent growth in export in 2023 compared with critical assessment from 2014.
She noted that the genre attracted 87 per cent growth of female artistes in 2023 compared to 2022.
She said that 40 per cent of Amapiano listeners were between the age of 18 and 24.
“The Amapiano’s influence on the music culture in South Africa, and beyond has seen the world grip in an Amapiano frenzy from dance challenges to inspired collaborations and fusions.
“This international phenomenon is reflected in Nigeria, where Amapiano listenership increased by 181 per cent between 2023 and 2024.
“This critical influence has led to the launch of ‘A Decade of Amapiano’.
“This is a site looking at the past decade of Amapiano and its different key influences, complemented by an on-platform Amapiano destination with pivotal playlists and podcast for anyone wishing to learn more about the genre’s origins, sounds and future,” she said.
Okumu noted that COVID-19 pandemic proved to be a game-changing year for Amapiano’s growth on the platform.
She said in 2020, the genre hit its first 100 million streams, followed by an impressive 300 million streams in 2021, further solidifying its rising popularity.
“A Decade of Amapiano, launches today, 14 June, in the lead up to South Africa’s commemoration of Youth Day.
“The 16th of June marks a historical turning point for the country’s youth and their quest for freedom and justice.
“Today they use Amapiano as a platform to amplify their voices, freely express their aspirations and showcase their resilience and creativity.
“In June 2023, Spotify launched “Afrobeats: Journey of a billion streams”, a website dedicated to celebrating the Afrobeats genre.
“Spotify through ‘A Decade of Amapiano’ reinforces its commitment to supporting the growth of home-grown music genres in Africa,” she said.
