Online streaming platform Spotify says Nigeria, South Africa, the United States, the United Kingdom and Germany are the top five countries that have streamed Amapiano music in the last 10 years.

Phiona Okumu, Spotify’s Head of Music in Sub-Saharan Africa, disclosed this in a statement on Friday, commemorating 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, the United States of America, the 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 the genre had recorded over 345 per cent growth in 2023, with a critical assessment from 2014 and that Amapiano attracted over 153,000 per cent growth in exports in 2023 compared with the critical assessment from 2014.

Okumu noted that the genre attracted 87 per cent growth in female artistes in 2023 compared to 2022.

She said that 40 per cent of Amapiano listeners were between the ages of 18 and 24.

“The Amapiano’s influence on the music culture in South Africa and beyond has seen the world gripped 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,” she said.

Ms Okumu noted that the 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.

“Spotify through ‘A Decade of Amapiano’ reinforces its commitment to supporting the growth of home-grown music genres in Africa,” she added.

(NAN)