‘Ameno Amapiano’ & ‘Champion Sound’ Are Among Top Most Streamed Amapiano Songs On Spotify 

Amapiano, a South African music genre, has been used by Nigerian celebrities to generate a number of cross-continental and number-one singles.

By Omotayo Olutekunbi

The emergence of Nigerian music has been accompanied by Amapiano since 2020, from Asake’s 2022 record-breaking run to Seyi Vibez touching listeners’ hearts.

In honor of Amapiano, Spotify is welcoming media and influencers from all around the continent on an Amapiano Tourist experience that explains the genre’s origins, the value of partnerships, and how streaming is promoting local music internationally.

The trip, which is intended for visitors from Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, and South Africa, promotes South African and Amapiano culture and is built around some of Spotify’s most well-liked Amapiano playlists. In collaboration with South African Tourism, it begins with “Amapiano 101,” which provides background information on the genre and takes visitors on a tour of its birthplace in slums like Mamelodi while also examining other well-known Amapiano locations in Soweto.

The tour’s “Amapiano Grooves” section demonstrates how clubs have influenced music.

Jocelyne Muhutu-Remy, Managing Director for Spotify in Sub-Saharan Africa, comments on the effort, “Amapiano’s unique sound and infectious beats have captivated audiences around the world, and are sure to keep fans dancing for years to come. As more artists emerge and push the boundaries of the genre, there is no doubt that Amapiano is set to become a mainstay in the global music scene.”

Amapiano is currently extremely popular both domestically and internationally, as seen by Spotify statistics, which show that it had close to 2 billion streams last year, a rise of 143% from the previous year. Around 240K playlists with Amapiano in the title and over 10M playlists with at least one Amapiano track show how popular the genre has become. Nevertheless, listeners outside of South Africa account for approximately 40% of Amapiano’s streaming.

On Spotify, listeners adore catching this genre on weekday afternoons, with Friday evenings being the busiest times. The most popular Amapiano playlist on Spotify, “Amapiano Grooves,” has listeners from South Africa, the UK, the USA, Mozambique, Botswana, and Zimbabwe who are mostly 18 to 24 years old.

The most popular Amapiano tracks on Spotify are listed below:

1. ‘Abo Mvelo’ – (feat. Mellow & Sleazy & M.J)
2. ‘Love & Loyalty’ – (Believe)
3. ‘Ameno Amapiano’ Remix (You Wanna Bamba)
4. ‘Big Flexa’
5. ‘Hamba Wena’
6. ‘WATAWI (feat. Davido, Focalistic & Abidoza)’
7. ‘Abalele’
8. ‘Mina Nawe’
9. ‘Champion Sound’
10. ‘Tanzania’

And here are the top exported Amapiano artists on Spotify:

1. DJ Maphorisa
2. Kabza De Small
3. Focalistic
4. Young Stunna
5. Mellow & Sleazy
6. DBN Gogo
7. Costa Titch
8. Major League Djz
9. Kamo Mphela
10. Daliwonga