Apple Music celebrates the women in Amapiano changing the game this month

Apple Music is taking a deep dive into the meteoric rise of Amapiano and the women at the forefront of the genre that is sweeping the world.

Amapiano (literally translated as ‘the pianos’) stands as the bass-heavy, jazz-punctuated dance sub-genre that has been representative of Mzansi’s street and youth culture from the late 2010s. It has also created a space for women to thrive, under the generally male-dominated genre of dance music, shaping the sounds and styles of their blossoming careers.

Amongst those artistes are Eswatini-born DJ and producer, Uncle Waffles (recipient of Apple Music’s Isgubhu feature for August), Kwa-Zulu Natal-born singer-songwriter Nkosazana Daughter (recipient of Apple Music’s ‘Africa Rising’ feature) and DJ/producer, DBN Gogo (recipient of Apple Music’s ‘Isgubhu’ feature in 2022). These are the artistes who have created some of the genre’s most iconic songs, as well as being responsible for literally taking Amapiano to the rest of the world.

“Travelling the world, getting to share this genre, it feels absolutely amazing. ‘Piano deserves to be everywhere.” – Uncle Waffles

“I want to heal people, I want them to feel a certain way every time they listen to my music.” – Nkosazana

“I am honoured and blessed to be representing South Africa and the unique sound of amapiano. I want people to dance and enjoy the music, and I’m thankful for the opportunity to push amapiano to the world.” – DBN Gogo