Amapiano grew up in the townships and neighbourhoods of cities like Pretoria and Johannesburg. Young people made the first songs at home on laptops, mixing piano with deep bass and a swinging drum pattern called the 'log drum'. Then they shared their tracks online.
The sound is unmistakable. There is usually a soft piano riff, a low rolling bass, a shaker that ticks along, and a special bubbly drum sound. The tempo is slow enough to chat over but bouncy enough to dance to. Lots of songs have a long build-up before the beat finally drops in.
Amapiano now plays in clubs in London, Lagos, New York and Tokyo. Songs by artists like Kabza De Small, DJ Maphorisa, Tyla and Uncle Waffles get millions of plays. In 2024, Tyla won a Grammy for her amapiano-inspired song 'Water'.
What's special about amapiano is how friendly it is to dancing. There are simple footwork patterns - moves like 'pouncing cat' and 'TikTok' - that children, teenagers and grandparents all do at family parties. It is music made for everyone to join in.