Culture is known as people’s way of life and more relatively, music. Music is a work of art that not only influences entertainment but also beliefs, economy, and fashion. The Amapiano genre belongs to South Africa and has stretched wider into other parts of the world, owing its success to not just the sound but the dance and fashion incorporated. In 2024 with over 855 million streams globally since its popularity so far, Amapiano exports have skyrocketed by a massive 153,000%. This recorded increase is from comparing 2013 compared to 2024.
Online music streaming platform, Spotify has formulated a new initiative called, A Decade of Amapiano. This initiative, through a website, explores the connection between music, dance, and fashion. Fashion trends have evolved and have been appreciated by others just from studying Amapiano music challenges, serving as a form of representation for South African fashion.
The website highlights popular dance challenges that fueled Amapiano's global reach, like Uncle Waffles' "Yahyuppiyah" and Tyler ICU's “Mnike”. It is also important to note that both tracks rank among the top five most-streamed and most-exported Amapiano songs on Spotify over the past decade.
A Decade of Amapiano is now live and accessible on Spotify's For The Record platform as well as the dedicated Amapiano destination on-platform. This initiative provides a deeper dive into the genre's history and its exciting global impact.