Amapiano (song)

Last updated
"Amapiano (Song)"
Single by Asake and Olamide
from the album Work of Art
LanguageEnglish, Yoruba, Pidgin
ReleasedMay 24, 2023
Genre Afrofusion
Length3:29
Label YBNL
Songwriter(s) Asake Olamide
Producer(s) Magicsticks

"Amapiano" is a song by Nigerian musician Asake and Nigerian rapper Olamide. The song is a single from Asake's second studio album, Work of Art , and was produced by Nigerian producer Magicsticks. The music video, shot by Jyde Ajala, was released May 24, 2023. [1] The song was a surprise release and gained over 100,000 streams within less than 24 hours of its release and debuted at number one of the Spotify Top Songs Nigeria Daily Chart. [2] The song was nominated for Best African Music Performance at the 66th Grammy awards. [3] It was one of the most streamed songs of 2023 on Audiomack, garnering 87.7 million streams on the platform. [4] The 44th president of USA president Barack Obama listed the song in his favorite music of 2023, in his annual favorite music list. [5]

Contents

Background

The song pays homage to amapiano, the South African music genre of music that Asake has become well-known for. [6]

Composition

The song is described as "easy listen that evokes feelings of happiness and overall summer vibes". [7] Collins Badewa of Style Rave describes the song as "an infectious blend of energetic beats, vibrant melodies, and catchy hooks". [8] Additionally, it's noted for incorporating elements from hip-hop, amapiano, afrobeats, deep house, and a "neo-fuji" aesthetic, resulting in a distinctive rhythmic energy. [9] [10] Douglas Markowitz of Grammy Awards wrote that while the song pays homage to the amapiano genre, it rearranges some elements such as the iconic log drum. [11] The lyrics are primarily in Yoruba language and pidgin and bits of English. [12]

Reception

Dennis Ade Peter of OkayAfrica wrote,

All the bells and whistles of an Asake song are present, a maximalist canvas that includes warm piano keys, gorgeously droning violin, interpolated organ notes, log drums that mimic the staggering groove of Omele drums, and a bevy of stacked vocals in call-and-response mode. If anyone needs the clearest vision of what 'piano-inflected neo-Fuji' is, you'd be hard-pressed to find a better one than "Amapiano". [13]

The Africa Report listed "Amapiano" as one of the top music hits of 2023. [14]

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References

  1. ↑ Adeayo, Adebiyi (23 May 2024). "Asake drops music video for new song 'Amapiano' feat Olamide". pulse.ng. Archived from the original on 4 May 2024. Retrieved 4 May 2024.
  2. ↑ Kanmodi, Funmilayo. "Asake and Olamide's 'Amapiano' Achieves Massive Debut, Dominating Charts in Less Than 24 Hours!". NOTJUSTOK. NOTJUSTOK. Archived from the original on 6 May 2024. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
  3. ↑ Akintobi, Lamide (3 February 2024). "There's a new category for African musicians at the Grammys. Here's what you need to know about the nominees". CNN . Archived from the original on 4 May 2024. Retrieved 4 May 2024.
  4. ↑ Naomi, Utere. "Audiomack reveals 5 most streamed songs of 2023". NOTJUSTOK. NOTJUSTOK. Archived from the original on 6 May 2024. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
  5. ↑ Olusola, Elijah. "Asake, Davido, Olamide, Tems make Obama's Favourite Music of 2023 list". Premium Times. Premium Times. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
  6. ↑ Aromolaran, Michael. "ASAKE TEASES SECOND ALBUM WITH OLAMIDE ASSISTED "AMAPIANO"". Culture Custodian. Archived from the original on 31 May 2023. Retrieved 4 May 2024.
  7. ↑ Yongo, Sughnen. "Asake and Olamide Team up for "Amapiano"". okayafrica. okayafrica. Archived from the original on 6 May 2024. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
  8. ↑ Badewa, Collins. "Asake Heralds Sophomore Album With 'Amapiano' + More Trending New Afrobeats Songs". Style Rave. Style Rave. Archived from the original on 6 May 2024. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
  9. ↑ Keith, James; COMPLEX UK. "Nigeria's Olamide And Asake Are In Celebration Mode In "New Religion" Video". COMPLEX UK. COMPLEX UK. Archived from the original on 6 May 2024. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
  10. ↑ "Grammys 2024: Asake & Olamide Flaunt Their Party-Starting Prowess With "Amapiano" - Okayplayer". www.okayafrica.com. Archived from the original on 2024-01-27. Retrieved 2024-05-23.
  11. ↑ Markowitz, Douglas. "Here Are The Nominees For Best African Music Performance At The 2024 GRAMMYs". GRAMMY AWARDS. GRAMMY AWARDS. Archived from the original on 13 March 2024. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
  12. ↑ Itodo, Sunny Green. "66th Grammys: Davido, Burna Boy, Ayra Starr, Asake set to make history". Daily Post. Daily Post. Archived from the original on 8 May 2024. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
  13. ↑ Ade Peter, Dennis. "Grammys 2024: Asake & Olamide Flaunt Their Party-Starting Prowess With "Amapiano"". okayafrica. okayafrica. Archived from the original on 27 January 2024. Retrieved 4 May 2024.
  14. ↑ Ajayi, Dami; Ikwuagwu, Udochukwu. "From Afrobeat to Amapiano: Top music hits of 2023". the africa report. the Africa report. Archived from the original on 9 May 2024. Retrieved 9 May 2024.
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