Entertainment

Spotify celebrates 10 years of Amapiano

Published

2 years ago

June 20, 2024

Music streaming giant, Spotify is celebrating 10 years of the South African music genre and dance, Amapiano. Amapiano is a Zulu word loosely translated to “the pianos”, is a subgenre of kwaito and house music that emerged in South Africa in the mid-2010s. It is a hybrid of deep house, jazz, and lounge music characterized by synths and wide, percussive basslines

The streamer in a statement said that Amapiano’s influence on the music culture in South Africa, and beyond has seen the world gripped in a frenzy from dance challenges to inspired collaborations and fusions. The international phenomenon is reflected in Nigeria, where Amapiano listenership increased by 181% between 2023 and 2024. In 2020, the genre hit its first 100 million streams, followed by an impressive 300 million streams in 2021, further solidifying its rising popularity.

Spotify further explains the influence over the past 10 years that led to the launch of ‘A Decade of Amapiano’ – a website dedicated to teaching all about the genre and providing the platform for showcasing podcasts and songs.

Nigerian songs like Unavailable by Davido, Amapiano by Asake, and Level by Niniola are examples of songs in the amapiano genre that have become hits in the past year. According to Phiona OkuDecade mu, Spotify’s Head of Music in Sub-Saharan Africa, “One of the most affirming parts of watching Amapiano explode over the past decade is seeing how people use it for self-expression,’’

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Culture

WAKE UP! Art Exhibition Returns for a Second Act

Published

2 days ago

August 27, 2026

Mariam Balogun

The contemporary art and photography exhibition “Wake Up!” is back again for a second edition.

Curated by Awele Onwordi, Wake Up! 2 exhibition pays homage to the Nigerian youth and burgeoning street culture which many of its contributing artists reference in their works.

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Titled “Young, Wild, Free”, the exhibition celebrates the creativity, resilience, freedom and cultural influence found in Nigerian youth.

Taking aim at societal issues and economic concerns, the exhibit reflects the youth and their refusal to compromise or bow despite all the challenges stacked against them while charting youth culture through art, music, fashion, skateboarding, photography and community.

The exhibition will be held, once again, at the Angel and Muse Gallery at 25 Sumbo Jibowu street off Ribadu Road off Awolowo Road in Ikoyi.

It will open on Saturday 5 September 2026 and will run until 11 September 2026
This second edition which focuses on celebrating, nurturing and exploring artistic practices rooted in youth and street culture will feature works from DENCITY and SUPERGLIDER HOUSE.

Exhibiting artists include Ajilore Kehinde – their work is deeply influenced by Nigerian street culture and works of other artists like Slawn, Peters Ejiro, etc, Chuka Onwordi – graphic designer who embodies themes of death, melancholy and beauty in his works, ZIDYEP – Abuja based creative whose works move between digital and physical spaces through art, graphic design and air brushing , Franklyn Okoye – graphic designer and artist whose works explore themes of identity and hyper-reality, Awele Onwordi – founder & curator of WAKE UP and multidisciplinary artist whose practice spans character art, creative logo design, album covers and more , Oluchi Kogolo – digital illustrator whose work explores street culture, personality and storytelling through a raw and playful visual style and Kozetuo Apeji – multidisciplinary artists who work explores experimental approaches to problem solving through both digital and traditional art forms.

Commenting on the exhibition in her curatorial statement, Awele noted that “despite economic instability, limited opportunities and socio-political challenges, Nigerian youth continue to shape culture through music, fashion, art, skateboarding, raves, photography and community.”

Also read: Five rising stars battle for 2026 Headies Next Rated

Continuing and harping on the raison d’etre of the exhibition she said, “Young, Wild and Free exists to celebrate Nigerian youth while also creating a platform that supports and amplifies them.”