AMAPIANO is in the air and it seems it is not going away anytime soon. To make her own mark in the ever-evolving genre, Los Angeles-based Namibian singer Charmy Kurz has dropped the ‘Amapiana Playlist’, a four-track ensemble of high energy summer songs.
“Amapiano is growing internationally…I believe it’s going to be a genre that will now fuse with other mainstream ones and I’m happy to be a part of that,” says Kurz, who formerly went by the stage name Kurzca.
According to RTE Records communications officer Caroline Oherein, the playlist aimed at satiating fans in-between the singer’s big, more mainstream single releases.
The four tracks are led by standout song ‘Laambo’, on which the artist croons and lends her vocals elegantly. She worked with American producer Baruch Nembhard (known professionally as Mixx) on this track list.
The young audio engineer holds multiple Billboard awards and has worked with acts such as French Montana, Drake, Teyana Taylor and Souljah Boy to earn several Recording Industry Association of America plaques.
“I showed him ‘Laambo’ and he was keen on working on his first amapiano song. He worked with (RTE in-house producers) Preezy and A#, who are Namibian.”
Kurz also worked with Namibian guitarist Sticky Fingers on the fourth track.
The rest of the tracks on the playlist are ‘Drink-o-pop’ volumes 1 & 2 and ‘K.i.s.s.i.n.g’ that have a similar vibe to ‘Laambo’.
The soft vocals paired with the uptempo kicks and drums are absolutely electrifying and it is interesting to see her experimenting with the sound made famous by names like Kabza De Small, Virgo Deep, DJ Maphorisa and MFR Souls.
The genre is a hybrid of deep house, jazz and lounge music and has been around since 2012. In the past two years, the sound has taken off from its home in South Africa and has caught global attention, with fans in the United States and in the United Kingdom taking notice and pushing it even more.
Whether ‘Amapiana Playlist’ will leave a similar mark on the industry is yet to be seen, but it is a commendable effort on Kurz’s part.
RTE label boss Ennio Hamutenya says: “A big single will be coming out later this month, but you can expect something special before that…,” he says.
–Anne Hambuda is a poet, writer and social commentator from Windhoek, Namibia. Follow her online for more.
