Afrobeats meets Amapiano

According to Wikipedia, Afrobeats is an umbrella term used to describe popular music from West Africa and the diaspora that initially developed in Nigeria, Ghana, and the UK, in the 2000s. More of a signifier, and less of a style per se, Afrobeats is primarily produced in Lagos, Accra, and London. 

Similar to what’s happening to dancehall and reggae, Afrobeats is going through a renaissance as the sound is changing due to influences from other genres. When you think of Afrobeats the artists that come to mind are Davido, Burna Boy, Wizkid, or Tiwa Savage however there is a plethora of emerging artists as the sound is crossing over borders including Ruger, Rema and Asake.

Born in Benin and raised in Nigeria, Ayra Starr has taken over the female sound in the genre and is making significant moves on the Afrobeats tip. With songs like Bloody Samaritan and Rush, Ayra became the Youngest African Female Artist to surpass 100 million views on a single video on Youtube for the latter.

Presently, Ayra Starr has collaborated with South African-born Tyla for ‘Girl Next Door.’ The track fuses the Afrobeat with an Amapiano sound with an RnB touch to boot. The chilled breezy track has the pair call out lovers who treat romance like a video game. “Don’t be greedy and jump on the next thing you see now” sings Tyla.

The track was produced by Fax Records, under exclusive license to Epic Records, and has the pair shining through with their respective sounds. Just like Ayra Starr, Tyla has become a prominent figure on the global scene. With tracks like Getting Late and Overdue, Tyla has become a household name flying the South African flag proudly. Long may the fusions continue and be sure to look out for both these emerging talents.