Nigerian and African music superstar, Rema has said that he asked Musa Keys, South African superstar to educate him on Amapiano.
Rema revealed this to Nandi Madiba of Applesic Africa Now Radio.
He added that while he is confident in his ability to create an Amapiano hit record, he prefers to explore the South African genre from an authentic perspective.
Rema said in the interview that the South African Amapiano has more spirit than the Nigerian variant.
He also revealed that his desire to create music in its purest form led him to seek instruction from South African superstar Musa Keys.
He said,
“I feel like tapping into a sound, most especially when it’s within Africa, I take my time to study. I don’t jump on the wave, I take my time to understand things. When I and Musa Keys were in the studio, I was like ‘I know a lot of Nigerians are doing Amapiano but I need you to educate me about Amapiano’. I don’t want to just hop on it. Yes, I can make a banger, but it’s like can you teach me? When I hear the ones from South Africa it holds more spirit than the ones from anywhere else.”
Rema stated that he welcomes collaborations because they allow him to learn from others. He intends to learn everything he can about Amapiano before diving into the sound.
“Although I don’t understand everything they’re saying, I can feel the particles, the elements, or the spiritual essence of the music. I know there’s a lot of amapiano from different parts of Africa, but educate me about yours, right? I feel like that’s necessary. I’m so down to collaborate, and while I collaborate I want to learn, I don’t want to do it the wrong way. Yes, Amapiano is a sound I really want to tap into but give me time with that!”
Amapiano has dominated the Nigerian mainstream over the last two years, with Afrobeats superstars domesticating the South African import.
The exploration of Amapiano propelled Asake’s 2022 run. Similarly, Seyi Vibez and Shallipopi have used Amapiano influences to achieve mainstream success.