We have all witnessed the incoming of many genres in the music scene around the world. We can talk of House, Kwaito, Trap, and Drill (UK type), but we can all agree that Afrobeat and Amapiano have contributed to what is happening in our music industry in Malawi and outside borders.
Afrobeat has found a welcoming home in Malawi. Artists draw inspiration from the legendary Nigerian musician, Fela Kuti, who pioneered this genre by blending jazz, funk, and traditional African rhythms.
Amapiano is a subgenre of kwaito and house music that emerged in South Africa in the mid-2010s. In 2019, the genre experienced increased popularity across the African continent, with noted increases in digital streams and chart successes in countries far from its South African origin.
We can see that many artists now in Malawi are jumping on the wave of Afrobeat and Amapiano beats in order to suit the environment.
Merchah, born Uchizi Msowoya, emphasized how Afrobeat and Amapiano have affected the pen game of artists in Malawi. He said Amapiano and Afrobeat, outside Malawi, are lyrical.
“When we talk about Amapiano and Afrobeat outside Malawi, it is very lyrical, and it carries substance. We have the greatest artists who are jumping on these genres, and their pen game is good.”
He also said that artists in Malawi are talking about Afrobeat and Amapiano as a vibe thing just to please listeners.
“I can't say that here in Malawi, Afrobeat and Amapiano cannot carry substance, but artists are the problem. We diluted what the Afrobeat and Amapiano are all about in order to please the audience." he added.
At the end of the interview, he said the Malawi music industry is taking the right step, even though what we are doing right now is what the others were doing back then, and he emphasized artists using many channels for their work to be known outside.
Roy View, an Philanthropist, Fashion designer and Social Media Influencer, gives out his concern on how these Genres are taking over our industry. He said, there is too much copying and sampling days unilike in the past.
“Doing Amapiano and Afrobeat is not a problem but letting it be our main Genres is because this is not the type of music that will stay for long just like Kwaito and we will wait for another genre to be created by another country for us to jump on it and this takes us nowhere and it I'll be hard to break International market.
At the end of the Interview, he said, these Genres have affected the Pen game of artists because those genres focus on the beats only and they are for the parties and the main focus of the artist has been on the best selection not really the “pen” and this has caused laziness in terms of composition.
One of the trending producers, who also produced almost the whole album of Mario Bros., Chamba7, Ayo Landie, said the pen game of artists in Malawi has changed because of Amapiano and Afrobeat.
He also said artists now are very creative and artistic when it comes to writing songs, and this can put our country on the map.
As Afrobeat and Amapiano continue to evolve, Malawian artists, their pen game has really changed. Whether it's the beats of Afrobeat or the piano-driven vibes of Amapiano, Malawi's music scene is alive but can we conclude that these Genres will put our industry on Map? Can we say that we have lost our touch as Malawi music industry to these Genres?
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