The New Amapiano Artists You Need to Know in 2025

Amapiano is a tradition, a lifestyle, and a lifeline for the many artists and creative teams who’ve embraced its expansive landscape over the years. This also means that countless events and releases fly under the radar — sitting, hanging, waiting to be discovered and shared with a wider audience. Innovation moves quickly, especially in South Africa, where the sound was shaped and given its identity. Variants such as sgija, sgidongo, private school piano, and quantum sound have made inroads, expanded the palette, and made some very wealthy and well-known in the process.

Still, innovation often happens underground, away from the lights, the noise, and the need for external validation that operating at a higher level demands. Below are a few examples of that spirit in motion, from upstarts like DJ Micsir and Soul Keys, to those who are on their way up, like Makhanj and Bandros.

Makhanj

Born in the Eastern Cape province town of Mthatha, Makhanj has been a welcome presence in amapiano, her voice a spark that crystallizes songs, her demeanor big enough to uplift entire nations. Check what she does on “Bawo Vula” alongside Sfarzo Rtee; it’s a masterclass in how to attack a beat and ride it until the wheels fall off. She has one album release to her name in 2024’s Ntyatyambo, and there’s no telling where her silky vocals shall take our ears next. 

DJ Micsir

DJ Micsir quietly released a bevy of heavy-hitters as September drew to a close, and it’s been one of the most intensive studies of the jazzy, deep house-based sound that was popular as the scene was breaking out. The Limpopo-born producer and deejay is making steady inroads, and his seven-track EP, amapiano Street Culture, which features the likes of C Rhymes, DeepSoundz, and S-Tonique, lays the ground for exciting exploits in the future. 

Soul Keys 

With “Bazamile,” Gauteng-born producer Soul Keys struck a chord that rippled through the masses. The song captures the essence of soulful amapiano in its melodic and deeply emotive approach. But that’s just one entry in his expanding catalog. His twelve-track project, Mpho, moves at its own pace, unbothered by amapiano’s fast-shifting trends. It’s meditative dance floor music that seeps under your skin, builds slowly, makes hair stand on end, and eventually brings dancers to a point of euphoria. Soul Keys belongs to a wave of producers bringing introspection back to a genre often consumed by the chase for viral hits.

Neology

In one of the pinned clips on producer and deejay Neology’s TikTok, she can be seen standing next to Kelvin Momo, a figurehead in amapiano whose dominance is hard to ignore. She wears spectacles, an off-white beanie, and a large smile that signals contentment. Her sound floats in that territory; it’s a concoction of suave beats, haunting piano and organ lines, and the meanest log drum to ever grace a song. Seed Of Maglera, named after the town of Kleksdorp where she comes from, was released in March and is a soothing addition to the canon, very daring and brave in how it injects soul into the soundscape.

Mia

A former contestant of South African Idols, Mia’s always known that she wanted to be a star. She was performing at talent shows from the age of seven, and with time, learnt how to perfect her vocal chops. She has also been named as Apple Music’s Next artist, and her 2023 debut EP, The Other Side, was an R&B spectacle worthy of applause, but her amapiano bag is equally undeniable. Her recent feature on Bandros’ “Sukundijonga” is but one part of the puzzle, and one hears in her voice a carrier that transmits signals from deep within. She doesn’t hold back, goes all in, and leaves nothing untapped.

Bandros

Karabo Lephoto, better known as Bandros, is a Johannesburg-based producer and DJ whose sound bends and folds within itself before unfurling across the dance floor. He’s among the new-school architects who see amapiano as a flexible architecture that can be bent, stretched, and collapsed at every turn. His latest project, Never Stop The Music, is a sprawling 14-track statement featuring heavyweights like Kelvin Momo, MDU aka TRP, and Nkulee501, each artist contributing to an evolving conversation about where amapiano is headed next. Vocalists such as Jordan MoOzy and Mia deliver standout performances on “Something Special,” which also features Oscar Mbo and Cj Keys. It’s the kind of music that invites introspection: a soundtrack for sorting through life’s puzzles while nodding in rhythm to its pulse.