Apple Music is shining a light on Mzansi’s greatest musical legends with its latest campaign, Amaqhawe (meaning “hero” in Xhosa, and “legend” in Zulu).
In honour of the country’s rich musical legacy and Heritage Day on 24 September, Amaqhawe celebrates the musical legacies of the South African musicians whose sounds influenced and continue to inspire the next generation of artistic voices.
The Amaqhawe dedicated space boasts four exclusively curated guest playlists from South African musical legends including songbird and entrepreneur Lira, Afrikaans pop icon Kurt Darren, the iconic pop group Mango Groove and Afro-soul doyenne Simphiwe Dana. The campaign will also feature a flagship Amaqhawe playlist featuring Mzansi’s biggest songs, across decades and multiple genres, including the likes of Brenda Fassie, Letta Mbulu and Johnny Clegg through to Miriam Makeba, Ladysmith Black Mambazo and Mandoza.
“This eclectic playlist is filled with old and new music from the ladies that I have come to love and respect. Some I grew up listening to and their music shaped me, to the ladies that are my peers, to the young ones that are hot and happening right now. I celebrate you all!” – Lira
“I grew up in a music loving family, so my exposure to South African music was from a very early age. My dad loved soul music and my mother was more into folk music, but both loved harmonies and any song with a great melody. My list for Heritage month is a collection of South African songs with great lyrics, amazing vocals and unforgettable melodies. Quite a few on the list have inspired my songwriting style over the years in the over 300 songs I have written or co-written, grab a glass of great SA wine, sit back and enjoy.” – Kurt Darren
“The notion of Heritage is a very broad one and quite difficult to encapsulate in its totality. The sum total of a country’s historical, cultural, political, artistic and daily lived experiences? The very fabric of our daily lives, in so many ways, for any and all South Africans, from whatever perspective or background? Who we were will always shape what we are today, and what we can become. Our sense of rootedness, tradition, belonging? Touchstones of memory and legacy? It’s always good to look back and to celebrate heritage, and to use days to focus on self-reflection, but in a sense, as with Women’s Day, Mother’s Day or Father’s Day or any of those days, perhaps every day is a heritage day for any country, as our history and our culture constantly inform how we live today and ‘live it forward’.’’ – Mango Groove
“These are a few South Africa songs that are my little corner of solace. This is a slice from a vast repertoire in my library that showcases the indomitable and diverse spirit of our musicality. A repository of our spiritual trajectory through time as can only be felt through music. The complexities of our emotionality is beautifully displayed here. Please enjoy.” – Simphiwe Dana
Discover the Amaqhawe Collection: https://apple.co/Amaqhawe
