Apple Music celebrates SA legends with Amaqhawe campaign

Amaqhawe (hero in Xhosa, and legend in Zulu) celebrates the musical legacies of the South African musicians whose sounds influenced and continue to inspire the next generation of artistic voices. The campaign is in honour of the country’s rich musical legacy in line with the Heritage Month marked on 24 September.

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, iconic pop group Mango Groove and Afro-soul singer Simphiwe Dana.

“This eclectic playlist is filled with old and new music from the ladies that I have come to love and respect,” Lira said. “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.”

The campaign will also feature a flagship Amaqhawe playlist featuring Mzansi’s biggest songs, across decades and multiple genres, including Brenda Fassie, Letta Mbulu and Johnny Clegg through to Miriam Makeba, Ladysmith Black Mambazo and Mandoza.

Kurt Darren said the list inspired his style in over 300 songs he has written or co-written over the years. “My list for Heritage Month is a collection of South African songs with great lyrics, amazing vocals and unforgettable melodies,” he said.

Mango Groove says the concept of heritage is a very broad one and hard to encompass fully. “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.”

Dana said: “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.”

Discover the Amaqhawe Collection and Mzansi’s Greatest Hits here and here, respectively.