South Africa’s first male-female Amapiano duo, Arabic Piano, is a breath of fresh air in the genre. Signed under record label BNT (The New Government records).
The duo made up of producer and musician, Jeremiah Matlawe Mvinjelwa aka J-Killer (26), and Dj Sbahle Nokwanda Sibiya (21), has been around for a short while but is slowly earning a reputation for seamless sets that keep music lovers in a state of exuberant anticipation.
J-Killer and Dj Sbahle share a seamless affinity for crafting stellar music as well as a noticeable charisma on stage.
Dj Sbahle’s teen years were characterized by a passion for hip-hop while J-Killer preferred being more on the singer-production spectrum.
They crossed paths in 2018 and embarked on a prolific partnership based on their shared music styles and experiences. Their combined talents have since been creating powerful, experimental, and original music.
“I met Sbahle, who was already a DJ, in 2018 and we decided to form Arabic Piano. We are both from different musical backgrounds and we fused our sounds into Arabic and piano sounds,” says J-Killer.
The two have since been gigging around the country in both small and big events and have cemented their place among rising stars on the Amapiano genre.
Despite their success, the pair has not rested on its laurels. They have expanded their sound on their long-awaited debut single, “Khalinyawo”. The recently launched single is already gathering a lot of momentum.
“Our success lies in each other’s strengths. Acknowledging that has allowed us to be innovative and relevant in a fast-paced genre,” says Dj Sbahle.
J-Killer shares that the title “Khalinyawo” came about while the two were on stage performing.
“We could see fans jumping and dancing and the only sound we could hear was stomping. We took that to the studio and interpreted it into music, and came out with the song. We called in a vocalist to interpret it lyrically.”
