Dance music dominates Top 20 Charts
MBABANE – About 65 per cent of the music that made it to the Eswatini Top 20 Chart show were dance music songs during week 29, edging out other genres such as Pop and Hip Hop.
From Deep House and Electronic dance to the popular Amapiano variant, dance music took a further hold on the weekly charts with three more new entries that consolidated the genres’ dominance. Opening the show at number 20 was Zimbabwean-born South Africa based singer Charmaine Shamiso Mapimbiro, a.k.a ShaSha, with her newest single titled Ungowami featuring SoaMatrix from her up-coming album ‘I Am Alive’. She was closely followed at number 19 by ‘Still We Rise’, a remix version of a single from DJ Laschem’s ‘Forever Soulful’ EP, featuring CoCo SA and Komplexity, with one of the most well-known and enchanting artist on the south of Russia, M.E.T.A.N.O.I.A completing the list of new entries with ‘We Are The Eyes’ (Original Mix).
When reached for comment Russian DJ and producer described his latest composition as “Imbued with melodies that sound like a kind of revelation so that everyone can open his spiritual vision and sees the whole world with different eyes, through the prism of the eternal matrix,” said the DJ. He expressed gratitude for being part of the Eswatini charts which he described as ‘truly an honour’. After a week that saw 21-year-old Swati rapper Amarri owning the spotlight following his ground-breaking debut on the chart show, his single ‘Oxy’ gained traction and moved three places up the charts from number 18 to position 15 this week.
The Extended Playlist (EP) ‘Oxytocin’ in its entirety is a spectacular project that displayed Amarri’s growth musically.
Other than Amarri, seven other locals made appearances on this week’s edition of Top 20, and they include Bonkie, whose single Xanadu slipped down to position 18.
‘Umnyango’ hit maker Popzin also slipped four places down the chart from 10th to 14th. ‘Ungacal’udlale’ by Mvilas came in at 13th, and the award winning Afro-Pop musician Street Cooper, who completed the bottom ten at number 11.
Female rapper Oriiginelle, who previously held it down on top spot with the single ‘A Thou’nyana’, has slipped down the pecking order to number seven, DJ Cup’s latest single featuring Mvelo Overflow sits at fifth, and Musa by DJ Sooks and Velemseni sits at number three. ‘All In You’, by South African DJ/ Producer Senior Oat continues to top the chart as it spends its fourth week at the summit.
Already tipped as a contender for song of the year, the record blends Deep Soulful House beats with Gospel inspired lyrics beautifully laced by talented vocalist Kemy Chienda resulting in a masterpiece that many connect with at a personal level.
Mzux Maen’s club banger ‘Hayii’ deserves a special mention despite sitting one spot adrift at number two. Listeners can catch the show every Friday at 8pm on EBIS 2 FM, with host BOBO and co-host DJ Tizalami.