The amapiano genre, which is a style of mbaqanga developed by the South African vocal group Mahotella Queens, was officially created in 1964.
It was on this year that they released the song "Kwela" and it became an instant success in South Africa. The song's popularity helped fuel its creation as a new genre of music.
Amapiano is a mix of mbaqanga, traditional Zulu vocal styles, and Western pop music. It features vocals from Mahotella Queens with heavy brass instruments and background vocals to create an upbeat sound.
Some of the main genres are marabi, township jive, kwela and mbaqanga. Marabi is a genre that is played with percussion instruments. Township Jive typically has guitars and saxophones in it. Kwela is a genre that uses the acoustic guitar as its main instrument and mbaqanga is an urban genre that was founded in Johannesburg.