SA: Apple Music shines spotlight on Ami Faku

The announcement comes after the release of Faku’s debut album Imali whose single ‘Into Ingawe’ received a gold plaque. Imali will be featured in South Africa and across the rest of the continent.

“I am beyond grateful and in disbelief,” Faku said. “The support from Apple Music is priceless and I could never thank them enough. My supporters can expect beautiful music. I am myself all the time, so my music is very honest. I hope people can learn to be true to who they are because there's so much beauty in that.”

Apple Music said: “This fresh young artist has recently gone through a rapid evolution of success as her fan base has exploded, making her the ideal choice for the Apple Music New Artist Spotlight for October with her debut album Imali.”

Born and raised in the Eastern Cape province, Faku discovered her passion for singing as a teenager in church where her father was a pastor. She began to absorb and explore a range of musical styles such as gospel, reggae, pop and hip hop, and gradually developed a unique approach and distinctive voice with a desire to incorporate her Xhosa heritage.

In 2019, her singles ‘Ndikhethe Wena’ and ‘Ungowam’ appeared on Metro FM’s Top 40 music chart, followed by ‘Ubuhle Bakho’, which was featured on popular local TV show Uzalo. Her songs ‘Into Ingawe’, ‘Ungowam’, ‘Ubuhle Bakho’, ‘Ndikhethe Wena’ and ‘Love Drunk’ also featured on the Top 100 RAMS chart.

Previous South African artists who have benefited on Apple’s New Artist Spotlight platform include Sio, Elizée and Malachi, Sho Madjozi, Simmy, Dope Saint Jude, Darkie Fiction, Dutchkid, Emerger and Thandi Ntuli.