{"id":86845,"date":"2021-09-08T17:08:10","date_gmt":"2021-09-08T15:08:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pan-african-music.com\/?p=86845"},"modified":"2021-10-20T19:05:55","modified_gmt":"2021-10-20T17:05:55","slug":"aymos-yimi-lo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pan-african-music.com\/en\/aymos-yimi-lo\/","title":{"rendered":"Aymos\u2019 Yimi Lo reveals the man behind the voice"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In a car on his way to Maputo, despite his shaky internet connection and the noise from the engine, Aymos seems genuinely happy to talk to us. \u201cIt is such a great experience to go elsewhere, to other parts of the world<\/em>,\u201d he says, \u201cbecause I get to experience nature, where our roots are from<\/em>.\u201d Born Amos Babili Shili, the singer grew up in the urban jungle of Johannesburg, precisely in the township of Thembisa<\/a>, located North-East of the vibrant metropolis. Until recently, Thembisa and Johannesburg were all Aymos knew. But before becoming a professional artist, music was already broadening his perspective. \u201cGrowing in Johannesburg contributed a lot to my music, helping me tap into different genres quicker. Because everything happens here! Everyone is trying to reach out to Joburg, and this is where I was born and bred,\u201d<\/em> he tells us. In an environment known for the constant hustle and bustle, where the popular tunes are raw and electronic, he confesses he was not necessarily listening to the same music as his peers. \u201cI grew up in a very strong Christian background. I used to go to church literally each and every day. With no choice<\/em>!\u201d he laughs. \u201cSo I listened to a lot of gospel music, Afropop and jazz. Chords! I was really obsessed with chords. From there on, I learnt how to play an instrument, and how to sing. Whenever I sang in church, people would come to me and say \u2018Aymos, you are such a blessing, you sang that song and my life changed, this happened\u2026\u2019 Seeing this response, it made me realize that I could do this full time. That\u2019s why I really love meaningful music and… musical music, if that makes sense,\u201d<\/em> he adds with a smile. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Knowing Aymos\u2019 style, \u201cmusical music<\/em>\u201d actually makes total sense. South Africa is currently deep under the amapiano<\/a> wave and the young singer\u2019s contribution in this boiling electronic dance craze has been to put soul and musicality into the hits. On his biggest tracks, like \u201ceMcimbini<\/a>\u201d and \u201ciParty Yami<\/a>\u201d, alongside club kings DJ Maphorisa<\/a> and Kabza Da Small<\/a>, he sings with a gospel voice, brings guitar and flutes, rendering the songs somehow tender in their house music roughness. The history of his track \u201cZaka\u201d, his first big step in the industry, reflects perfectly the two facets Aymos merges. Two versions of the song coexist. The first one<\/a>, released in 2019, is a soft-hearted self-financed Afropop video with a couple of views. The description is the following: \u201cSouth African petrol attendant Aymos Shili releases HIT SONG Zaka […]. The song is all about highlighting issues like poverty, unemployment and crime<\/em>.\u201d The second version, released one year later, is an amapiano hit with the likes of Mas Musiq, DJ Maphorisa and Kabza, accumulating more than five million views. \u201c\u2018Zaka\u2019 was the last song I was going to do,<\/em>\u201d the singer recalls. \u201cAfter dropping the song and the video, I went on for like 3 months and there were no gigs, no coverage, no articles, literally nothing. No one was interested because of the amapiano wave. Then, Mas Musiq asked me for the vocals, and literally after 3 hours, the song was big. People were praising me, but I was like\u2026 guys, this song has been out for months! So to be honest with you, at first I didn’t even love the remix because I felt like it was too fast and too hard. But everyone else loved the song, so who am I to dislike the whole idea? So I just thought, if I can\u2019t beat them, I might as well join them<\/em>.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n