Musa Keys’ alias was carefully selected: The South African amapiano musician’s work is drenched in rich harmonies and gently syncopated synths. Born Musa Appreciate Makamu in Giyani, in the northeastern part of Limpopo Province, he got his start making music as a teenager. He studied sound engineering for a spell but soon dropped out, reasoning that he’d already taught himself everything he needed to know. Though he originally made trap music, Musa Keys claims that his chosen genre “chose” him. Beginning with singles like 2019’s “Hey Wena”, 2020’s “Samarian Boy” and 2021’s “Vula Mlomo”, featuring amapiano heavyweights Sir Trill and Nobantu Vilakazi, the artist who calls himself the “Tsonga Michael Jackson” was soon making his own indelible mark on the genre.