Biography

MFR Souls: The Kings of a Piano That Conquered the World

In 2013, in Katlehong, a township on the Johannesburg East Rand, two young producers recorded a track they called amapiano — Zulu for “the pianos” — and did not suspect that the sound emanating from their keyboards would become a planetary movement. Today, the duo Maero and Force Reloaded is hailed as one of the founding fathers of the genre that exploded South African music onto all international stages.

In Brief


Full Name	Tumelo Nedondwe (Maero) and Tumelo Mabe (Force Reloaded)
Origin	Katlehong, East Rand, Johannesburg, South Africa
Genre(s)	Amapiano — a sub-genre of house music characterized by melodic piano arpeggios and minimalist percussion
Active Since	2013
Notable Works	“Love You Tonight”, “Amanikiniki”, Musical Kings, Healers Of The Soul
Awards	Album Best Produced at SAMA 26, platinum certifications in South Africa

Key Dates

Year	Event
2009	Meeting of Nedondwe and Mabe at an event in Tokoza
2013	Formation of the duo Ma-Ero & Force Reloaded, beginning of sound experiments with the piano
2015	Release of the EP Bless The Souls (5 tracks) — first commercial recording of the amapiano sound
2018	“Bhamb’Khanda” feat. TallArs Tee: first independent commercial single, planetary hit
2019	Signing with Sony Music Africa; “Love You Tonight” platinum in South Africa
2019	The collaborative album Scorpion Kings — Best Produced Album at SAMA 26
2020	“Amanikiniki” feat. Kamo Mphela and Bontle Smith — N° 3 RAM, platinum (50,000 copies)
2021	Release of Healers Of The Soul — second studio album
2025	Album From The Heart Of Piano; launch of their record label

Sounds from the Townships and a Genre That Exploded

Tumelo Nedondwe, nicknamed Maero (or Ma-Ero), and Tumelo Mabe, known as Force Reloaded, grew up in the same Katlehong township on the Johannesburg East Rand. Their passion for music led them to meet in 2009 at an event in Tokoza; after four years of shared musical involvement, they decided in 2013 to take the leap and form the duo under the name Ma-Ero & Force Reloaded, which quickly became MFR Souls — an acronym derived from Force’s nickname.

From the start, they distinguished themselves from their peers by re-injecting piano arpeggios into house productions. “It was difficult for us back then,” Force Reloaded recounts. The prevailing obsession was deep, commercial house, not a sound based on the piano at all. Their experimental approach did not immediately find takers, but they persevered.

Their first EP, Bless The Souls, released in December 2015, marked a turning point: the five tracks included a sound that critics would later identify as amapiano. The duo drew inspiration from their musical roots: Maero owes his taste for vinyl records to his father, who brought albums home; Force collected and resold music to taxis to fund his passion.

The year 2018 cemented their approach with “Bhamb’Khanda” featuring TallArs Tee: the track exploded and earned them the nickname “Kings of Amapiano”. The success was such that Sony Music Africa spotted them and signed them. In 2019, their single “Love You Tonight” — an iconic collaboration with Sha Sha, Kabza De Small, and DJ Maphorisa — became a global hit certified platinum in South Africa, earned three nominations at the South African Music Awards (SAMA 26), and contributed to making amapiano known worldwide.

After this breakthrough in 2019, MFR Souls accelerated: “Amanikiniki” feat. Kamo Mphela and Bontle Smith reached 3rd place on the RAM charts and also achieved platinum status (50,000 copies sold), followed by the albums Musical Kings (2020) and Healers Of The Soul (2021), not to mention collaborations with the biggest names in the amapiano landscape.

Major Works

Work	Year	Why It Is Essential
“Bhamb’Khanda” feat. TallArs Tee	2018	The hit that propelled the duo into the global spotlight and earned them the title “Kings of Amapiano”
“Love You Tonight” feat. Sha Sha, Kabza De Small & DJ Maphorisa	2019	Platinum single that exploded amapiano beyond South African borders; 3 SAMA nominations
The Beginning (EP)	2019	First major commercial EP, marking their arrival at Sony Music Africa
Musical Kings (album)	2020	Second studio album, a celebration of East Rand talent
Healers Of The Soul (album)	2021	Album that refined their musical signature and confirmed the longevity of the amapiano sound

Legacy and Influence

Amapiano is today a global phenomenon — over 100 million views on the hashtag #amapiano in autumn 2020, dedicated Spotify playlists, and festivals in Europe and the Middle East. MFR Souls proudly claims authorship of the genre: “We created the amapiano sound. It’s great to see it being played internationally,” they stated to The Yanos Mag. Their legacy lies in the fact that they took a musical risk in the face of the deep house obsession of the time, and that this sound spawned an entire musical current with its own dress codes and choreographies. In 2025, the duo continues its mission with the album From The Heart Of Piano and the launch of their own label.