MFR Souls Open Their Hearts, Inside “The Heart of Piano Side B”

When the name MFR Souls echoes through South Africa’s streets, it carries the weight of innovation, rhythm, and a legacy rooted in the heart of Amapiano. The duo being Maero and Force Reloaded, have spent years crafting soundtracks that speak to both celebration and reflection. Following the success of The Heart of Piano Side A, they return with Side B, a project that continues their journey while revealing a more vocal and streetwise interpretation of the sound they helped define.

In an exclusive interview on Slikouronlife, MFR Souls opened up about the story behind the new album and how it connects to their previous release. “We had like over 40 songs and instead of dropping everything we’ll just separate the sounds,” Maero explained. “Side A had soulful piano and tech piano as for Side B has a lot of vocal and the piano that’s on the street.” It’s a fitting description for a project that feels both grounded and elevated with a continuation that builds on their signature while celebrating the culture that raised it.

Their lead single, Moja, featuring Maline Aura and Bassie, sets the tone. Describing the collaboration, Force Reloaded shared that, “It was basically one of our best collaborations and because we mostly work with Bassie and Maline Aura is an amazing vocalist. The song itself was just describing the success from where we were coming from to where we are. So si moja.”

Known as the “Kings of Piano,” MFR Souls continue to find the balance between staying true to their roots and embracing the genre’s evolving soundscape. “The people know that we do soulful piano so we tried not to run away from our original sound,” Maero said. “Hence why we were able to collaborate with JazziQ and De Mthuda, they bringing a different flavour to the album.”

For a genre that’s found its way to global stages, MFR Souls remain proud of its South African essence. “I’m actually happy,” Maero reflected. “There was a point where they said ‘Nigerians will steal piano’ and I was like it won’t happen ’cause they will never do it like us. So I’m just glad that now they actually use South African producers to do Amapiano.”

The creative synergy between the two is effortless, a dance between melody and rhythm. “Maero focuses on the melodies and I’m mostly on sometimes the baseline and the drum pads of the song,” Force Reloaded also added, “We don’t have specific roles but yeah, the melody side I give it to him.”

For them, The Heart of Piano Side B is more than just music, it’s a message. “Basically, it was something from our hearts and we haven’t dropped any, been doing a lot of soulful sounds so we gave them what’s from our hearts,” Maero said.

As the duo reflect on what they’ve learned, their humility shines through. “You don’t have to be in noise to be relevant,” Maero admitted. “People will always look forward for MFR to drop something.” Force Reloaded added, “Music will be music even though we all have our own personal feel, at the end of the day we all discover different sides of Amapiano.”

Closing off, Force Reloaded summed up the essence of their new offering: “Yeah, it’s got a lot of messages, but it is success. I just hope each and every project we do, even this one, will be something that you listen to today but can still listen to after 10 years.”

The Heart of Piano Side B is out now with a reminder that some sounds don’t just move the dancefloor, they move the soul. Check out full interview on YouTube.