‘It’s sunny, with music bumping, and everyone in ripped clothing’: how Tyla set a new pop mood
Even though Tyla has a large following of over 4 million on Instagram, also known as Tygers, she still hasn't fully adapted to being famous in real life. An example of this is when she was recently contacted by a TikTok user named Harry Daniels, who trolls celebrities by singing to them. Tyla shares that he sang her first hit song "Water" and even poured water on his own head.
She chuckles over the phone all the way from Los Angeles, where she's promoting her eponymous debut album that was released today. At the age of 22, Tyla has already snagged a Grammy for her song Water, which won the award for Best African Music Performance in a new category. She also performed the song on Jimmy Fallon's Tonight Show, and it charted in over 30 countries. This exceptional success is not the norm for South African musicians, and Tyla is aware that she's paving the way for the country's music industry. "More people are becoming aware of South Africa now," she explains. "They're eager to hear me say 'Yoh!' and they enjoy the dancing."
The music created by Water combines elements of R&B, pop, and amapiano - a unique genre from South Africa that blends house, kwaito, Zulu traditions, and jazz. This song's mesmerizing choreography has inspired many dance challenges on TikTok, propelling Tyla into the pop music spotlight. As soon as it made its way onto the US charts, reaching a high of No. 7, Tyla became the first South African solo musician to appear on the Billboard Hot 100 in over half a century. She believes amapiano is special because it is the first time South Africa can proudly claim a genre that has become globally popular. Tyla thinks this is a great development, not just for the artists who create it, but for the whole nation.
Not many young musicians have to worry about representing their whole country, but South Africa is making it happen. It took about 10 years for amapiano music to become popular on a global scale, but it now has fans like Drake, who has collaborated with producers Kabza De Small and Black Coffee. Tyla is one of the leaders in a scene of exciting, young electronic musicians who are experimenting with their sound.
Tyla Laura Seethal, who hails from Johannesburg and was born in 2002, was fond of listening to Aaliyah, Rihanna, and Adele when she was growing up. She used to enjoy singing Someone Like You with all her might. With the desire to become a singer, Tyla began to upload videos of herself singing online. She says, "I was highly motivated to make my dream come true. I tried to publish my singing videos on any app that was available related to singing, competitions or social media."
Despite the vast amount of digital noise that surrounds us, Tyla created her first ever song, Getting Late, back in 2019 when she had barely left high school. Her unique blend of pop and piano, which she calls "popiano," caught the attention of Epic Records and led to a worldwide signing. Over time, Tyla released a series of standalone tracks and collaborated with various artists, but her next big success came in the form of Water, a track she created alongside the legendary US producer Tricky Stewart, who has worked with icons such as Beyoncé and Britney Spears. Water reached the fourth spot in the UK charts upon its release in July.
She expressed her desire to introduce people to the Tyla culture during the production of the song. According to her, the atmosphere was lively, with loud music playing in the background while everyone dressed in torn clothes soaked up the sunshine. To further create this feeling, Tyla collaborated with rapper Travis Scott for the remix of Water. She then released On and On, a soulful R&B track that encourages listeners to go back in time and party like it's 1995.
Creating her first music album took Tyla two years and the collaboration of several renowned pop artists like Nigeria's Tems, rappers Gunna and Skillibeng, and singer Becky G. According to Tyla, during this process, she gained valuable experience, which helped her become more expressive and open. The entire journey felt like a new adventure to her, from exploring America and Europe to collaborating with various people of diverse backgrounds and musical styles. Though she felt doubtful at times, Tyla remained determined to follow through regardless of the final outcome. Failure did not seem like a deterrent, as she believed the attempt itself was worth the effort.
Luckily, the album is filled with songs that are almost certainly going to be popular in the future, but Tyla won't be able to perform them on tour for a while. At the beginning of March, Tyla announced that her upcoming world tour needed to be rescheduled because of an undisclosed injury. She won't say much about it but says that her body isn't ready for that type of pressure. Tyla insists that her performances need to involve dancing because it's an essential element of the type of music she creates, which is influenced by African music. However, this injury gives her an opportunity to try out new ways of performing.
Although there have been challenges, Tyla appears to be relishing her position as a representative of South Africa's fresh sound. She expresses that they are at the starting point of their venture and are finally putting into action what they have been discussing for years. Tyla eagerly anticipates what the future holds.
