Tyla Never Saw an African Pop Star, So She Became One
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As a child in Johannesburg, South Africa, Tyla long dreamed of seeing an African pop star become a global phenomenon. When that moment never came, she decided to just do it herself. “Not seeing that while growing up made me want to be that person,” says the 22-year-old singer, who got her start posting videos on YouTube and Instagram before releasing her first song, “Getting Late,” in 2019.
It was last year’s “Water,” the lead single from her debut self-titled album, that began her international crossover. “Seeing it reflect in streams and seeing the song chart in real time made me realize that I have something here,” she says. It went on to win a Grammy for Best African Music Performance, making her the first artist to win in the newly created category.
Her album, which was released in March, is a mix of amapiano (South African house music) with pop and R&B. “I worked over two years on [the album], so I went through not only myself growing, but also my sound,” she says. (She was set to embark on a North American tour this spring, but all dates were canceled as a result of an injury.)
Tyla still lives in South Africa, where she spends time with family and parties with friends without the threat of paparazzi. “It’s good to touch the soil again and bring me back to my roots. Then I go out and do whatever I need to do.”
On making her debut album
“It was a lot of emotions at once, but overall it was the highlight of a lot of things. I was able to work on a project that has my name on it and finally share something with the world that I am so proud of.”
On collaborating with Tems on “No.1”
“Tems and I had been going back and forth with songs, trying to see which one would work, not even specifically for anything, but just because we really wanted to work with each other. And literally, right before I had to submit the album, she sent a song that I loved. And from there, I went into a studio session. I told my managers, ‘This is the last song of the album. We have to make it work.’ She was in London, so it was a virtual session, but it came out so beautifully. I feel like it’s such a powerful African woman vibe. It’s really a song for the girls and it’s an instant vibe straight off the bat. It’s just like, ‘Give me a drink.’”
On why “Art” is her favorite song from the album
“Not only the vibe and the way it makes you move, but the lyrics. It’s very poetic and it’s a really strong message that I feel a lot of people can relate to. And my mother cries to that song, so that’s a bonus.”
On her plans for the album’s rollout
“Tour is definitely going to come probably late in the year. For now, I want to do more visuals and more interacting with people. I really want to have fun with this rollout. I don’t want to do things that everyone’s doing. I want to play around a bit and do new stuff. And I’m excited to see how the music travels and what people create out of it, because I already know people are going to come up with whatever they come up with, so I’m looking forward to seeing how they do that.”
On what she’s most proud of
“My word, there’s a lot, but I think definitely my perseverance and my hunger to keep going. There have been a lot of moments where I felt like I wasn’t going anywhere and I felt like this wasn’t going to happen for me, but I kept going because of faith and my belief in myself. That’s what I’m most proud of.”
On where her drive comes from
“My parents always told me that I hated losing. Whenever I wanted something, I found a way to get it. I feel like it’s in me, but also I’ve just always wanted to see an African pop star. What the heck? I want to see an African on the biggest stages. I want to see them winning awards next to the A-listers.”
On being a woman in music
“I feel powerful. I feel like it’s a flex right now to be a woman in this industry because we are killing it everywhere. We really are taking up space.”
On her overall career goal
“I don’t see an end, really. Let’s say years from now if I stopped making music, I definitely see myself getting into other things like acting or fashion. I don’t see it stopping. I just see it getting bigger and bigger and bigger.”
A version of this story appears in the May 2024 issue of ELLE.
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