Tyla | |
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Born | Tyla Laura Seethal 30 January 2002 Johannesburg, South Africa |
Occupations |
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Years active | 2019–present |
Works | Discography |
Awards | Full list |
Musical career | |
Genres | |
Instruments | Vocals |
Labels |
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Website | tylaworld |
Tyla Laura Seethal (born 30 January 2002), known mononymously as Tyla, is a South African singer. Her musical style is characterised by a fusion of pop and amapiano, with many publications dubbing her "Queen of Popiano".
Born and raised in Johannesburg, Tyla signed with Epic Records in 2021 following the domestic success of her 2019 debut single, "Getting Late". She gained international recognition after the release of her 2023 single "Water", which entered the top ten in multiple countries including her native South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States. "Water" was the first song by a South African soloist to enter the US Billboard Hot 100 in 55 years and was awarded the inaugural Grammy Award for Best African Music Performance. The single preceded her self-titled debut album (2024), which was released to critical acclaim and moderate commercial success, entering the top 25 in multiple countries including the United States.
Tyla is the youngest African artist in history to win a Grammy Award. Her other accolades include an MTV Video Music Award, two BET Awards, three MTV Europe Music Awards and the honorary Global Force Award at the first Billboard R&B's No. 1's, among nominations for a Brit Award, an Ivor Novello Award, a Soul Train Music Award and nine South African Music Awards.
Tyla Laura Seethal [4] was born on 30 January 2002 in Edenvale, Gauteng, [5] [6] to a Coloured family with Indian, [7] [8] Indo-Mauritian, Zulu, and Irish ancestry. [9] [10] [11] She grew up in Johannesburg, Gauteng, [12] and graduated from Edenglen High School in 2019, where she was the Head of Culture. [13]
During her final year of high school, she began pursuing a career in music, posting original songs and covers on Instagram and actively seeking out opportunities in the music industry. She was discovered by her first manager, Garth von Glehn, who organized her first recording sessions. [2] [14] Tyla stated that she spent every weekend of her final year of high school in the recording studio. [15]
In late 2019 after finishing high school, [7] Tyla self-released her debut single, "Getting Late" featuring production from Kooldrink, which achieved national success. [10] Filmed by her own manager intermittently throughout the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns, [14] the accompanying music video was released in January 2021. [16] It amassed several million views on YouTube, [17] and was nominated for South African Music Award for Best Music Video of the Year in 2022. [18]
She had been studying towards a degree in mining engineering, [19] and after much persuasion and "a lot of crying", her parents had agreed to let Tyla take a year off university to attempt to lift her music career off the ground. [15] She then signed a recording contract with Epic Records through a joint venture with Fax Records in the United States in May 2021. [20] [21] She followed up her debut single with the singles "Overdue" in October 2021 and "To Last" in November 2022. [22] [23]
Tyla's first public performance occurred in 2023 during the Dolce & Gabbana afterparty at Milan Fashion Week, [24] [10] following the release of her single "Been Thinking", [25] [26] which earned Tyla her first chart placements of her career, on the Billboard Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay and Rhythmic Airplay charts. [27] [28] Heven Haile of Pitchfork described it as a "slick club anthem that channels the seductive pop-R&B hits of mid-2000s Ciara and Rihanna". [29] Tyla then joined Chris Brown as the opening act for his Under the Influence Tour. [30] In May 2023, she released the single "Girl Next Door", featuring Nigerian singer Ayra Starr. [31]
She released the song "Water" in July 2023 as the lead single from her self-titled debut studio album. [32] [10] After spawning a viral dance challenge on the social media platform TikTok, [33] [34] "Water" peaked within the top 10 in multiple countries including South Africa, [35] the United States, [36] and the United Kingdom. [37] Tyla became the first and youngest-ever South African soloist in 55 years to enter the US Billboard Hot 100 with "Water", following Hugh Masekela's "Grazing in the Grass" in 1968. [38]
Tyla performed "Water" live on The Bianca Show in Sweden and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in the United States. [39] [40] The music video for "Water" was released on 6 October 2023, it accumulated 3 million views on YouTube in three days. [41] Tyla was then featured on a remix version of "Girls Need Love" by Summer Walker, released as part of the latter's Girls Mix extended play in October 2023. [42] On the eve of December 2023, she announced the release of her debut studio album, Tyla (2024), and simultaneously released three songs: "Truth or Dare", "On and On", and "Butterflies", as promotional singles from the project on an extended play of the same name. [43] Tyla performed a medley of "Water" and "Truth or Dare" on the season 24 finale of The Voice on 19 December 2023. [44] At the 66th Annual Grammy Awards in February 2024, Tyla became the first person to win the inaugural Grammy Award for Best African Music Performance with "Water", also becoming the youngest-ever African artist to win a Grammy Award. [45]
Tyla's self-titled debut album was officially released via Fax and Epic Records on 22 March 2024. [46] The accompanying music video for "Art" was released in tandem with the album. [47] Tyla received widespread critical acclaim, [48] and was a top-25 album in the United States, [49] the United Kingdom, [37] the Netherlands, [50] Norway, [51] New Zealand, [52] and Switzerland. [53] Tyla received the most nominations at the 18th Metro FM Music Awards in South Africa, with six nods. [54] [55] She went on to win the most awards at the 2024 BET Awards, tying with Usher and Victoria Monét at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, California, [56] where she delivered a live performance of "Jump" for the first time alongside Gunna and Skillibeng. [57] On 11 October 2024, Tyla released the deluxe edition of her self-tilted debut studio album comprising three additional songs including "Push 2 Start". Musically, "Push 2 Start" is a reggae-infused amapiano pop-R&B track, which was positively received and it's music video premiered on YouTube on 8 November 2024. [58] [59] [60] [61] Tyla performed at the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show 2024. [62] [63]
"When I was a kid, I always hoped that a pop star like Rihanna, Britney Spears or Michael Jackson would come out of South Africa. I wanted a star to come from my hometown. Now, for the people of my hometown, I want to be a pop star who represents South Africa"
Tyla's biggest musical influences include Michael Jackson, Aaliyah, Rihanna, [65] Cassie, Ciara, [66] Shakira, Freshlyground, [10] Britney Spears, [67] Drake and Wizkid. [68] She has said that her dream is to become the first global pop star from Africa. [69] [14] She has since been deemed the "Queen of Popiano", [12] [70] a fusion of the pop and amapiano genres, [71] infused with elements of R&B and Afrobeats. [72]
Headling
Supporting
Tyla was named the inaugural winner for Best African Music Performance at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards. [73] Her accolades include two BET Awards, [74] MTV Video Music Award, [75] and the honorary Global Force Award at the first Billboard R&B's No. 1's. [76] Tyla was named the most nominated artist at multiple award ceremonies, she led the 18th annual Metro FM Music Awards with six nominations, [77] the 30th South African Music Awards with five nominations, [78] and the 3rd annual Basadi in Music Awards with five nominations, the latter where she won three awards. [79] Tyla went on to receive the most awards at the 2024 BET Awards, tying with American singers Usher and Victoria Monét at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, California, [80] where she was named the Best New Artist, [81] and Best International Act. [82] Her nominations include South African Music Award for Album of the Year, Soul Train Music Award for Best New Artist, Brit Award for International Song and Metro FM Music Award for Song of the Year amongst others. [83]
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"Water" is a song by South African singer Tyla from her debut studio album, Tyla (2024). It was released on 28 July 2023 by Fax and Epic Records as the album's lead single. An amapiano song with elements of pop, R&B and Afrobeats, it sees Tyla expressing a desire for a passionate, intimate tryst. Remix versions of the song by American rapper Travis Scott and record producer Marshmello were released on 17 November 2023.
Tyla is the debut studio album by South African singer Tyla. It was released on 22 March 2024 by FAX and Epic Records. The deluxe edition titled Tyla + was released on 11 October 2024. Musically, Tyla blends elements of amapiano, pop, Afrobeats and R&B and its lyrical themes include empowerment and relationships. In an interview with Nandi Madida, Tyla expressed her desire to launch her album with a South African sound.
"Truth or Dare" is a song by South African singer Tyla from her 2024 self-titled debut studio album. It was released by FAX and Epic Records as a promotional single from her 2023 self-titled extended play, before impacting rhythmic contemporary radio in the United States on 13 February 2024, as the second single from the album. Written by Tyla, Ariowa Irosogie, Imani Lewis, Corey Marlon Lindsay-Keay, Jamal Europe, and its producer Sammy SoSo, "Truth or Dare" is an amapiano track infused with elements of afrobeats and contemporary R&B influences.
"Art" is a song by South African singer Tyla from her self-titled debut studio album. It was released on 12 April 2024 through Fax and Epic Records, as the album's third single. The R&B-infused amapiano song was produced by Sammy Soso and was accompanied by a music video that premiered on YouTube on the day of the album's release.
"Jump" is a song by South African singer Tyla, American rapper Gunna and Jamaican rapper Skillibeng, from Tyla's self-titled debut album. The song was written by Tyla, Mocha, Believve, Gunna, Skillibeng, and its producer Sammy SoSo. Musically, "Jump" is a genre fusion of Afrobeats, dancehall and hip hop. It features throbbing bass, amapiano percussion, and a chant of the Zulu language expression "haibo". Tyla reflects on her rise to fame with braggadocio in the lyrics and references Johannesburg, the city where she was born and raised, by its two colloquial names, Joburg and Jozi.
The discography of South African singer and songwriter Tyla consists of one studio album, fifteen singles, four promotional singles and ten music videos. Tyla released her debut self-titled studio album on 22 March 2024, consisting of her digital extended play (EP) of the same name released on 1 December 2023, it debuted at number 24 on the Billboard 200 chart. The album was supported by four singles; "Water", which peaked within the top 10 in multiple countries and was awarded multi-platinum certifications in many countries, "Truth or Dare", "Art" and "Jump", and a promotional single "On and On".
Much like her musical influences, her personal style references the seductive club culture of the early aughts with clear nods to Rihanna, Cassie and Ciara in the genesis of their careers.
In her acceptance speech, Tyla reflected on what the award means to her as an artist coming from South Africa. "This is crazy that I'm being honoured tonight, what the heck yeah just thank you so much."