We Wanna Party is the debut mixtape by South African singer Tyla, scheduled for release in 2025 via FAX and Epic Records. It is preceded by a four-track digital extended play (EP), WWP, released on 25 July 2025, which spawned the singles "Bliss", "Is It" and "Dynamite". The mixtape also features guest appearance from the Nigerian singer Wizkid. To support the release, Tyla will embark on the We Wanna Party Tour.
Preceded by singles, "Bliss" and "Is It", Tyla took to social media to announce the mixtape with a pre-save link in July 2025.[1]We Wanna Party is scheduled for release in 2025 by FAX and Epic Records. At an exclusive fan listening event in Berlin in July 2025, Tyla unveiled two new songs from the project titled "Dynamite" and "Chanel".[2] Tyla was criticized on X (formerly Twitter) after claiming that the "we wanna party" chant was South African, with many contending that it originated from Nigeria.[3]
On 25 July, Tyla released an extended play, titled WWP.[4] The EP is the first part of the mixtape.[5] According to the description of WWP on Apple Music, the EP is a teaser of the full-length LP record.[6][7] During an interview with Variety in August 2025, Tyla said "We Wanna Party is meant to be a bridge to the album".[8]
Composition
WWP is an 11-minute, 23-second EP centered on partying.[9][10] It was produced by Dylan Wiggins, Nova Wav, P.Priime and frequent collaborators Sammy Soso, Ari PenSmith, Believe, Mocha Bands and Sir Nolan, with additional production by Troy Taylor and Jo Caleb.[9] Tyla navigates her signature sound, blending amapiano's rhythmic pulses with pop-infused R&B and flowing melodies.[11]
Opening with "Dynamite" alongside Wizkid, the duo exchanges seductive lyrics, blending their vocal tones in a catchy, danceable track that carries you from home to the party. On "Mr. Media", she tackles the scrutiny of fame, her voice effortlessly weaving through the production as she sings, "No matter how hard I try, I can never get it right", with a carefree vibe. A live crowd chants "Woza", Zulu for "come", amplifying the energy.[11]
Promotion
To promote the mixtape, in July 2025, Tyla hosted private listening events in London and Berlin.[7][2] Tyla announced the We Wanna Party Tour, a concert tour, which is scheduled to begin on 11 November 2025 in Tokyo, Japan.[12] On 4 August 2025, Tyla took to Twitter to announce that she will be revealing more dates soon.[13]
Performance and reaction
According to Chart Data, a music statistics account on Twitter, the EP WWP sold 3,700 units in its first week and failed to chart on the US Billboard 200.[14] It debuted at number 11 on the Billboard World Albums.[15]
Following the low sales figures of the EP, Tyla faced backlash as a debate emerged over whether her career was in decline.[14] Speaking to City Press in August 2025, music executives broke down the metrics and mechanics of the modern music industry. Goodwin Nkuna, a sales and product manager at Gallo Records explained that "Music release on YouTube carries a significantly lower value because the platform. Spotify streams are stronger than YouTube streams, and Apple Music are even stronger because Spotify is split between paying subscribers and advert-supported streams". He went on to say that "if it's ad-supported, anyone could listen to it so it would count as half a sale compared to the CD era, but if someone is playing the music through a subscription, then it would count as a full sale of a CD".[16]
Writing for OkayAfrica, Tseliso Monaheng wrote that "this narrative, fueled by low unit sales figures for her music, misses the mark entirely". Some critics suggest Tyla's identity as a Coloured may affect her U.S. reception.[14] In a weighted formula, Billboard charts equates 1,500 on-demand streams from subscription services to one album unit.[17] Monaheng went on to say that Tyla achieved the highest debut of the year on the Billboard U.S. Afrobeats Songs chart with "Dynamite", highlighting her streaming dominance rather than unit sales. As of 14 August 2025, WWP had amassed over 60 million streams on Spotify alone, equivalent to 40,000 units in the U.S. "The narrative of a "flop" is an unfair and outdated assessment rooted in old-school thinking about sales and completely disregards the new reality of music consumption. Tyla's true success is reflected in her ability to generate millions of streams, chart internationally, and maintain cultural relevance", Monaheng concluded.[14]
Reception
WWP received generally positive reviews from music critics. Writing for Afrocritik, Yinoluwa Olowofoyeku wrote that "it is catchy, colourful, rhythmically infectious, and it plays to Tyla's strengths as a modern pop star".[18]
Tami Makinde of NME awarded the project 4 out of 5 stars, praising its "gleeful and hedonistic" tone and describing it as a confident, dance-floor-ready collection that prioritises fun. While noting that the release's brevity occasionally works against it compared to Tyla's debut studio album, Makinde commended her vocal versatility and ability to fuse amapiano, Afropop, and R&B. She concluded that although the project "might not make any grand statements", Tyla's charisma and celebratory approach make it a strong addition to her catalogue.[19]
In a piece for Clash magazine, Shazaib Husaib described WWP as a four-track "transitional" project that builds on the club-ready sound of Tyla's debut. The article highlighted the inclusion of previous singles "Is It" and "Bliss", as well as the Wizkid collaboration "Dynamite", which combines Spanish guitar with Afrobeats percussion. Husaib framed the EP as the first glimpse into Tyla's post-debut studio sessions and a confident step forward ahead of her upcoming festival performances.[20] Bryson "Boom" Paul of HotNewHipHop gave the EP a 3 out of 5 rating, commending the "sleek and playful" collaboration with Wizkid and the seductive "Mr. Media", but suggesting it serves more as a teaser for her upcoming sophomore album than a standalone triumph.[7]
Accompanied by a music video directed by Aerin Moreno, who also directed "Push 2 Start", "Is It" was released on 11 July 2025.[31] It received 1,274,357 streams on Spotify after a whole day of tracking, making it her biggest debut on the platform as of 12 July 2025. It's music video amassed 762,000 views on YouTube on the first day of the song's release.[32] "Is It" debuted atop the UK Afrobeats Singles Chart,[33] number 99 on the UK Singles Chart[34] and number 7 in South Africa.[35] "Is It" impacted the rhythmic crossover frequencies on 12 August 2025.[36] "Dynamite" with Wizkid was released as a standalone single on 24 July of that same year.[37] Tyla teased the song during her listening party in London in July 2025, and also revealed that it is from a 2022 demo.[7]
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