Tyla Laura Seethal (born 30 January 2002), known mononymously as Tyla, is a South African singer and songwriter. She’s become synonymous with the popularisation of popiano, a fusion of the pop and amapiano genres, 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’s accolades include a Grammy Award, a MTV Video Music Award, two BET Awards, three Basadi in Music Awards and a Metro FM Music Award. She became the youngest African artist in history to win a Grammy Award. Tyla has also received nominations for a Brit Award, a Ivor Novello Award, a Soul Train Music Award, three iHeartRadio Music Awards, three Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards, a MOBO Award, and four South African Music Awards.
Early life
Tyla Laura Seethal was born on 30 January 2002 in Edenvale, East Rand, to a Coloured family with Indian, Mauritian, Zulu, and Irish ancestry. She grew up in Johannesburg, Gauteng, and graduated from Edenglen High School in 2019, where she was the Head of Culture.
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. Tyla stated that she spent every weekend of her final year of high school in the recording studio.
Career
2019–2022: “Getting Late” and national success
Tyla in an interview with Capital FM Kenya in 2021
In late 2019 after finishing high school, Tyla self-released her debut single, “Getting Late” featuring production from Kooldrink, which achieved national success. Filmed by her own manager intermittently throughout the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns, the accompanying music video was released in January 2021. It amassed several million views on YouTube, and was nominated for South African Music Award for Best Music Video of the Year in 2022.
She had been studying towards a degree in mining engineering, 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. She then signed a recording contract with Epic Records through a joint venture with Fax Records in the United States in May 2021. She followed up her debut single with the singles “Overdue” in October 2021 and “To Last” in November 2022.
2023–present: International breakthrough with “Water”
See also: Water (Tyla song) and Tyla (album)
Tyla’s first public performance occurred in 2023 during the Dolce & Gabbana afterparty at Milan Fashion Week, following the release of her single “Been Thinking”, which earned Tyla her first chart placements of her career, on the Billboard Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay and Rhythmic Airplay charts. 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”. Tyla then joined Chris Brown as the opening act for his Under the Influence Tour. In May 2023, she released the single “Girl Next Door”, featuring Nigerian singer Ayra Starr.
She released the song “Water” in July 2023 as the lead single from her upcoming self-titled debut studio album. After spawning a viral dance challenge on the social media platform TikTok, “Water” peaked within the top 10 in multiple countries including South Africa, the United States, and the United Kingdom. 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.
Tyla performed “Water” live on The Bianca Show in Sweden and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in the United States. The music video for “Water” was released on 6 October 2023, it accumulated 3 million views on YouTube in three days. 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. 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. Tyla performed a medley of “Water” and “Truth or Dare” on the season 24 finale of The Voice on 19 December 2023. 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.
Tyla at the 2024 Met Gala
Tyla’s self-titled debut album was officially released via Fax and Epic Records on 22 March 2024. The single “Art” and its accompanying music video were released in tandem with the album. Tyla received widespread critical acclaim, and was a top-25 album in the United States, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Norway, New Zealand, and Switzerland. Tyla received the most nominations at the 18th Metro FM Music Awards in South Africa, with six nods. She went on to win the most awards at the 2024 BET Awards, tying with Usher and Victoria Monét at the Peacock Theatre in Los Angeles, California, where she delivered a live performance of “Jump” for the first time alongside Gunna and Skillibeng.
Artistry
“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 talking to Rolling Stone on 19 January 2024.
Tyla’s biggest musical influences include Michael Jackson, Aaliyah, Rihanna, Cassie, Ciara, Shakira, Freshlyground, Britney Spears, Drake and Wizkid. She has said that her dream is to become the first global pop star from Africa. She has since been deemed the “Queen of Popiano”, a fusion of the pop and amapiano genres, infused with elements of R&B and Afrobeats.
TYLA URL LINKS:
Website: https://www.tylaworld.com
Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/tyla
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Tylaofficial
TikTok:https://www.tiktok.com/@tyla_
Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/tylasings
X: https://www.x.com/Tyllaaaaaaa