Tyla Laura Seethal (born 30 January 2002), known

mononymously A mononym is a name composed of only one word. An individual who is known and addressed by a mononym is a mononymous person. A mononym may be the person's only name, given to them at birth. This was routine in most ancient societies, and remains ...

as Tyla, is a South African singer and songwriter. Her musical style is characterised by a fusion of

pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop! (British group), a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Album ...

and

amapiano Amapiano is a genre of music from South Africa that became popular in mid-2012 with an earlier regular occurrence on South African radio stations in the early 2000s. It is a hybrid of kwaito, deep house, gqom, jazz, soul, and lounge music char ...

, with many publications dubbing her " Queen of Popiano". Born and raised in

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu language, Zulu and Xhosa language, Xhosa: eGoli ) (colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, Jo'burg or "The City of Gold") is the most populous city in South Africa. With 5,538,596 people in the City of Johannesburg alon ...

, Tyla signed with

Epic Records Epic Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the American division of Japanese conglomerate Sony is a Japanese multinational conglomerate (company), cong ...

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 Water is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula . It is a transparent, tasteless, odorless, and Color of water, nearly colorless chemical substance. It is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known liv ...

", 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 The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

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 or approaching 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 The accolade (also known as dubbing, adoubement, or knighting) () was the central act in the rite of passage ceremonies conferring knighthood in the Middle Ages. Etymology The term ''accolade'' entered English by 1591, when Thomas Lodge use ...

include an

MTV Video Music Award The MTV Video Music Awards (commonly abbreviated as the VMAs) is an award show presented by the cable channel MTV to honor the best in the music video medium. Originally conceived as an alternative to the Grammy Awards (in the video category) ...

, two

BET Awards The BET Awards are an American award show that was established in 2001 by the BET, Black Entertainment Television network to celebrate Black person, Black entertainers and other minorities in music, film, sports and philanthropy. The awards, which ...

, three

MTV Europe Music Awards The MTV Europe Music Awards (originally named MTV European Music Awards, commonly abbreviated as MTV EMA) are awards presented by Paramount International Networks to honour artists and music in pop culture. It was originally conceived as an al ...

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 The Ivor Novello Awards, named after the Welsh entertainer Ivor Novello, are awards for songwriting and Musical composition, composing. They have been presented annually in London by the The Ivors Academy, Ivors Academy, formerly called the Britis ...

, a

Soul Train Music Award The Soul Train Music Awards is an annual music awards ceremony which honors the best in African-American culture, music and entertainment. It is produced by the production company of ''Soul Train'', the program from which it takes its name, and ...

and nine

South African Music Awards The South African Music Awards (often simply the SAMAs) are the Recording Industry of South Africa's music industry awards, established in 1995. The ceremony is held annually, usually in late April or May, with the judging process starting in ...

Early life

Tyla Laura Seethal was born on 30 January 2002 in

Edenvale, Gauteng Edenvale is a small city on the East Rand in Gauteng, South Africa. It is part of the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality. It lies about halfway between the O.R. Tambo International Airport and the Johannesburg city centre and is located 12 k ...

, to a

Coloured Coloureds () are multiracial people in South Africa, Namibia and, to a smaller extent, Zimbabwe and Zambia. Their ancestry descends from the interracial mixing that occurred between Europeans, Africans and Asians. Interracial mixing in South ...

family with Indian,

Indo-Mauritian Indo-Mauritians are Mauritians who trace their ethnic ancestry to the Republic of India or other parts of the Indian subcontinent in South Asia now known as Nepal and Pakistan. History During the administration of the French East India Compa ...

, Zulu, and Irish ancestry. She grew up in

Johannesburg, Gauteng Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and Xhosa: eGoli ) (colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, Jo'burg or "The City of Gold") is the most populous city in South Africa. With 5,538,596 people in the City of Johannesburg alone and over 14.8 million in the ...

, 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 Instagram is an American photo sharing, photo and Short-form content, short-form video sharing social networking service owned by Meta Platforms. It allows users to upload media that can be edited with Social media camera filter, filters, be ...

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

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 During the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, a number of non-pharmaceutical interventions, particularly lockdowns (encompassing stay-at-home orders, curfews, quarantines, and similar societal restrictions), were implemented in numerou ...

, 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 The South African Music Award for Best Music Video of the Year is one of the categories of the South African Music Awards. 2000s {, class=wikitable , - align=center bgcolor=lavender !width=1%, Year !width=50%, Winner !width=49%, Nominations , ...

2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...

. She had been studying towards a degree in

mining engineering Mining engineering is the extraction of minerals from the ground. It is associated with many other disciplines, such as mineral processing, exploration, excavation, geology, metallurgy, geotechnical engineering and surveying. A mining engineer m ...

, 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

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"

Tyla's first public performance occurred in 2023 during the

Dolce & Gabbana Dolce & Gabbana (), also known by initials D&G, is an Italian Luxury goods, luxury fashion house founded in 1985 in Legnano by Italian designers Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana. The house specializes in ready-to-wear, handbags, accessories, ...

afterparty at

Milan Fashion Week Milan Fashion Week () is a clothing trade show held semi-annually in Milan, Italy. Upcoming autumn/winter fashions are showcased in February/March of each year, and upcoming spring/summer fashions are showcased in September/October of each year ...

, 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 The Rhythmic chart (also called Rhythmic Airplay, and previously named Rhythmic Songs, Rhythmic Top 40 and CHR/Rhythmic) is an airplay chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. The chart tracks and measures the airplay of songs played on ...

charts. Heven Haile of ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials. The term is also applie ...

'' described it as a "slick club anthem that channels the seductive pop-R&B hits of mid-2000s

Ciara Ciara Princess Wilson ( ; Harris; born October 25, 1985) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer and actress. She was discovered by record producer Jazze Pha in the early 2000s, and rose to prominence with her debut studio album, ''Goodies ...

and

Rihanna Robyn Rihanna Fenty ( ; born February 20, 1988) is a Barbadian singer, businesswoman, and actress. One of the List of music artists by net worth, wealthiest musicians in the world, List of awards and nominations received by Rihanna, her vario ...

". Tyla then joined

Chris Brown Christopher Maurice Brown (born May 5, 1989) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and actor. A Pop music, pop and hip-hop-influenced contemporary R&B, R&B musician who works in a variety of genres, he has been called the "Honorific nic ...

as the opening act for his

Under the Influence Tour The Under the Influence Tour was a concert tour by American singer Chris Brown to support his tenth studio album, '' Breezy'' (2022). The tour was named after his 2019 song " Under the Influence". Mainly staged to Europe, it began in Ireland on F ...

. In May 2023, she released the single "

Girl Next Door The girl next door is a young female stock character who is often used in Romance novel, romantic stories. She is named so because she often lives next door to the protagonist or is a childhood friend. They start out with a friendship that late ...

", featuring Nigerian singer

Ayra Starr Sarah Oyinkansola Aderibigbe (born 14 June 2002), known professionally as Ayra Starr, is a Nigerian singer and songwriter born in Benin Republic. She achieved mainstream international recognition in 2022, with the release of her hit song "Ru ...

. She released the song "

" in July 2023 as the lead single from her self-titled debut studio album. After spawning a viral dance challenge on the social media platform

TikTok TikTok, known in mainland China and Hong Kong as Douyin (), is a social media and Short-form content, short-form online video platform owned by Chinese Internet company ByteDance. It hosts user-submitted videos, which may range in duration f ...

, "Water" peaked within the top 10 in multiple countries including South Africa,Peak chart positions in South Africa: * All except where noted: * "Water": 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 Hugh Ramapolo Masekela (4 April 1939 – 23 January 2018) was a South African trumpeter, flugelhornist, cornetist, singer and composer who was described as "the father of South African jazz". Masekela was known for his jazz compositions and f ...

's "

Grazing in the Grass "Grazing in the Grass" is an instrumental composed by Philemon Hou and first recorded by the South African trumpeter Hugh Masekela. Released in the United States as a single in 1968, it followed United States trumpeter Herb Alpert's vocal perform ...

" in 1968. Tyla performed "Water" live on '' The Bianca Show'' in Sweden and ''

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon ''The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by actor and comedian Jimmy Fallon that airs on NBC. The show premiered on February 17, 2014, and is produced by Broadway Video and Universal Television. It i ...

'' 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 "Girls Need Love" is a song by American singer Summer Walker from her debut commercial mixtape, '' Last Day of Summer'' (2018). It was released as the album's lead single on July 26, 2018. It received a release of a remix version with Drake on Fe ...

" by

Summer Walker Summer Marjani Walker (born April 11, 1996) is an American R&B singer-songwriter. Born and raised in Atlanta, she signed with the local record label Love Renaissance, an imprint of Interscope Records in late 2017. The following year, she relea ...

, released as part of the latter's ''Girls Mix''

extended play An extended play (EP) is a Sound recording and reproduction, musical recording that contains more tracks than a Single (music), single but fewer than an album. Contemporary EPs generally contain up to eight tracks and have a playing time of 1 ...

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 Truth or dare? is a mostly verbal party game requiring two or more players. Players are given the choice between answering a question truthfully, or performing a "dare". The game is particularly popular among adolescents and children, and is so ...

", "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 The 66th Annual Grammy Awards honored the best recordings, compositions, and artists from October 1, 2022, to September 15, 2023, as chosen by the members of The Recording Academy, on February 4, 2024. In its 21st year at the Crypto.com Arena ...

in February 2024, Tyla won the inaugural

Grammy Award for Best African Music Performance The Grammy Award for Best African Music Performance is an award presented by the Recording Academy to honor quality African music performances in any given year. The award was presented for the first time at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards in 2024, ...

with "Water", also becoming the youngest-ever African artist to win a Grammy Award. Tyla's self-titled debut album was officially released via Fax and Epic Records on 22 March 2024. The accompanying music video for "

Art Art is a diverse range of cultural activity centered around ''works'' utilizing creative or imaginative talents, which are expected to evoke a worthwhile experience, generally through an expression of emotional power, conceptual ideas, tec ...

" was 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 Victoria Monét McCants (born May 1, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter. First gaining recognition for her songwriting work, Monét pursued a recording career with the release of a series of extended plays (EPs); her fifth, ''Jaguar'' (2020) ...

at the

Peacock Theater The Peacock Theater, formerly Nokia Theatre and Microsoft Theater, is a music and theater venue at L.A. Live in the Downtown Los Angeles, downtown core of Los Angeles, California, United States. The theater auditorium seats 7,100 and holds one ...

in Los Angeles, California, where she delivered a live performance of "

Jump JuMP is an algebraic modeling language and a collection of supporting packages for mathematical optimization embedded in the Julia programming language. JuMP is used by companies, government agencies, academic institutions, software projects ...

" for the first time alongside Gunna and Skillibeng. 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 Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica during the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its Jamaican diaspora, diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, "Do the Reggay", was the first ...

-infused

- R&B track, which was positively received and its music video premiered on YouTube on 8 November 2024. Tyla performed at the

Victoria's Secret Fashion Show 2024 The Victoria's Secret Fashion Show is annual fashion show sponsored by Victoria's Secret, an American brand of lingerie and sleepwear. Victoria's Secret uses the show to promote and market its goods in high-profile settings. The show featured ...

. On November 11, 2024, she made her debut appearance at the

(EMAs), performing her singles " Push 2 Start" and "

". During the same night, she won 3 EMAs for ‘Best African Act’, ‘Best Afrobeats Artist’ and ‘Best R&B Artist’. Tyla was featured on the song " When I'm with You" by the Thai rapper

Lisa Lisa or LISA may refer to: People People with the mononym * Lisa (Japanese musician, born 1974), stylized "LISA" * Lisa, stagename of Japanese singer Lisa Komine (born 1978) * Lisa (South Korean singer) (born 1980) * Lisa (Japanese musician, b ...

from her album ''Alter Ego'', which was released on February 28. In June 2025, Tyla hosted the Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards.

Artistry

Tyla's biggest musical influences include

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Michael Jackson, one of the most culturally significan ...

Britney Spears Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American singer. Often referred to as the "Princess of Pop", she has sold over 150 million records worldwide, making her one of the world's best-selling music artists. Cultural impact of Brit ...

Drake Drake may refer to: Animals and creatures * A male duck * Drake (mythology), a term related to and often synonymous with dragon People and fictional characters * Drake (surname), a list of people and fictional characters with the family ...

Wizkid Ayodeji Ibrahim Balogun (born 16 July 1990), better known as Wizkid, is a Nigerian singer and songwriter. Born in the Ojuelegba suburb of Surulere, Lagos, Wizkid is a voice in the emerging Afrobeats movement. His music is a blend of Afrobea ...

Whitney Houston Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012) was an American singer, actress, film producer, model, and philanthropist. Commonly referred to as "Honorific nicknames in popular music, the Voice", she is List of awards and no ...

Freshlyground Freshlyground is an Afro-fusion pop band formed in Cape Town, South Africa, in 2002. Freshlyground is best known for writing, performing and playing the instrumentals of the afrofusion and soca single "''Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)''" a ...

Aaliyah Aaliyah Dana Haughton ( ; January 16, 1979 – August 25, 2001) was an American singer, actress, dancer, and model. Known as the " Princess of R&B" and "Queen of Urban Pop", she is credited with helping to redefine contemporary R&B, p ...

and Cassie. 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

and

genres, infused with elements of R&B and

Afrobeats Afrobeats, not to be confused with Afrobeat or Afroswing, is an umbrella term to describe popular music from West Africa and the diaspora that initially developed in Ghana, Nigeria, and the UK in the 2000s and 2010s. Afrobeats is less of a st ...

Discography

* '' Tyla'' (2024)

Tours

Headling * Tyla Tour (2024) Supporting *

(2023)

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * {{Authority control 2002 births Living people Coloureds Epic Records artists Grammy Award winners Singers from Johannesburg South African pop singers South African women pop singers 21st-century South African women singers Amapiano musicians South African people of Indian descent South African people of Irish descent South African people of Mauritian descent Zulu people Singers of Indian descent People from Edenvale, Gauteng English-language singers from South Africa South African women songwriters MTV Video Music Award winners MTV Europe Music Award winners