"Water" is a song by South African singer

Tyla Tyla Laura Seethal (born 30 January 2002), known mononymously as Tyla, is a South African singer and songwriter. Her musical style is characterised by a fusion of pop and amapiano, with many publications dubbing her " Queen of Popiano". Born a ...

from her debut studio album, ''

'' (2024). It was released on 28 July 2023 by Fax and

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 ...

as the album's lead single. An

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 ...

song with elements 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 ...

, 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 ...

, it sees Tyla expressing a desire for a passionate, intimate tryst. Remix versions of the song by American rapper

Travis Scott Jacques Bermon Webster III (born April 30, 1991), known professionally as Travis Scott (formerly stylized as Travi$ Scott), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. Scott has had five number-one hits on the U.S. ''Bil ...

and record producer

Marshmello Christopher Comstock (born May 19, 1992), known professionally as Marshmello, is an American DJ and record producer. His songs "Silence (Marshmello song), Silence" (featuring Khalid (American singer), Khalid), "Wolves (Selena Gomez and Mar ...

were released on 17 November 2023. "Water" was certified multi-platinum in a number of countries, including South Africa and the United States, and was certified diamond in Brazil by

Pro-Música Brasil Pro-Música Brasil (PMB), previously Associação Brasileira dos Produtores de Discos (ABPD) ( English: Brazilian Association of Record Producers), is an official representative body of the record labels in the Brazilian phonographic market. H ...

. The song topped ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

''s list of the 40 best

Afropop African popular music (also styled Afropop, Afro-pop, Afro pop or African pop) can be defined as any African music, regardless of genre, that uses Western pop musical instruments, such as the guitar, piano, trumpet, etc.Olabode, O. (2023, J ...

songs of 2023 and the ''Billboard'' Year-End U.S. Afrobeats Songs of 2024. "Water" won multiple accolades including 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, ''Billboard'' Music Award for Top Afrobeats Song and

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) ...

for Best Afrobeats Video.

Background and release

"Water" was produced by British record producer Sammy Soso. Production of the song began in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

and finished in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

before it was sent to songwriters in

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

, who recorded a vocal demo. Tyla liked the instrumentation and recorded the song in

Cape Town Cape Town is the legislature, legislative capital city, capital of South Africa. It is the country's oldest city and the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. Cape Town is the country's List of municipalities in South Africa, second-largest ...

, South Africa. She told ''

Interview An interview is a structured conversation where one participant asks questions, and the other provides answers.Merriam Webster DictionaryInterview Dictionary definition, Retrieved February 16, 2016 In common parlance, the word "interview" re ...

'' that after finishing "Water", she was convinced that the song would be successful and dreamed about "watching er

Spotify Spotify (; ) is a List of companies of Sweden, Swedish Music streaming service, audio streaming and media service provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. , it is one of the largest providers of music streaming services ...

streams climb by the second". Before "Water" was released, Tyla successfully performed it as an opening act on the European leg of

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 ...

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 early 2023. She first shared a snippet of the song and its accompanying dance challenge on

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 ...

in July 2023. Choreographed by South African dancer Lee-ché "Litchi" Janecke and inspired by the Bacardi dance style which originated in

Pretoria Pretoria ( ; ) is the Capital of South Africa, administrative capital of South Africa, serving as the seat of the Executive (government), executive branch of government, and as the host to all foreign embassies to the country. Pretoria strad ...

, the dance involves shaking one's hips before pouring water down one's back in time to the song's chorus. Originally intended for a different song with a more-appropriate musical genre for this dance style, Tyla insisted to Janecke that the choreography would work with "Water" and decided to add the water-pouring to help the song go viral. Event starts at 5:20. Tyla released another teaser and announced the song's release date via social media on 16 July 2023. The song was previewed on 21 July 2023 during an interview with Tyla on

's ''Mic Check'' podcast series after she appeared on the streaming platform's ''Radar'' program for emerging artists. She posted its cover art on social media on 25 July, before it was released on 28 July 2023. The song gained traction on TikTok in August 2023 after a video of Tyla doing the accompanying dance during a live performance went viral. By mid-September, it began surging in streams and videos on TikTok. In the United States, it impacted

rhythmic contemporary Rhythmic contemporary, also known as Rhythmic Top 20, Rhythmic Top 30, Rhythmic Top 40, Rhythmic CHR or rhythmic crossover, is a primarily American music-radio format that includes a mix of EDM, upbeat rhythmic pop, hip-hop and upbeat R&B hit ...

radio on 3 October, and

contemporary hit radio Contemporary hit radio (CHR, also known as contemporary hits, hit list, current hits, hit music, top 40, or pop radio) is a radio format common in many countries that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by the Top ...

on 24 October. The song was also played on European radio that month. Originally planned as the lead single from Tyla's debut EP, it was the first single from her debut studio album after her international breakthrough. Released on 17 November 2023, "Water" had remix versions by American rapper and labelmate

and record producer

Composition and lyrics

"Water" blends

and

(described by Tyla as "popiano"), 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 ...

music. The song was written in time in the key of

D♯ minor D-sharp minor is a minor scale based on D, consisting of the pitches D, E, F, G, A, B, and C. Its key signature has six sharps. Its relative major is F-sharp major (or enharmonically G-flat major). Its parallel major, D-sharp major, is ...

, with a moderately-fast

tempo In musical terminology, tempo (Italian for 'time'; plural 'tempos', or from the Italian plural), measured in beats per minute, is the speed or pace of a given musical composition, composition, and is often also an indication of the composition ...

of 117 beats per minute (BPM). Tyla's vocals on the track span between the low note of G♯₃ and the high note of C♯₅, giving the song one octave and five tones of vocal range. It is characterised by a prominent amapiano

log drum Log most often refers to: * Trunk (botany), the stem and main wooden axis of a tree, called logs when cut ** Logging, cutting down trees for logs ** Firewood, logs used for fuel ** Lumber or timber, converted from wood logs * Logarithm, in mathem ...

, sensuous melodies, and Tyla's "euphonious" vocals. About the song's lyrics, Tyla described it as "kind of a naughty song" and told ''

'' that "the meaning of the song is frisky: it's erletting a guy know, 'Show me what you got to offer. I'm done with all the talk. She was inspired by songs which are indirect and use

sexual innuendo An innuendo is a hint, insinuation or intimation about a person or thing, especially of a denigrating or derogatory nature. It can also be a remark or question, typically disparaging (also called insinuation), that works obliquely by allusion ...

, citing " Rock the Boat" by American singer

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 ...

as an example. Tyla uses vivid imagery to express her desire for what Neon Music described as "an all-consuming, soul-stirring connection" involving romance and sex.

Commercial performance

North America

After becoming popular on the

online video platform An online video platform (OVP) enables users to upload, convert, store, and play back video content on the Internet, often via a private server structured, large-scale system that may generate revenue. Users will generally upload video content vi ...

TikTok in August 2023, the

hashtag A hashtag is a metadata tag operator that is prefaced by the hash symbol, ''#''. On social media, hashtags are used on microblogging and photo-sharing services–especially Twitter and Tumblr–as a form of user-generated tagging that enable ...

s #TylaWaterChallenge and #TylaWater had over 446.8 million views with over 600,000 videos in October. "Water" peaked at number 11 on the TikTok ''Billboard'' Top 50. It entered the ''Billboard'' US Afrobeats Songs chart at number 37 on 9 September 2023, topping it before debuting at number 67 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 on 14 October 2023. Tyla was the youngest-ever South African and the first South African soloist in over 55 years to enter the Hot 100, 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. "Water" peaked at number seven on the chart on 13 January 2024, making Tyla the highest-charting African female soloist on the Hot 100 and surpassing

Miriam Makeba Zenzile Miriam Makeba ( , ; 4 March 1932 – 9 November 2008), nicknamed Mama Africa, was a South African singer, songwriter, actress, and civil rights activist. Associated with musical genres including African popular music, Afropop, ja ...

's peak with "

Pata Pata "Pata Pata" is an Afro-pop dance song popularized internationally by South African singer Miriam Makeba. "Pata Pata" is credited to Makeba and Jerry Ragovoy. Her most popular recording of "Pata Pata" was recorded and released in the United State ...

" (number 12 in 1968). The song reached number four in the Philippines and number 10 in Panama. Luminate reported that during the tracking week of 22–28 March 2024, "Water" had 10.3 million

streams A stream is a continuous body of surface water flowing within the bed and banks of a channel. Depending on its location or certain characteristics, a stream may be referred to by a variety of local or regional names. Long, large stream ...

in the United States (a 17% increase over the preceding week's 8.8 million). In song sales and radio airplay (the final two measures influencing the Hot R&B Songs chart), "Water" had a 17-percent increase in

download In computer networks, download means to ''receive'' data from a remote system, typically a server such as a web server, an FTP server, an email server, or other similar systems. This contrasts with uploading, where data is ''sent to'' a remote ...

sales over that time and a four-percent decrease in airplay audience across all formats with 2,000 downloads sold. It topped the

World Digital Song Sales The World Digital Song Sales chart (formerly World Digital Songs) is a weekly record chart compiled by Nielsen SoundScan and published by ''Billboard'' magazine. Established in 2010—its first issue was dated January 23—as one of 21 genre-speci ...

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 ...

and Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay charts in the United States. "Water" peaked at number 15 in Canada, where it was certified triple platinum by

Music Canada Music Canada is a non-profit Industry trade group, trade organization that was founded 9 April 1963 in Toronto to represent the interests of companies that record, manufacture, produce, and distribute music in Canada. It also offers benefits to s ...

, and was certified double platinum by the

Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

(RIAA) in the United States. The song was certified Gold in Mexico by the

Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas (AMPROFON) (English: Mexican Association of Producers of Phonograms and Videograms, A.C.) is a non-profit organization integrated by multinational and national record companies in M ...

(AMPROFON).

Elsewhere

"Water" made its first-ever chart appearance on the Hot Singles Chart in New Zealand on 21 August 2023 (where it topped the NZ Singles Chart on 30 October), and was certified triple platinum by

Recorded Music NZ Recorded Music NZ (formerly the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ)) is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell recorded music in New Zealand. Membership of Recorded ...

. It entered the

UK Afrobeats Singles Chart The UK Afrobeats Singles Chart is a record chart compiled in the United Kingdom by the Official Charts Company (OCC) to determine the 20 most popular singles in the afrobeats and afroswing genres. The chart is compiled by the OCC from digital ...

at number 13 on 9 September 2023 before debuting at number 55 on the UK Singles Chart on 21 September 2023, where it peaked at number four five weeks later. The song topped the Afrobeats chart and the

UK R&B Chart Official Hip Hop and R&B Albums Chart The UK Hip Hop and R&B Singles Chart and the UK Hip Hop and R&B Albums Chart (also known as The Official UK Hip Hop and R&B Charts, and previously the Top 40 Hip Hop and RnB Singles and the Top 40 Hip Hop and ...

. "Water" music video reached number 2 on the UK Music Video Charts, and the song was certified platinum by the

British Phonographic Industry BPI (British Recorded Music Industry) Limited, trading as British Phonographic Industry (BPI), is the British recorded music industry's trade association. It runs the BRIT Awards; is home to the Mercury Prize; co-owns the Official Charts C ...

. It peaked at number 5 in South Africa, where it was later certified quadruple platinum. "Water" was only certified triple diamond in Turkey and double platinum in India. On 19 February 2025, Tyla became the African solo artist to surpass 1 billion streams on Spotify.

Music video

Solo version

The music video for "Water" premiered on

YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...

on 6 October 2023, where it had three million views in three days. Filmed in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, the video was directed by Child. and C&P. In the video, Tyla and friends prepare for a night out at a beachside party. She performs the "Water" choreography at the party before dancing sensually with her love interest near the end of the video. Tyla told ''

Essence Essence () has various meanings and uses for different thinkers and in different contexts. It is used in philosophy and theology as a designation for the property (philosophy), property or set of properties or attributes that make an entity the ...

'' that she wanted to create something that felt "hot and steamy", saying that it was the first time she had explored a love story in one of her music videos. By September 2024, the music video had over 230 million views.

Remix

The music video for the remix, featuring

and directed by

Nabil Elderkin Nabil Elderkin (born February 11, 1982) is an American-born Australian film and music video director and photographer, who is of Iranian and American descent. He is mononymously credited as Nabil in his videos. Elderkin has directed videos for ...

, premiered on 18 March 2024. In the video, Tyla sings her verse as Scott stands on the opposite side of a wet, foggy glass in a shadowy place; the rapper then performs his verse standing next to Tyla.

Controversy

On 11 September 2024, "Water" received the MTV Video Music Award for Best Afrobeats Video at the

2024 MTV Video Music Awards The 2024 MTV Video Music Awards were held at the UBS Arena in Elmont, New York, on September 11, 2024. The ceremony was originally scheduled to take place on September 10, 2024, but was rescheduled to a day later to avoid conflicts with the pr ...

. In her acceptance speech, Tyla identified as a South African amapiano artist. Nigerian

radio personality A radio personality is a person who has an on-air position in radio broadcasting. A radio personality who hosts a radio show is also known as a radio host (North American English), radio presenter (British English) or radio jockey. Radio personali ...

, Do2tun, took to social media and called her a hypocrite for accepting an Afrobeats accolade. "Water" lost the Record of the Year award to Mthandeni SK and

Lwah Ndlunkulu Lwandile Mtshali, professionally known as Lwah Ndlunkulu or Lwah The Ndlunkulu is a South African singer and songwriter. Born and raised Hluhluwe, KwaZulu-Natal, having signed a record deal with Nkabi Records released her debut single "Ithuba" ...

's "Paris" at the 30th Annual South African Music Awards. Following the conclusion of the main show on 2 November,

Cassper Nyovest Refiloe Maele Phoolo (born 16 December 1990), professionally known as Cassper Nyovest, is a South African rapper, songwriter, entrepreneur, record producer and amateur boxer. Born and raised in Mahikeng, North West (South African province), Nor ...

posted on

Twitter Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...

to express his feelings on how Tyla was snubbed of the accolade. In response, Mthandeni SK implied that Nyovest, a

hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...

musician, was trying to use

maskandi Maskandi (also Maskanda) is a form of Zulu music, Zulu folk music, originally associated with migrant workers,boxing match Boxing is a combat sport and martial art. Taking place in a boxing ring, it involves two people – usually wearing protective equipment, such as protective gloves, hand wraps, and mouthguards – throwing punches at each other for a p ...

to address their issues.

Live performances

"Water" was first performed in Portugal in June 2023 at Afro Nation Portugal, before its release. Tyla then performed "Water" in August 2023 for

Vevo Vevo LLC ( , an abbreviation for "Video Evolution", stylized in all caps until 2013) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational video hosting service, best known for providing music videos to YouTube. The service is also available ...

's ''DSCVR'' program, a video series which spotlights emerging artists. She made her international television debut in early October 2023, performing the song on '' The Bianca Show'' in Sweden and being interviewed by the host. Tyla also performed the song on ''

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 later that month. She performed a remix of the song with DJ Black Coffee at a

Sandton Sandton is a financial, commercial and residential area, located in the northern part of the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality. Formerly an independent municipality, Sandton's name came from the combination of two of its suburbs, Sa ...

nightclub in December 2023. Tyla performed the song in a medley with her follow-up single, "

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 ...

", during the finale of season 24 of the American talent-competition show '' The Voice'' later that month. Tyla performed a medley of "On and On", "Truth or Dare", and "Water" in

Times Square Times Square is a major commercial intersection, tourist destination, entertainment hub, and Neighborhoods in New York City, neighborhood in the Midtown Manhattan section of New York City. It is formed by the junction of Broadway (Manhattan), ...

on the 2024 ''

Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve ''Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve'' (''NYRE''), billed since 2008 as ''Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest'', is a New Year's Eve television special broadcast by American Broadcasting Company, ABC. The special broadcasts ...

'' television special. She then attended the Prelude to the 2024 Olympic Games at the Foundation Louis Vuitton in Paris on 25 July 2024, wearing a black-velvet

Louis Vuitton Louis Vuitton Malletier SAS, commonly known as Louis Vuitton (, ), is a French Luxury goods, luxury fashion house and company founded in 1854 by Louis Vuitton (designer), Louis Vuitton. The label's LV monogram appears on most of its products, ...

tracksuit, where she performed a medley of "Thata Ahh", "

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 ...

" and "Water" in an oversized Louis Vuitton jersey and spandex shorts. Tyla performed most of the tracks from the album, including "Breathe Me" and "Water", and cover songs at the 2024 edition of the

Summer Sonic Festival is an annual music festival held on one weekend in August simultaneously in both Chiba and Osaka, Japan. The festival features revolving lineups performing one day in Osaka then performing the next day in Chiba and vice-versa. The lineup often ...

Osaka is a Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the List of cities in Japan, third-most populous city in J ...

on 17 August 2024. In a 45-minute-long

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

performance the following day, she opened with "Safer" and "On My Body" (performed with

Becky G Rebbeca Marie Gomez (born March 2, 1997), known professionally as Becky G, is an American singer and actress. Born and raised in Inglewood, California, she first gained recognition in 2011 for her cover version, cover versions of popular song ...

), and closed with "Water". From 23 to 25 August 2024, she performed "Water" at the LaLaLa Festival in

Jakarta Jakarta (; , Betawi language, Betawi: ''Jakartè''), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta (; ''DKI Jakarta'') and formerly known as Batavia, Dutch East Indies, Batavia until 1949, is the capital and largest city of Indonesia and ...

. Tyla performed a medley of "Water" and " Push 2 Start" in

Brooklyn Navy Yard The Brooklyn Navy Yard (originally known as the New York Navy Yard) is a shipyard and industrial complex in northwest Brooklyn in New York City, New York (state), New York, U.S. The Navy Yard is located on the East River in Wallabout Bay, a se ...

on 15 October 2024, at the 2024 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show, and again in

Co-op Live Co-op Live is an indoor arena in Manchester, England, sited in the Etihad Campus next to the City of Manchester Stadium. It opened on 14 May 2024 and is the List of indoor arenas in Europe, largest indoor arena in the UK by capacity, and List ...

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

, United Kingdom on 10 November, at the 30th Annual MTV Europe Music Awards.

Accolades

Awards and nominations

On 10 August 2024, Basadi in Music Awards honoured Tyla with the Highest Airplay accolade for "Water" at the 3rd Annual Basadi In Music Awards.Awards received by Tyla: * * It was awarded the Global Force Award by ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' on 8 September 2024, at the inaugural ''Billboard'' R&B's No. 1s held in New York.

Year-end lists

Credits and personnel

Credits are adapted from the digital liner notes. ;Recording * ACP Studios –

, South Africa * SessionsAtlanta Studios –

, United States ;Musicians *

–

lead vocals The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of the ...

background vocals A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are u ...

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and def ...

lyricist A lyricist is a writer who writes lyrics (the spoken words), as opposed to a composer, who writes the song's music which may include but not limited to the melody, harmony, arrangement and accompaniment. Royalties A lyricist's income derives ...

* Sammy Soso – background vocals,

programming Program (American English; also Commonwealth English in terms of computer programming and related activities) or programme (Commonwealth English in all other meanings), programmer, or programming may refer to: Business and management * Program m ...

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Wood * Bass or basswood, the wood of the tilia americana tree Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in th ...

arranger In music, an arrangement is a musical adaptation of an existing composition. Differences from the original composition may include reharmonization, melodic paraphrasing, orchestration, or formal development. Arranging differs from orchestrat ...

, composer, lyricist, producer, vocal producer * Ari PenSmith – background vocals, composer, lyricist * Imani Lewis – composer, lyricist * Corey Marlon Lindsay-Keay – songwriter, vocal producer * Rayan El-Hussein Goufar – songwriter, co-producer * Olmo Zucca – composer * Ebenezer Maxwell – vocal producer * Jack Lomastro – composer *

Tricky Stewart Christopher Alan "Tricky" Stewart (born January 4, 1974) is an American record producer, record executive, songwriter, and music publisher. Stewart, a five-time Grammy Award recipient, began producing music in 1992 and has contributed to unit s ...

– composer ;Technical * Ebenezer Maxwell –

recording engineer An audio engineer (also known as a sound engineer or recording engineer) helps to produce a recording or a live performance, balancing and adjusting sound sources using equalization, dynamics processing and audio effects, mixing, reproducti ...

* Leandro "Dro" Hidalgo –

mixing engineer A mixing engineer (or simply mix engineer) is responsible for combining ("mixing") different sonic elements of an auditory piece into a complete rendition (also known as "final mix" or "mixdown"), whether in music, film, or any other content of a ...

* Richard Ledesma – recording engineer * Sammy Soso – recording engineer *

Colin Leonard Colin Leonard is an American mastering engineer. In 2024, he won a Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album (Victoria Monét) and in 2025 for Album of the Year (Beyoncé), as well as receiving 14 nominations. He has also received 13 Latin Grammy ...

– mastering

Charts

Weekly charts

Monthly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications and sales

Release history

Footnotes

References

External links

* {{Authority control 2023 singles 2023 songs Epic Records singles Number-one singles in New Zealand Number-one singles in Romania South African Airplay Chart number-one singles Number-one singles in Suriname Songs written by Ari PenSmith Songs written by Tricky Stewart Songs written by Tyla (South African singer) Travis Scott songs Tyla (South African singer) songs Amapiano songs Music video controversies Marshmello songs Song recordings produced by Sammy Soso