Tyla

About Tyla

Water was still climbing the global charts when Tyla walked into the studio to record her debut album.

Tyla Laura Seethal was born on January 30, 2002, in the East Rand of Johannesburg. She grew up in South Africa's bustling heartland, where the sounds of local music shaped her early years. Music was calling long before the world knew her name.

Her first single, Getting Late, dropped in 2019 and found quick success at home. The track announced a new voice in South African pop. By 2021, Tyla had signed with Epic Records, a deal that would change everything. The label saw what listeners already knew—she had something special.

Water arrived in 2023 and broke through in ways few songs do. It topped charts in South Africa, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The song became the first by a South African soloist to crack the US Billboard Hot 100 in 55 years. Radio stations worldwide couldn't stop playing it.

Water also earned Tyla the inaugural Grammy Award for Best African Music Performance. She became the youngest African artist in history to win a Grammy. At just 22, she had already achieved what most artists chase their entire careers.

Her self-titled debut album followed in 2024 to critical acclaim. The project showcased her signature blend of pop and amapiano, a fusion that earned her the title "Queen of Popiano." Publications across the globe celebrated her sound as fresh and unmistakably her own.

The accolades kept coming. Two MTV Video Music Awards. Two BET Awards. Three MTV Europe Music Awards. Nominations for a BRIT Award and an Ivor Novello Award arrived alongside nine South African Music Award nominations. By 2025, she had released the extended play We Wanna Party and the single Chanel, both achieving strong commercial success.

Tyla's rise from East Rand to global stages happened fast but never felt rushed. She carries South African music with her wherever she goes. At 23, she is already one of the continent's biggest exports.