By: Bobby Nishimwe
Tyla Laura Seether, popularly known as Tyla, has been taking on the global music waves like El Nino. She is by every definition of the word a disruptor to the normal current of western artistic patterns. Tyla does not hail from New York, Atlanta or London but is a part of a growing trend of Gen-Z musical talent from Africa who see the West as a market frontier ready for exploration.
The exploration in this case is less so about discovering what is in the west, rather bringing some African flavor that western audiences could use in their musical consumption. Unlike our brother El Nino, Tyla is from Johannesburg, South Africa and is also a part of a number of increasing Mzansi artists who are taking their nation’s sound to the global stage.
This South African sensation first came on the map in 2019 with her hit single, “Getting Late.” Characterized by an up tempo dance rhythm, this track falls under the Gqom genre described as “the foot-stomping new sound of South African townships.” This song was the world’s first introduction to the talent that is Tyla, and has continued to make her stomp on African music.
Tyla started singing from an early age, having done covers of Justin Bieber from when she was just 11 years old. That young girl would one day grow up to be a 21 year old whose single “Water” would be one of the biggest songs by an African artist in our Lord’s year of 2023. Currently, “Water” boasts over 107M streams and 21M monthly listeners on Spotify alone . Debuted at #63, with a peak of 46, and 3 weeks on Billboard's Hot 100 charts (since Oct. 14th). She is the youngest South African musician to ever appear on that list and has the first solo song from her country to be on the chart since Hugh Masekela 55 years ago. The song also featured at #38 on Apple Music’s Top 100 most-played songs in the U.S.
As is true with any new artist who is trying to break out, TikTok is the turbo charge for reaching a wide audience. Being the Gen-Z that she is, Tyla understood this assignment and did something never done before in the world of music marketing; she created a dance challenge. Now I am joking, this is a tactic that has been employed in the industry for a while but it has not always worked for all who have attempted. In Tyla’s case, it definitely worked resulting in over 1M posts made on TikTok using this song alone.
This song has catapult Tyla to new heights earning performances on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon to the popular Swedish Bianca Talk Show.
The popularity of this song has brought Tyla an entirely new audience. Before the release of this song, she was still mainly in the core Amapiano fan base that is for the most part heavily African. “Water” as a track sounds more like a fusion of R&B and dance, giving it more recognizable elements for a western audience that is used to those music forms.
I have to confess, I personally am not the biggest fan of “Water” but I think that’s just because I am not the target audience. And you know what, that is totally fine. I did see her perform the song live in Brooklyn and it was a beautiful performance to witness. You will not catch me pouring water on my back doing this dance challenge but to those who are committed, I am glad you are supporting a young African woman.
Shockingly, Tyla does not have a large discography even though she had a hit song back in 2019. She has only released six singles, no EP or Album. Out of the six singles, I personally like three of them which are “Getting Late,” “Over ft. DJ Lag & Kooldrink (a part of Netflix’s Blood & Water’s soundtrack),” and “To Last.”
She has worked with various artists from Ayra Starr, Summer Walker, Marioo (Tanzanian artist, not to be confused with the R&B singer, Mario) and more.
Her song with Ayra Starr “Girl Next Door” was a personal disappointment as it felt like a rushed project that industry executives wanted to put together for aesthetic and marketing purposes. Look, I am not mad at that intention as both are two young female African artists on the global stage but they should have at least given them a song that actually worked.
Her song with Summer Walker was a remix of “Girls Need Love.”
One of my favorite tracks with Tyla is the song she did with my Tanzanian brother, Marioo and South African artist, Ch’cco called “Amawele.” This song has to be one of the most well crafted chill piano tracks between Tanzanian and South African artists. “Amawele” puts you in a relaxed state as one experienced by partaking in a night of wine consumption over dinner with the one person who means the world to you. It is a song that expresses one's desire for their lover’s affection.
Tyla has also worked with incredible South African acts from Major League Djz, Kelvin Momo, Yumbs, Daliwonga and more.
If I was on her team, I would have an EP ready to drop either at the end of this year or just at the beginning of 2024. She is the hottest thing in music right now and her team must take advantage of this moment. Before the start of summer 2024, Tyla needs to increase her discography to set forth a path for a global tour as the momentum is currently on her side.
She is under Epic Records and is represented by the Africa Creative Agency.
I cannot wait for Tyla’s debut EP or album drop and am looking forward to what she has in store for us in the coming year.
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