Tyla is the stage name of Tyla Laura Seethal, a South African singer and songwriter born in 2002. Her work sits at the meeting point of pop and amapiano, and she is often associated with the label “Queen of Popiano”.

Background and early career

Tyla is born and raised in the East Rand of Johannesburg. She signs with Epic Records in 2021 after the domestic success of her debut single, “Getting Late”, which appears in 2019.

Breakthrough and recordings

She gains international recognition with “Water” in 2023. The song enters the top ten in several countries, including South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States. It is also the first song by a South African solo artist to reach the US Billboard Hot 100 in 55 years, and it wins the first Grammy Award for Best African Music Performance.

Her self-titled debut album follows in 2024 and is released to critical acclaim and moderate commercial success. Later releases include the extended play WWP in 2025 and the studio album A*POP in 2026.

Awards and recognition

Tyla is the youngest African artist in history to win a Grammy Award. Her other honours include an MTV Video Music Award, two BET Awards, three MTV Europe Music Awards and the honorary Global Force Award at the first Billboard R&B's No. 1's. She is also nominated for a Brit Award, an Ivor Novello Award, a Soul Train Music Award and nine South African Music Awards.