{"id":63206,"date":"2025-08-06T18:30:07","date_gmt":"2025-08-06T18:30:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/63206\/"},"modified":"2025-08-06T18:30:07","modified_gmt":"2025-08-06T18:30:07","slug":"tyla-on-her-second-album-rejecting-pop-music-and-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/63206\/","title":{"rendered":"Tyla on Her Second Album, Rejecting Pop Music and More"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\t\u201cDo you mind if I just stay in my robe?\u201d Tyla<\/a> asks, her slippers already on the floor.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe 23-year-old South African pop star seems even smaller than her 5-foot-3-inch frame as she curls into the corner of a dressing room couch, her knees tucked to her chest, after standing for nearly three hours in front of a camera.\u00a0 It\u2019s 9 p.m. on a Friday in a Manhattan studio, and while the week should be winding down, Tyla isn\u2019t. She cues up her just-released single, \u201cBliss,\u201d briefly lowering the volume on the song, a mesh of R&B and Afrobeats, so she can more clearly explain the lyrics.\u00a0 <\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cIt\u2019s such a real love song,\u201d she says, acknowledging that its deeply sensual lyrics are \u201ca bit dramatic\u201d (the single\u2019s cover artwork<\/a> features her drenched in sweat, her head buried in\u00a0a man\u2019s bare chest). \u201cBut they are things I\u2019ve said and felt: \u2018I don\u2019t want to live without you.\u2019 It\u2019s so intense \u2026 but beautiful. Losing something or someone that I love is probably my biggest fear.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThis intensity is no accident and may have another source of inspiration beyond the obvious romantic bliss: Since the release of her critically revered self-titled debut album<\/a> last year \u2014 and the global success of \u201cWater<\/a>,\u201d the smash single that started it all \u2014 Tyla has been fixated on how to follow it. <\/p>\n

\n\tIt\u2019s no small challenge. The song, built on a foundation of amapiano \u2014 a subgenre of South African house music \u2014 but infused with pop and R&B melodies and accented by elements of Afrobeats, was unlike anything else on pop radio at the time. Despite the recent success of many African artists, \u201cWater\u201d has a directness that made it a breakthrough song for the diaspora.<\/p>\n

\n\tIt became a near-instant hit after Tyla and her choreographer, Litchi, posted videos<\/a> of the singer doing a B<\/a>acardi<\/a>-inspired dance on TikTok in August 2023. In it, she glides across the floor while pouring water over her swaying hips and singing, \u201cMake me sweat, make me hotter, make me lose my breath, make me water.\u201d The move went viral, and Tyla did too \u2014 everything from her dancing to her look.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\tRichie Shazam for Variety<\/p>\n

\n\tToday, she admits that she\u2019s still recalibrating from that unexpected triumph.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWhen \u2018Water\u2019 happened, I wasn\u2019t ready,\u201d she says. \u201cI became obsessed with the idea of doing things \u2018right.\u2019 I wanted more time to make mistakes to fully figure out who I am as an artist, but then things just went \u2026 Well, you know.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tWe know. \u201cWater\u201d was a major hit in more than 40 countries, reaching the top 10 everywhere from Australia to Romania to South Africa to the U.K. It hit No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S., where Tyla became the highest-charting solo female African artist in the country\u2019s history. In Brazil, the song was even certified two-times diamond (the next \u2014 and only \u2014 step up after platinum). It was nominated for BET and BRIT and iHeartRadio and Ivor Novello and VMA and Kids\u2019 Choice awards and won a Grammy for best African music performance \u2014 all before the release of her debut album.<\/p>\n

\n\tThat momentum has continued. In April, Tyla debuted \u201cBliss\u201d during her first performance at the Coachella festival (without telling her team in advance), and she released a new four-song EP in late July.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tOn the heels of that success, Tyla\u2019s quickly become a high-fashion darling, delivering standout red carpet fare \u2014 from the custom Balmain sand dress she wore to the 2024 Met Gala to the vintage Roberto Cavalli she wore for the 2024 MTV European Music Awards. She\u2019s had such an impact that Vogue editorial director Anna Wintour made her a member of the 2025 Met Gala host committee.<\/p>\n

\n\tDirectly after this evening\u2019s interview, she\u2019s off to another photo shoot, for her stint hosting the Nickelodeon Kids\u2019 Choice Awards. Earlier in the week, she was again on the Met Gala carpet, this time rocking a pinstripe gown styled by Law Roach and a bleached-blonde pixie cut. Later that evening, she co-hosted Richie Akiva\u2019s swanky afterparty with Doja Cat, Colman Domingo and Edward Enninful.<\/p>\n

\n\tIt\u2019s all a long way from her hometown of Edenvale, South Africa, a village of 70,000 people outside the metropolis of Johannesburg. \u201cWhat\u2019s happened to me is not a normal thing,\u201d she says. \u201cI don\u2019t think any human could go from where I came from and feel normal about millions of people knowing who you are. I respect the African and South African artists that came before me and literally helped me get here. I\u2019m grateful for everything, and to be able to represent my country is something that I\u2019m so happy to carry.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t * * *<\/p>\n

\n\tThere was a massive tree in the backyard of Tyla\u2019s childhood home in South Africa that she and her siblings \u2014 two sisters and a brother \u2014 would clamber up and around, turning its branches into props for their superhero fantasies, pretending they had the power to do or be anything. \u201cThere was no choice but to entertain ourselves and each other,\u201d Tyla says, her eyes softening at the memory.<\/p>\n

\n\tTheirs was a isolated adolescence, imposed by their parents, whom she describes as \u201cintentionally strict,\u201d although she\u2019s come to appreciate the discipline. \u201cWe weren\u2019t allowed to sleep over or even go to friends\u2019 houses,\u201d she recalls. \u201cBut I didn\u2019t mind it terribly; we\u2019d be having so much fun just staying home.\u201d <\/p>\n

\n\tBorn on Jan. 30, 2002, as the second-youngest of the four siblings, Tyla Laura Seethal grew up in a loud, lively, music-filled household. Her father would sing to wake the kids up before school, and on Sundays he\u2019d blast everything from country to R&B radio while cleaning the house. Her mother had multiple occupations, from candle-making to real estate and even acting in commercials.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\tRichie Shazam for Variety<\/p>\n

\n\tMusic ran through the extended family, too. \u201cMy uncle used to sing all the time,\u201d Tyla recalls. \u201cHe was the life of the party, and he\u2019d be capable of just pulling out a guitar in the middle of a crowd and encourage us to sing along.\u201d Her grandmother also had good pipes, competing in local singing competitions when she was younger. \u201cOur house was never quiet, and our neighbors definitely hated us,\u201d she says. \u201cWe were all always singing or laughing at the top of our lungs.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tBy the time Tyla was 14, she was convinced that she belonged onstage. She and her friends would form impromptu girl groups during recess, turning the playground into their stage. \u201cAt break time, we\u2019d tell everyone, \u2018There\u2019s a performance here at this time,\u2019\u201d she recalls. Inspired by Destiny\u2019s Child, they\u2019d sing and dance for their classmates, who gathered on the sidelines to watch.<\/p>\n

\n\tTyla began posting videos on YouTube, and by the time she was 16, she had built a small online following that caught the attention of FAX Records co-founder Garth von Glehn, who invited her to use his studio to record. With her parents\u2019 reluctant support, Tyla accepted the offer. \u201cIn my culture, there\u2019s a heavy emphasis on respecting your elders, and it\u2019s an unspoken [rule] that you can\u2019t question them,\u201d she explains. Her parents gave her a year between high school and college to pursue her dream of a musical career.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI just remember telling them they could trust me, and they told me all they truly cared about was my safety,\u201d she says. \u201cMy best friend, Thato, who is now my creative director, went with me everywhere and has been with me every step of the way. That made it easier for my family, who ultimately just wanted to know I wasn\u2019t alone.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tBy 2018, Tyla had signed with FAX Rec\u00adords, inking a deal with her current manager and label co-founder Brandon Hixton, who later brought on Colin Gayle, an artist manager from Jamaica. \u201cAt that point, we were all committed to [breaking Tyla in] Africa,\u201d says Gayle. \u201cAfrican music wasn\u2019t recognizable to the outside world, but we were just as excited as she was to spread the word. From the beginning, that was the selling point for all of us.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tTyla signed with Epic Records in 2021 after a bidding war that saw Epic chief Sylvia Rhone posting billboards in Johannesburg featuring the singer\u2019s image with the message \u201cEpic Records, love Sylvia Rhone.\u201d It was the only way to secure the singer\u2019s attention despite travel restrictions tied to the pandemic.<\/p>\n

\n\tIt was a lot for a 19-year-old to absorb. \u201cWhen I got signed, a lot of opinions came in,\u201d she recalls, \u201cand it was a very overwhelming experience.\u201d She tried a number of different musical styles over the course of many songwriting sessions and content-creation workshops, some of which tried to steer her into a bubblegum-pop direction. Those songs \u201cdidn\u2019t feel like me at all,\u201d she says, remembering one session where the songs pitched to her \u201cwere the most generic compositions you could ever think of.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\tRichie Shazam for Variety<\/p>\n

\n\tAdding to the pressure were cultural mores whereby women are in submissive roles \u2014 \u201cYou stay out of men\u2019s conversations, the men eat first,\u201d she says \u2014 making it even more challenging for a young woman to take charge. \u201cI remember being in my hotel room and my managers were calling me, \u2018Come down, we need to cut the song,\u2019\u201d she recalls. \u201cI was crying and thinking, \u2018This is not what I want. I didn\u2019t get signed to do this,\u2019\u201d she says of the push to record songs that didn\u2019t reflect her vision. \u201cThey had to [coax] me out of that room. \u201cBut,\u201d she continues with a deep sigh. \u201cI think through doing that, I realized how much more I love African music. It made me more persistent in keeping my ideas.\u201d So she cut out the noise and honed in on the sounds she felt in her heart.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI think back to recording \u2018Water,\u2019 and I couldn\u2019t have been more closed off to the outside world,\u201d she recalls. \u201cIt was just me, my engineer and his pregnant wife in the studio. I used to be so shy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cTyla\u2019s first hit had to come from an African perspective \u2014 sonically rooted in Africa, but with the ability to travel globally,\u201d says Ezekiel Lewis, president of Epic Records. \u201c\u2018Water\u2019 was really the fulfillment of that vision. It confirmed what we believed: that she needed to launch her career with something authentic yet universally resonant.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tWhen it came to crafting the thematic material of her new album, Tyla had more than a few life lessons to bring. \u201cI had to grow up fast, especially for someone coming from a strict family,\u201d she notes. \u201cIt was a constant challenge to learn.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tOne of those challenges related to her ethnic identity. Her background \u2014 a combination of Zulu, Irish and Mauritian-Indian heritage \u2014 became an unexpected point of controversy as her fame surged, fueled in part by the resurfacing of a 2020 TikTok in which she refers to herself as a \u201cColoured South African.\u201d In a June 2024 interview, Charlamagne Tha God asked her to explain the \u201cdebates that they be having about your identity,\u201d and she declined to answer, furthering the drama.<\/p>\n

\n\tBut although the term \u201cColored\u201d can be triggering for Black Americans, a painful reminder of the country\u2019s ongoing racist history, in South Africa, the term is more nuanced, often used to reflect a mixed-race heritage. In a statement posted online, just hours after the Charlamagne interview, Tyla said, \u201cI don\u2019t expect to be identified as Coloured outside of [South Africa] by anyone not comfortable doing so because I understand the weight of that word outside [of South Africa]. But to close this conversation, I\u2019m both Coloured in South Africa and a Black woman.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThat [controversy] was really confusing for me,\u201d she admits. \u201cI understood both sides of the story, but I was left asking, \u2018OK, but what do I do now?\u2019 When who you are is challenged, especially when it\u2019s all you\u2019ve ever known, it shakes you. You want to stand your ground, because if you don\u2019t, someone else will try to define it for you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\tRichie Shazam for Variety<\/p>\n

\n\tThat tension \u2014 the constant negotiation between personal identity and public perception \u2014 is one many artists know intimately. For those who move between cultures, like Tyla, identity isn\u2019t just personal; it becomes part of their artistic appeal, adding depth and global resonance to their work. <\/p>\n

\n\tMexican-American singer Becky G, who appeared on Tyla\u2019s debut album, sees it as one of her most compelling qualities: \u201cThe more authentic we are, the more universal the music becomes,\u201d she says. \u201cI really connected with [Tyla\u2019s] story \u2014 growing up between cultures, navigating different languages and genres, and still finding a way to make it yours. The music that comes from that place just hits different.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThese experiences carried over into the new songs collected on her recent four-track EP, \u201cWWP\u201d (referencing the age-old South African chant, \u201cWe Want to Party\u201d). In the biting \u201cMr. Media,\u201d she sings: \u201cMisdemeanor, why, why, why?\/ Why you gotta tell them, lie, lie, lie? \/ Honestly I\u2019m not surprised, Mr. Media \u2026 No matter how hard I try \/ I can never get it right.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI wanted to have music out there that felt like who I am right now,\u201d she says. \u201cI wanted something very aggressive and loud and summer-banger worthy. I needed to say what I said in \u2018Mr. Media\u2019 and let those ideas out before the album came. \u2018We Wanna Party\u2019 is meant to be a bridge to the album \u2014 and when the album comes,\u201d she teases, \u201cit\u2019s going to be such a totally different vibe than what people are expecting.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tAs for the EP\u2019s love songs like \u201cBliss,\u201d although no current love interest has been confirmed, it\u2019s a fair assumption that a certain someone is a source of inspiration. Is she in love right now?<\/p>\n

\n\tShe lets out a whispered \u201cYeah,\u201d before laughing.\u00a0\u201cWell, I\u2019m in love with a lot of things,\u201d she says, and adds, \u201cYou really have to make time for romance, and I purposefully set aside time for it when it\u2019s worth it. I\u2019ve had some heartbreak, so I\u2019m stronger now, but I love hard. Like, if my heart is broken, it\u2019s brrrrroken.\u201d <\/p>\n

\n\t * * *<\/p>\n

\n\tLater this year, Tyla will release a new amapiano single titled \u201cChanel,\u201d with her second album expected to follow. The songs were recorded in various locations around the world, primarily between Los Angeles and Barcelona, with a few other stops along the way. These diverse settings motivated her to experiment with a range of stylistic elements, including rap and reggaeton. The project is still in the works, and she\u2019s deep in the process of narrowing down the final track list, cutting from a growing pool of standout contenders.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI had more time to work on this album than I did the first, so I have a lot of songs,\u201d she says. \u201cIt feels really current \u2014 this time, I\u2019m living what I\u2019m singing, and it feels way more personal,\u201d she concludes with a smile. \u201cWay more like me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tAs she gets ready to head to her next engagement, Tyla still isn\u2019t quite ready to trade her robe for more conventional clothes. \u201cYou better look after me,\u201d she jokes to her security guard as she gathers her things, \u201cbecause this robe could unravel at any second!\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tAsked what\u2019s next, she offers up an expansive list of career goals: more performing, acting, voice acting (\u201cIt\u2019d have to be a really funny character\u201d) and creative direction for other artists.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI want to do almost everything,\u201d she says. \u201cI want to look back one day when I\u2019m older and be like, \u2018Damn! I really lived my life.\u2019\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\t\tStyling: Alex Badia; Senior Fashion Market editor; Emily Mercer; Senior Market editor, accessories: Thomas Waller; Fashion assistants: Ari Stark and Kimberly Infante; Makeup: Jimmy Stam\/OPUS Beauty; Hair: Ursula Stephen\/A Frame Agency using Ouidad; Nails: Tiana \u201cTiny\u201d; Look 1 (silver ball): Jumpsuit: Gucci; Shoes: Christian Louboutin; Earrings: Self-Portrait; Bracelets: Bvlgari; Cuff: Saint Laurent; Rings: Tiffany & Co. Tiffany Titan by Pharrell Williams; Look 2 (cover \/ purple jumpsuit): Jumpsuit and stole: Dsquared2; Shoes: Christian Louboutin; Earrings: Self-Portrait; Cuffs: Saint Laurent; Look 3 (brown stole): Bodysuit, skirt, stole and earring: Schiaparelli; Shoes: Christian Louboutin; Bracelets: Bvlgari; Look 4 (Purple top with zebra pants): Dress and pants: Duran Lantink; Shoes: Christian Louboutin; Earrings:\u00a0 Self-Portrait; Cuff: Saint Laurent; Bracelets: Bvlgari; Rings: Tiffany & Co. Tiffany Titan by Pharrell Williams\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u201cDo you mind if I just stay in my robe?\u201d Tyla asks, her slippers already on the floor.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":63207,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[88,45436,46786],"class_list":["post-63206","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-entertainment","tag-entertainment","tag-power-of-young-hollywood","tag-tyla"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63206","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=63206"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63206\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/63207"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=63206"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=63206"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=63206"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}