Tyla

Tyla (born Tyla Laura Seethal, January 30, 2002) is a South African singer and songwriter from Edenvale, Gauteng, in the East Rand of Johannesburg. With a heritage spanning Zulu, Indian, Indo-Mauritian, and Irish roots, she grew up immersed in a diverse musical environment that would later inform her eclectic sound.^[3]

She was discovered by manager Garth von Glehn near the end of her final year at Edenglen High School, where she served as Head of Culture, after he came across her original songs and covers on Instagram. She signed with Epic Records through a US joint venture with FAX Records in May 2021. Her debut single "Getting Late" (featuring Kooldrink), self-released in late 2019, had already achieved national success in South Africa before her international career took shape.^[3]

Tyla broke internationally in 2023 with "Water," which became the first song by a South African soloist to enter the US Billboard Hot 100 in 55 years. The song's viral success on TikTok led to her winning the inaugural Grammy Award for Best African Music Performance at the 2024 ceremony, making her one of the most celebrated artists to emerge from sub-Saharan Africa in a generation.^[3]

Known as the "Queen of Popiano," Tyla has built her artistic identity around fusing amapiano rhythms and Afrobeats textures with pop and R&B, creating a sound she has described as her mission to bring African music into global mainstream contexts without diluting its essential character. Her musical influences include Michael Jackson, Rihanna, Beyonce, Britney Spears, Wizkid, Whitney Houston, and Aaliyah.^[4][5]

Her second Grammy came at the 68th Annual Grammy Awards on February 1, 2026, for "Push 2 Start," making her the youngest African artist in history to hold two Grammy Awards. At the same ceremony, she announced her second studio album A-Pop (released March 15, 2026), preceded by the lead single "CHANEL," which reached number 11 on the Billboard Global 200.^[4][8]