#GirlCrush: Meet nineteen-year-old sensation and rising star, Tyla
Rising star Tyla is living the teen pop princess fantasy that
all young women dream of!
Nineteen-year old singer and dancer Tyla makes her case as South Africa’s first global pop princess with her hotshot debut ‘Getting Late’ feat. Kooldrink – which has amassed over one-million combined streams. The hypnotic Amapiano track infused with candied vocals came complete with a blockbuster music video, hailed by PAPER as an “epic... real life fantasy”.
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The video racked up over 715,000 YouTube views within weeks and spawned reels of TikTok content – a platform where digital native Tyla is rapidly rising with over 678,000 followers and 10-million+ likes. It also garnered playlist support on Apple Music’s Dance and Electronic playlists The Wave and Vibes.
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The video for the single, 'Getting Late', centres around Tyla and her troupe of female dancers bringing to life maximalist 2000s American R&B music video visuals in Johannesburg’s gritty landscape. Marching bands and cheerleaders; laser lights, lingerie and mansions – this is a glorious manifestation of dreams for international stardom.
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Filming for the elaborate video started just before the pandemic hit and then lockdown put Tyla’s debut on pause. An incredibly frustrating time for an excited artist on the cusp of launch, who had already worked for two hard years to reach the starting line.
I have never cried as much as I did last year, We set out wanting to make the best music video South Africa has ever seen, and it just felt like every success was followed by a hundred failures. Everything you see, we did by ourselves. No major label deal, no investors, we handmade outfits, built sets, we worked for favours and pushed harder than I thought possible.
Tyla grew
up listening to American R&B triple-threats like Aaliyah and Cassie. It
is these MTV TRL staples of the day mixed with a curation of homegrown sonics
like SA House, Gqom, and Amapiano that
shape Tyla’s sound.
@.tyla.s LINK IN BIO ##GETTINGLATE
♬ Getting Late - Tyla
Meshing the richness of South Africa’s diverse music scene with international influences. She is part of an active new generation of African creatives, proudly sharing their culture with the global community on social media.
Listen as J Sbu catches up with Miss Tyla in the podcast below:
Follow Tyla on Instagram here.
Watch Stacey and J Sbu try out #TylaChallenge:
Main image supplied by Tyla
For more from #Stacey&JSbu, check out past episodes below: