Tyla (South African singer)
Tyla Laura Seethal (born 30 January 2002), known mononymously as Tyla, is a South African singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Johannesburg, she signed with Epic Records in 2021 after the domestic success of her 2019 debut single, "Getting Late" featuring Kooldrink.
Tyla
Tyla rose to international fame with the release of her 2023 single "Water", which entered the top ten in sixteen countries including the United Kingdom and United States. "Water" was the first song by a South African soloist to enter the US Billboard Hot 100 in 55 years and was awarded the inaugural Grammy Award for Best African Music Performance in 2024. The single preceded her self-titled debut album (2024), which was released to critical acclaim and moderate commercial success, entering the top 25 in six countries including the United States.
Tyla is the youngest African artist to win a Grammy Award, and has also earned nominations for a BRIT Award, a Soul Train Music Award, a MOBO Award, and two South African Music Awards. She has been deemed the "queen of popiano", a fusion of the pop and amapiano genres.[1]
Early life[edit]
Tyla Laura Seethal[5] was born on 30 January 2002 in Edenvale, East Rand to parents Sharleen and Sherwin Seethal.[6][7] Her family is Coloured,[8][9] with Indian, Zulu, Irish, and Mauritian ancestry.[10][11][12] She was raised in Johannesburg, Gauteng,[1] and matriculated from Edenglen High School in 2019 having been the school's head of culture in that year.[13] While at school, she had begun posting original songs and covers to her Instagram account, as well as sending them out to a number of figures in the music industry. She was subsequently discovered by her first manager, Garth von Glehn, who then organized her first recording sessions.[3][14] Tyla states that she would go into the recording studio every weekend during her final year of high school.[15]
Career[edit]
2019–2022: "Getting Late" and national success[edit]
In late 2019 after finishing high school,[8] Tyla self-released her debut single, "Getting Late" featuring production from Kooldrink, which achieved national success.[11] Filmed by her own manager intermittently throughout the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns,[14] the accompanying music video was released in January 2021.[16] It amassed several million views on YouTube,[17] and was nominated for South African Music Award for Best Music Video of the Year in 2022.[18]
Headling
Supporting
