South African singer-songwriter Tyler released her first album after winning the Grammy Award last month.
Her single hit the top ten on Billboard's Hot 100 list in the United States and the top five in the United Kingdom with her amapiano song "Water." The song fuses house, jazz, and log drumming and originated in South Africa.
She characterizes the 15-track album "TYLA," which includes duets with U.S. rapper Travis Scott and Nigerian vocalist Tems, as "a melting pot of all the influences" she experienced growing up.
"I've always just wanted to mix it all together, and I've gotten to a place where I'm happy with the way it sounds."
Tyla earned the first-ever Grammy Award for Best African Music Performance last month.
"It's literally so crazy ... every day I have to remind myself that that actually happened and that it's real," she said.
The Grammy Award recognizes the rising popularity of Afrobeats and other African music, which has reached a worldwide audience thanks to social media platforms like TikTok.
Tyla's song "Water," released in July, was a great success owing to the app. TikTok fans worldwide posted videos of themselves copying her dancing movements with the #WaterChallenge hashtag.
"I've been vibing to amapiano, a lot of us have been in Africa for a very long time, and it's really cool that other people are now catching on and enjoying it, because South Africa didn't really have a genre that crossed over this hugely," Tyla went on to say.
Tyla posted a video last week of herself and BLACKPINK singer and rapper Lisa listening to "TYLA". When asked if she planned to collaborate with the K-pop artist, Tyla responded, "We've been talking about making a song together, so yes, for sure."
