Our Cover Star, Tyla makes history at the Grammy Awards

The music sensation, Tyla Seethal has broken another barrier, making history as the youngest South African to win a Grammy award at 22 years old.

Tyla’s soundtrack should be DJ Khaled’s “All I Do Is Win” at this point, and she’s not about to stop. We saw her achieve a lot of firsts in 2023 including topping the charts both locally and abroad. She was the first South African artist to gain 10 million monthly listeners on Spotify. And notably, according to Chart Data, her single ‘Water’ from her debut EP ranked number 10 on the UK singles chart, earning her first spot on Billboard Hot 100 as the song debuted at number 76.

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She kicked 2024 off with her first platinum plaque as revealed by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), folllowed by an epic announcement that she would be performing at the highly anticipated music festival, Coachella. Just two months into the new year, Tyla has once again made history as the first South African to win a Grammy Award in the Best African Music Performance category, at just 22 years old.

The star was visibly excited and at a loss for words as she accepted her award. “What the heck, what? Oh my gosh guys this is crazy. I never thought I would say I won a Grammy at 22 years old… Last year God decided to change my whole life. So, thank you so much to God, my team and my family. I know my mother is crying somewhere in here,” she said. And continued to thank the Recording Academy for the category before concluding her acceptance speech.

Not only has this iconic feat solidified her presence on the global stage but her name has just been added to the list of South African greats who have won the coveted award in the past, including Zakes Bantwini, Black Coffee, Nomcebo Zikode, and Miriam Makeba .

When we caught up with her on the set of her cover shoot, she expressed that she’s enjoyed her time in the industry since introducing herself with her debut single, 'Getting Late'. “I’ve learned so much and time has passed so quickly, and I’ve had a lot of opportunities come my way.”

On finding her voice in the industry, she said she’s happy to be releasing music that she loves. “I’m happy to be exposing people to a different side of Amapiano. When I’m travelling in America and Europe, it fills me with pride when I tell everyone that I’m part of this movement called Amapiano.” The inspiration behind her sound? “I grew up listening to a lot of genres, but I really love R&B and Pop, and me being South African, I love incorporating the sound into what I do. I fuse everything together; Pop with Afro Beats, Amapiano, R&B. I don’t have a specific name for my genre.” Her single, 'Water' from her debut EP went viral on social media and topped the charts locally and abroad.

Tyla has been flying the South African flag high as she continues to soar to unimaginable heights. Congratulations are in order!!!

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