Young. Audacious. Gifted. These three descriptors aren’t enough to describe the burgeoning talent that is South African songstress Tyla. The Johannesburg-born singer first made her way onto the music scene back in 2019 with her debut single “Getting Late”, featuring Kooldrink, a fellow South African, producer and DJ. While the vibrant track caused a notable stir among Tyla’s fans, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic threw a spanner in the works of what was supposed to be her breakout year and the release of her first music video. 

Eventually released in January of this year, and having now amassed over three million views online, the visuals for “Getting Late” are everything the now 19-year-old artist could have imagined and more, despite the two-year delay. The collaboration with Kooldrink, Tyla admits, is what taught her the fundamentals of being a professional artist, going beyond her impromptu solo singing sessions within the comfort of her own bedroom.

Sure enough, the lessons have certainly paid off for the young artist. Tyla signed with US-based record label Epic Records in March of this year— a move that will no doubt fast-track her trajectory to success. “This really is a dream come true”, Tyla says before she goes on to add, “I had no plan B, so this is something I invested my everything into and I could not be more satisfied.” South African women artists are certainly securing the bag and clinching major deals with Tyla’s recent move to Epic Records just a year shy of R&B singer Elaine’s own move to Columbia Records.

 Tyla sat down with AMAKA to talk about her artistry as a young female musician, her prior challenges as an independent artist in South Africa, and how she’s looking to use pop-fusion to carve out her own place in music.

We're in the second year of this pandemic now and the entertainment industry has been hard hit. How have you, as a young artist, been navigating music during this time?

When the pandemic hit, it was the start of my music career. It was the year we were planning on doing so many things. I didn't really know what to expect. At that time, it was more just disappointment because I was super excited to finally start and go to the studio, but I couldn't do that because of the pandemic. It's hard emotionally, but I understand because it's a huge risk, and there are a lot more people and things to think about because of this pandemic. I do feel like there will be light at the end of the tunnel, though.

When it's been particularly difficult emotionally, what has been your outlet?

I'm very lucky to have a huge family that I live with. There are six of us living under one house, so I don't really get bored because I'm with the people I love. It’s been really difficult not being able to see my friends and other important people in my life. What has been getting me through is prayer. I'm very spiritual, so praying and having a supportive family and team have helped me keep going. There were moments when I thought that this is the end and I have to go and study now, but they’ve all just kept me going and my passion alive.  

When did your journey with music begin?

Ever since I could talk, I told my parents that I wanted to be a superstar. I grew up around music and a lot of my family members sing, and play instruments. At every family function, we were always woken up with music, and I fell in love with it from a very young age. I also used to watch Rihanna, Michael Jackson, Aaliyah, and all these other artists on TV. I knew that I wanted to be in that space. But I never really knew that I could sing until my mom told me that I could sing and then that made me sing even more. I would just sing for any visitor that came over to our house. My parents would call me to come and sing. I was performing in shows during primary school and high school. I eventually had to tell my parents that I wasn’t planning on going to university. 

How did the conversation go when you told them that you wanted to pursue music professionally?

It was a heated conversation because I mean - especially in South Africa— it's very difficult to make it enough for you to support yourself. My parents were worried, and they weren't sure about my decision. They felt I should do music on the side and study instead. I almost studied mining engineering, but luckily, I didn’t in the end. It took a while to convince them, but I eventually did, and now they support me a hundred per cent.

I was just always singing, and personally, I felt like I could sing well. I would also record myself while singing and imitate something I’d heard. For example, if Aaliyah sang in a certain way and I liked it, I'd try and sing a part of the song and make it sound exactly like that. I do still sometimes struggle with self-doubt because I mean, there are so many talented singers out there. I’ve always known that I need something that makes me unique and allows me to stand out from others.

What do you think makes you stand out? 

I think what makes me stand out are my passion and knowing what I want to achieve for myself and the continent as a whole. I also love engaging with people and all that comes with becoming a superstar— I genuinely enjoy it, and I know that shines through. The fact that I’m South African, and there aren’t many South African artists who are recognised internationally— that sets me apart. I want to bring that global attention back home. 

Your debut track “Getting Late” was an amapiano number. Would you describe your sound as leaning towards that genre or as something else?

I would describe my sound as fusion - pop fused with mainly African genres. I'm definitely not only making amapiano. I’ve already started making house, gqom, Afrobeats and so many different kinds of music. I just want to bring something fresh that can be internationally recognised. Pop, as a genre, is just so universal. People from all over the world listen to pop. If I could mix elements of pop with some of the genres that we have over here in South Africa, I feel like that would be a nice way to introduce that music to a global market. 

Let’s talk more about “Getting Late” featuring Kooldrink. Describe how that collaboration came about and what made it work.

Prior to “Getting Late”, I was in the studio every weekend. I was in my final year of high school and just recording different types of sounds, different genres and exploring my own sound. It was also the first year I ever recorded in general, and that was with Kooldrink. Yeah. We had been recording a whole bunch of stuff and then when it came to “Getting Late”, both of us hadn’t tried amapiano before, but we loved the genre. It was just a genuine process of trying it out, and it ultimately became the song that we debuted with. 

Towards the end of January this year, you released the music video for the track — very fun, flirty and energetic. Creatively, did it turn out the way that you had envisaged in your mind?

It came out way better than I thought because we weren't given any support from record labels or anyone, really. It was just us— myself, my manager, my best friends— and we all did it as a passion project. We got a few more people that were down to help us as well and scraped as much money as we could to create the music video. Interestingly, people think that we had a huge budget for this video. If only they knew the whole story behind it. It was crazy.

What are some of the projects that you’re currently working on?