South African pop princess Tyla is back in the spotlight and ready to take things up a notch. Speaking with the media at the Billboard Women in Music 2025 gala—where she was honoured with the prestigious Innovator Award—the 23-year-old star teased her highly anticipated sophomore album, declaring, “The songs I’ve already made… they are bangers!” With the kind of confidence only chart-toppers can carry, Tyla hinted at a bold, personal, and experimental body of work that builds on her breakout success. “I went deeper in for this album. I really played around with a lot of things,” she revealed, sending fans into a frenzy online.
Tyla first stormed the international music scene with the viral hit “Water”, which peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100, made her the highest-charting African female soloist in the chart’s history, and earned over 500 million streams on Spotify alone. Her debut, self-titled album Tyla, released in March 2024, fused amapiano, Afrobeats, pop, and R&B into a vibrant soundscape that landed her on multiple global charts and stages. The deluxe version featured the sultry standout “Push 2 Start”, which was recently remixed, further showcasing her versatility with a seductive reggae-infused twist that earned her a second Hot 100 entry.
While 2024 saw her sidelined briefly by a back injury that forced her to cancel Coachella and her debut international tour, Tyla roared back stronger. She stunned at the Met Gala in a sand-sculpted Balmain gown and brought fire to the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show. Now, with a new album on the horizon and multiple 2025 UMA nominations (including Best Female Artist and Best International Act), Tyla is proving that her star power is far from a passing moment.
In addition to her genre-bending music, Tyla has sparked global conversations around African music identity. “Genre is so fluid,” she told Billboard, pushing back on the one-size-fits-all label of “Afrobeats” often assigned to African artists. Her mission? To spotlight South African amapiano on the world stage while honouring the continent’s diverse soundscape.
