From Viral Hit to Grammy Winner
South African singer Tyla broke out in 2023 with "Water," a hit largely fueled by a viral TikTok dance challenge that soundtracked over 600,000 videos, eventually becoming the first song by an African artist to surpass one billion Spotify streams and making her the highest-charting African female act on the Billboard Hot 100. It also earned her a first Grammy, for Best African Music Performance. On July 24, she released her second studio album, A*Pop, a 14-track project.
A Sound in Transition
Tyla describes her sound as "popiano," a blend of pop melodies and South African amapiano rhythms. Compared to her amapiano-heavy debut, A*Pop is seen by some fans and critics as leaning further into pop, led by single "Chanel" and the Zara Larsson collaboration "She Did It Again" — a shift that has sparked online debate over whether it strays from her original sound.
The Record She's Chasing
Her self-titled debut (March 2024) opened with 24,000 equivalent album units, debuting at No. 24 on the Billboard 200 — the highest chart position ever reached there by an African solo act. She has won the Grammy for Best African Music Performance twice, for "Water" and "Push 2 Start," and holds eight Billboard Music Award nominations with two wins.
Early Signals, and a Same-Day Rival
A*Pop logged 4.82 million Spotify streams on its first full day, led by "THAT GIRL," though none of its tracks cracked Spotify's global or U.S. daily top charts. Notably, Charli xcx released Music, Fashion, Film the same day, meaning the two albums are competing directly for the same week's chart exposure and consumer spending. Official Billboard first-week sales haven't been released; unverified estimates range from as low as 12,500 units to upward of 13,500.
