Tyla

Tyla is a singer, songwriter, and dancer known for her merger of sultry R&B, pop, and the highly rhythmic amapiano dance style. A native of South Africa, where amapiano originated, she broke through internationally with 2023's "Water," which hit the Top Ten in countries such as the U.K., Australia, and Sweden while marking her debut on the Billboard Hot 100.

Born and raised in Johannesburg, Tyla Laura Seethal was still a teenager when she had her first South African chart success with the single "Getting Late" featuring Kooldrink. Released in late 2019, it established her seductive, melismatic vocal delivery and intimate yet highly rhythmic, percussion-heavy sound.

In September 2021, she made her FAX Records/Epic Records debut with the club-ready "Overdue" featuring Kooldrink and DJ Lag. The more pared-down solo effort "To Last" followed in 2022, and 2023 saw the release of songs including "Girl Next Door" (with Ayra Starr) and that July's "Water," a single that catapulted Tyla to the upper regions of the international charts. The song not only reached the Top Ten in places like Australia, several European countries, and the U.K, where it entered the Top Five, "Water" topped the singles chart in New Zealand and peaked at number 67 on the U.S. Hot 100. The latter benchmark made Tyla the first solo South African artist to enter the Hot 100 since Hugh Masekela in 1968 ("Grazing in the Grass") and, at 21, the youngest one to that point. ~ Marcy Donelson