Tyla Denounces One-Hit-Wonder Status with Debut Album

South African native Tyla Laura Seethal, known as Tyla, recently won a Grammy without an album out. She was not only the first-ever winner in the new Best African Music Performance category, but also the youngest African singer to ever win a Grammy. With the release of her song ‘Water’ and her feminine charm, she won the hearts and approval of America.
Her highly anticipated self-titled debut album, ‘Tyla”, was released on March 22, 2024. She takes her listeners through an authentic and captivating exploration of love, heartbreak, and self-discovery; all while reiterating her South African pride and staying true to her roots. In an Apple Music interview, Tyla explains that she’s always wanted to be not only a “Popstar” but, an “African popstar.” With this album, she has made her dream come to fruition.
Without a doubt, the impressive convention of ‘Tyla’ is the explanation behind its articulate and harmonious delivery. With the help of global producers such as Sammy SoSo, Mocha, Believve, Rayo, Kelvin Momo, Sir Nola, and Jamaican Dancehall DJ, Skillikeng, all fourteen tracks have an amapiano (subgenre of house music emerged from South Africa) that is so important to Tyla and her nationality. The meticulously chosen artists featured throughout her album provided depth, a unique blend of genres, and expanded Tyla’s audience. Gunna and Travis Scott both added a raunchier feel and hip-hop undertone. Becky-G’s features combine the groovy beats of amapiano and Latin pop resulting in the perfect catchy summer anthem. It only made sense that the Nigerian singer-songwriter, Tems, made an appearance on ‘Tyla’. The highly anticipated collaboration did not disappoint expectations and amplified the African pride Tyla strived to incorporate. The well-curated and cohesive production made her album surpass all expectations of what a debut album would sound like, foretelling her potential and future work.
Tyla uses her personal experience of heartbreak to forge expressive, relatable, and earworm songs over a multitude of tempos. ‘Safer’, ‘Butterflies’, ‘Priorities’, and ‘To Last’ are all tracks that encapsulate the difficult and varied emotions of losing a significant other. ‘Safer,’ the second song on her album, speaks about the hesitation of committing to someone due to being hurt in the past. In the chorus, Tyla repeats, “I know I’m safer runnin’” over a captivating high-tempo amapiano beat. In contrast, ‘To Last’, her thirteenth track, features vulnerable lyrics about her first love becoming her first heartbreak over a softer and slower tempo house beat.
‘Breath me’, ‘ART’,’ and both ‘Water’ and its remix are songs where the album conveys the grasping and vulnerable sentiments of love. ‘Breath me’ perfectly captures how, when in love, a person can feel as necessary as oxygen is to the lungs. Tyla admits that ‘Water’, the song that started it all, was a step out of her usual ‘PG music’ but felt right.
On a less serious note, Tyla shares songs with her listeners that are light-hearted and anthems for confidence, resilience, and self-love. ‘Truth or Dare’, the fourth track in her album, calls out people who tried coming back into Tyla’s life now that she has acquired fame. Following after, ‘No. 1’ featuring Tems is all about prioritizing self-love after a failed relationship. In an interview with Apple Music, Tyla explains on her eighth track, ‘On and On’, she took influence from R&B singer Aaliyah to create a lighthearted song about not wanting the party to end.
While expressing her South African patriotism and remaining loyal to her heritage, Tyla leads her listeners on an honest and engrossing journey of self-discovery, heartbreak, and love. The diversity, coherence, and articulation make the album an enjoyable and mesmerizing listen for anyone. With her debut album, Tyla proved her artistry, dismantled critics of her inexperience, and affirmed that she was well-deserving of her Grammy.