After taking the world by storm, the up-and-coming “Water” artist debuts her first album, self-titled “Tyla.” The artist grew up in Johannesburg, a city in South Africa, with her passion growing for music. Tyla declares her album to be a mixture of Contemporary R&B, pop, and a slight addition of amapiano, marking herself as a fully transparent South African singer.
Tyla has achieved many accomplishments associated with music, breaking out only at the beginning of her career. Tyla has collaborated with highly acclaimed artist, Travis Scott, and even won a Grammy for ‘Best African Music Performance’ at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards. Achieving such goals before Tyla’s first album is truly admirable, especially with being the only artist to win a Grammy in such a category.
Debuting “Tyla” was the beginning of touring internationally, unfortunately, this tour had to be canceled due to Tyla having an unknown injury; this has not only affected her international touring but has also affected Tyla’s scheduled appearance at this year’s Coachella, with her being one of the many artists invited to perform on stage. Tyla mentioned on the radio station, Capital Xtra, that she had been working on this album for over two years, increasing the anticipation for it even more. Now that the album has been released, the anticipation has finally been met with immense excitement. Tyla solidifies herself within the music industry by fully becoming a successful artist.
“Tyla” is a rather appealing album with the way it delivers such vibrant sounds accompanied by respectable and appreciative lyrics. Tyla shares relatable lyrics within her album that all have a common theme of love and acceptance, but Tyla also delivers a hybrid of house music, amapiano, and pop at the same time, giving out an all-around perfect listening experience for her audience. Focusing on the biggest genre given in the self-titled album “Tyla” is amapiano; amapiano is a jazzy variation of house music that originates from Tyla’s hometown, Johannesburg. Tyla’s deliverance from all these genres in one album is astonishing and completely respectable, as she continues to grow effortlessly.
“Truth or Dare” is one of the many songs on Tyla’s album, with the song giving a true definition of the pop-amapiano, as mentioned earlier. ‘Truth or Dare’ proposes the idea of a situationship where Tyla’s partner essentially does not value her worth, except for when she is popular. ‘Truth or Dare’ offers a catchy chorus and post-chorus, enforcing the tone and ambiance behind the song.
“So let’s play truth or dare, dare you to forget… That you used to treat me just like anyone / Truth or dare? Is it true you care? Now that you can see the love from everyone (Tell me)”
“Water”, the award-breaking song that has reached tons of social media platforms, connects to the romantic tension between Tyla, and another unknown person. ‘Water’ goes in-depth about the wild and outgoing connection that two people can have towards each other, even going as far as engaging in different romantic activities. ‘Water’ became such a popular song, reaching platforms such as Instagram, Twitter, and most prominently, TikTok; Tyla’s song had become such a connection with people, as it gives off a catchy amapiano feeling to it while mixing pop within the song as well.
Tyla exposes her audience to a complex, emotional narrative that explores the themes of self-love and growth in the song, “Butterflies.” She expresses a sense of empowerment and self-identity through lines like “I don’t need reparations” and “Counting blessings by the dozen, I’m God’s child.” These lyrics acknowledge the rare value and determination to avoid the toxicity of a relationship and adore the journey toward fluid independence and self-appreciation. ‘Butterflies’ navigates the emotional entanglement between accepting and recognizing the idea of moving on from a damaging relationship and discovering one’s strengths and weaknesses within one’s healing process.
“You give me butterflies, got me falling in the deep end of your disguise / Sparred with a hundred lies, So I fear this might be my goodbye”
Her debut album, “Tyla” embodies empowerment and resolution and ignites excitement and anticipation among fans globally as they eagerly await her next steps. Through her music, Tyla has established herself in the music industry, emphasizing the importance of self-worth and authenticity; As Tyla’s career unfolds, fans are closely observing, ready for the next chapter from the release of the courageous artist known as Tyla.
