Tyla is only 23 years old, and she’s on the rise to becoming a huge star. After dreaming of being a singer since she was a kid, Tyla released her 2023 song, “Water,” which became a smash hit across the world. Tyla has now made a name for herself in the music industry and was tapped to host the 2025 Kids’ Choice Awards!
Keep reading to learn more about Tyla.
Tyla was born in South Africa
Tyla, whose real name is Tyla Laura Seethal, was born and raised in Johannesburg, South Africa. She started falling in love with music when she went to school and switched her career path from mining engineering to singing.
“I really looked up to Michael Jackson as a performer specifically,” Tyla told People in an interview in November 2023. “I also looked up to Rihanna and Aaliyah as well,” she added.
Tyla’s song ‘Water’ was a huge hit
Tyla released her single “Water” in July 2023 and it became an instant hit. The song reached number one in the New Zealand and was in the top ten in the United States, Australia, Africa, and more countries. She also released a music video for “Water” which has over 78 million views on YouTube.
“I was so nervous,” Tyla told People about putting out the music video. “like I literally couldn’t sleep. I was just waiting for it to drop. But after I saw the response was good it was such a relief. I just felt so much better after all that.”
Tyla opened for Chris Brown on tour
Tyla replaced Jamaican rapper Skillibeng as the opening act for Chris Brown‘s Under the Influence Tour in 2023. She said in an interview that she “learned a lot” from working with the “Forever” singer. “He’ll give me advice, like, ‘you should do this more.’ I appreciated that so much,” Tyla said. “The best bootcamp I could have ever asked for.”
Tyla was nominated for a Grammy Award
Tyla was nominated for the 2024 Grammy Award for Best African Music Performance for “Water.” She was up against Arya Starr, Asake & Olamide, Burna Boy, and Davido at the award show on February 4, 2024.
In an interview with Variety, Tyla admitted that she didn’t expect to be nominated for a Grammy. “My label asked me to watch the livestream announce and I was so nervous … And then I saw my name pop up, and I died. I couldn’t stop screaming. I called my family and my best friend who travels with me. She came to my room and we just screamed and screamed.”
Tyla has been called the ‘Queen of Popiano’
After making a name for herself in the music industry, multiple publications began calling Tyla the “Queen of Popiano,” which is a combination of pop and amapiano.
