Tyla Laura Seethal ( TY-luh; born 30 January 2002) is a South African singer and songwriter. Dubbed as the "Queen of Popiano", her musical style is characterised by a fusion of pop and amapiano. Tyla gained international recognition after the release of 2023's "Water", which entered the top ten in multiple countries including her native South Africa, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Born and raised in the East Rand of Johannesburg, Tyla signed with Epic Records in 2021 following the domestic success of her 2019 debut single, "Getting Late". Her single "Water" was the first song by a South African soloist to enter the US Billboard Hot 100 in 55 years and was awarded the inaugural Grammy Award for Best African Music Performance. The single preceded her self-titled debut album (2024), which was released to critical acclaim and moderate commercial success. In 2025, she released the extended play (EP) WWP, and embarked on its accompanying tour. This was followed by her second studio album, A*Pop (2026), which received critical praise and spawned the Billboard Global 200 top-twenty single "Chanel". Tyla is the youngest African artist in history to win a Grammy Award, with two wins. Her other accolades include two MTV Video Music Awards, two BET Awards, three MTV Europe Music Awards, among nominations for a BRIT Award, an Ivor Novello Award, a Soul Train Music Award and nine South African Music Awards.
