Tyla

Tyla is a South African singer and songwriter whose rise from posting songs online as a teenager to becoming a two-time Grammy-winning global star has made her one of the most recognisable faces of contemporary African pop.

Born Tyla Laura Seethal, the Johannesburg-raised artist has built her sound around an unmistakable meeting point between South African amapiano, Afropop, pop and R&B. Rather than separating African music from global pop, Tyla has developed a style that allows the two worlds to exist naturally in the same song.

Her international breakthrough came with “Water,” the 2023 hit that turned her into a global name. The song earned her the inaugural Grammy Award for Best African Music Performance in 2024 and helped establish her as a major representative of South African music on the international stage. She later won the same Grammy category again in 2026 for “PUSH 2 START.”

Early Life

Tyla Laura Seethal was born on January 30, 2002, in Edenvale, Gauteng, South Africa, and grew up in Johannesburg. She developed an interest in music while still in school, drawing inspiration from both South African sounds and international R&B and pop artists.

During her teenage years, Tyla began using social media to share singing videos, covers and original material. Her determination to get her music heard eventually led to her being discovered by her first manager, Garth von Glehn.

While still completing high school, she was already spending time recording music. Her early online activity and willingness to consistently put her voice in front of audiences became an important part of the foundation of her career.

Age

Tyla was born on January 30, 2002.

As of 2026, Tyla is 24 years old.

Music

Tyla’s professional music journey began to take shape in 2019, shortly after she completed high school. She released her debut single, “Getting Late,” with production from South African producer Kooldrink.

The song introduced listeners to the sound that would eventually become closely associated with Tyla: a mixture of pop and R&B sensibilities with the rhythmic character of amapiano. Its success in South Africa helped open the door to a wider international career.

In 2021, Tyla signed with Epic Records through a joint venture with Fax Records. She subsequently released songs including “Overdue” and “To Last,” continuing to develop her sound while building an audience outside South Africa.

The major turning point arrived in 2023 with “Water.” The song became a worldwide breakthrough, driven in part by its viral dance challenge. It eventually reached the Billboard Hot 100, making Tyla the first South African solo artist to chart on the ranking in more than five decades. The song also became the first African song to reach the top of the Billboard U.S. Afrobeats Songs and Hip-Hop/R&B charts, according to the Recording Academy.

“Water” went on to win Tyla the inaugural Grammy Award for Best African Music Performance at the 2024 Grammy Awards.

Her self-titled debut studio album, TYLA, arrived in March 2024. The project expanded on the musical identity introduced by “Water” and featured collaborations with artists including Tems, Gunna, Skillibeng and Becky G. Tyla’s official biography notes that the album placed 12 songs on the Billboard U.S. Afrobeats Chart, while “Water” became the first Spotify song by an African artist to surpass one billion streams.

She subsequently continued her run with projects and songs including TYLA+, “CHANEL,” “IS IT,” “PUSH 2 START,” “SHE DID IT AGAIN” featuring Zara Larsson, and “Game Time.”

In July 2026, Tyla entered a new chapter with her second studio album, A*POP. Released on July 24, 2026, the 14-track album further explores her idea of African pop music while bringing together South African influences and international pop.

Songs

Some of Tyla’s notable songs include:

• Getting Late
• Overdue
• To Last
• Been Thinking
• Girl Next Door featuring Ayra Starr
• Water
• Truth or Dare
• Art
• Jump
• On and On
• PUSH 2 START
• CHANEL
• IS IT
• SHE DID IT AGAIN featuring Zara Larsson
• THAT GIRL
• FAIRYTALE featuring Liquideep
• Game Time

Her catalogue reflects a consistent interest in combining South African musical influences with pop and R&B sounds for an international audience.

Awards/Achievements

Tyla’s career has already produced several major milestones.

Her most significant achievements include:

2024 Grammy Award: Tyla won the inaugural Best African Music Performance Grammy for “Water.”

2026 Grammy Award: She won the Best African Music Performance category again for “PUSH 2 START,” giving her two Grammy wins in the category.

Billboard Hot 100 breakthrough: “Water” became the first song by a South African solo artist to enter the Billboard Hot 100 in 55 years and eventually reached the Top 10.

Global streaming milestone: Tyla’s official biography states that “Water” became the first Spotify song by an African artist to surpass one billion streams.

International recognition: Her growing global profile has taken her to major festivals, international stages and fashion events, while publications including British Vogue, ELLE and Cosmopolitan have featured her.

Education

Tyla attended Edenglen High School in Gauteng and graduated in 2019. Her former school identifies her among its notable alumni and describes her as a Grammy-winning artist.

After secondary school, she began studying toward a degree in Mining Engineering. However, as her music career began gaining momentum, she took time away from her studies to pursue music professionally. A South African government publication records that she was studying Mining Engineering before deciding to commit to her music career full-time.

Net Worth

As of 2026, Tyla’s net worth is estimated at between US$8 million and US$15 million, according to Capital XTRA.

The estimate is linked to her growing music catalogue, streaming income, touring, commercial partnerships and other career opportunities. Capital XTRA also reported that a Nike partnership was estimated at between $2 million and $5 million. However, Tyla has not publicly disclosed an official personal net-worth figure, so the $8 million–$15 million figure should be regarded as a media estimate rather than a verified financial statement.

Personal Life

Tyla was raised in Johannesburg by her parents, Sharleen and Sherwin Seethal, and has spoken publicly about the support and expectations of her family during the early stages of her career. Her parents initially wanted her to concentrate on her education, but eventually gave her an opportunity to pursue music and prove that she could build a career from it.

Despite her international fame, Tyla has generally kept much of her private life away from the spotlight. Her public identity remains strongly connected to her music, South African heritage, fashion and performances.

Rather than allowing international success to distance her from where she started, Tyla has increasingly used her platform to emphasise her African identity. Her 2026 album A*POP particularly reflects that direction, with Tyla describing the project as an attempt to broaden ideas about what an African pop star can look and sound like.

The Tyla Story

Tyla’s story is not simply that of a young singer who released a hit song and became famous. Her career represents the journey of a South African artist taking a sound rooted in her home country and placing it confidently on the world’s biggest stages.

From “Getting Late” to “Water,” from her self-titled TYLA album to A*POP, her catalogue shows an artist continually expanding the space between amapiano, R&B and pop.

With two Grammy wins already attached to her name by 2026, Tyla continues to build a career around a simple but powerful idea: African pop does not have to choose between being proudly African and being global.

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