Tyla (stylised in all caps) is the debut studio album by South African singer Tyla. It was released on 22 March 2024 through FAX and Epic Records. The album blends amapiano, pop, Afrobeats and R&B in its production, and lyrically focuses on empowerment and relationships. It features guest appearances from Kelvin Momo, Tems, Becky G, Skillibeng, Gunna and Travis Scott.
Recording sessions spanned two and a half years across seven countries, and Tyla worked alongside collaborators including Ari PenSmith, Mocha Bands, Believve and Sammy Soso to write and product the record. The lead single from the album, "Water", marked Tyla's international breakthrough; it peaked at number 7 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and earned multi-platinum certifications in several countries. Other singles from the album included "Truth or Dare", "Art" and "Jump".
The album was released in the UK by Since '93 and RCA Records. CD and vinyl formats were distributed in South Africa by Sony Music South Africa and in the U.S. by Epic Records. A Japanese edition was released on 7 August 2024 by Sony Music Entertainment Japan. Tyla promoted the album through pop-up shows and live performances in countries including the UK and Japan. A deluxe edition, titled Tyla +, was released on 11 October 2024.
Tyla received critical acclaim from critics, who praised Tyla's versatility and the album's blending of multiple genres. It debuted at number 24 on the U.S. Billboard 200, amassing 24,000 album-equivalent units in its first week. It reached number one in Tunisia and Papua New Guinea and charted within the top 20 in the UK, the Netherlands, Norway, New Zealand and Switzerland. The album won Newcomer of the Year, Best Pop Album and Female Artist of the Year at the 30th Annual South African Music Awards. It was certified gold and higher in multiple territories. In support of the album, Tyla announced the Tyla Tour but had to cancel and reschedule some shows due to injuries.
Background and release Shortly after graduating high school in 2019, Tyla released her debut single, "Getting Late". She directed the music video and promoted it through social media. The video gained significant traction in South Africa, amassing over 930,000 YouTube views within a month and catching the attention of Epic Records executives. In 2021, Tyla signed a recording contract with Epic and traveled outside South Africa for the first time to attend a songwriting camp in Dubai organised by the label. Over the next two and a half years, she participated in recording sessions across South Africa, Ghana, Tanzania, Jamaica, Nigeria, the United States, and the United Kingdom to gain professional studio experience and develop her debut album. During this period, she collaborated with producers and songwriters Sammy Soso, Ari PenSmith, Believve, and Mocha Bands, who contributed significantly to the album's production and songwriting.
In October 2023, Tyla told Capital Xtra that she had been working on her debut album for over two years and described its genre as "popiano", a term she coined to blend amapiano and pop music. Event starts at 6:38. She explained to Billboard that she fused Western genres with African influences, aiming to create a concise three-minute format typical of R&B or pop songs, as opposed to the eight-to-ten-minute length of traditional amapiano tracks. In March 2024, Tyla shared with Rolling Stone that she named her album to introduce her unique musical style to new listeners. She noted that the title reflects the extensive effort she invested over time, countering misconceptions about her rapid rise to fame. She described the album as "experimental". Tyla was recorded at Geejam Studios in Port Antonio, Miloco and Sarm Studios in London, ACP Studios in Cape Town, SessionsAtlanta Studios in Atlanta, Criteria Studios in Miami, and Home Away From Home, Just for the Road, and Sony Music Studios in Los Angeles.
Tyla announced the album's release date via social media on 30 November 2023. Originally scheduled for 1 March 2024, the release was delayed to include a collaboration with Nigerian singer Tems on the song "No.1". The album was ultimately released on 22 March 2024, through FAX Records and Epic Records. It was released by Since '93 and RCA Records in the UK, CD and vinyl formats were released in South Africa by Sony Music South Africa and in the U.S. exclusively through Target by Epic Records. The Japanese edition was released on 7 August 2024, by Sony Music Entertainment Japan. During an interview with Elle on 10 September 2024, Tyla hinted a deluxe edition of her album. Titled Tyla +, it was released on 11 October 2024, with three additional tracks.
Composition and themes Tyla is an amapiano, pop, and R&B record that contains elements of Afrobeats, a sound Tyla calls "popiano". The 41-second-long opening track, "Intro", consisting of a recording that plays in the background while people converse, was produced by South African record producer Kelvin Momo. In an interview with Nandi Madida on Africa Now Radio with Nandi Madida for Apple Music, she stated that she wanted to kick off the album with a raw and proudly South African sound.
"Safer" is melodic track with syncopated log drum and chants as an expansion. "Water" is a pop and R&B-infused amapiano song. "Water" was described as a song about a woman's longing to feel a "squirting orgasm". On the pre-chorus, Tyla sings, "can you blow my mind? Set off my whole body?" Explaining the lyrics with Genius, she said it is about telling a guy to show her what he has to offer. The fourth song on the album, "Truth or Dare", is an amapiano recording, which has been described as a slab of Afrobeats by Joshua Minsoo Kim of Resident Advisor. It is an R&B-infused track, characterised by guitar riffs, Tyla's "candied" vocals, as well as rhythmic and bass-heavy percussion. In the chorus, she sings about remembering when her then-lover would mistreat her and dares him to catch up. The seventh song on the album, "Butterflies", is a fusion of hip hop, pop and R&B that is similar to the musical style of the American singer Ariana Grande. Throughout the verses and hook of "Breathe Me," her voice is forceful, but she softens on the phrase "breathe me" to emphasise the song's concept. "No.1" contains vocals from Tems that balances Tyla's lighter vocals. Lucas Martins of Beats Per Minute described the vocal delivery as unsubtly Aaliyah-inspired performances.
"On and On" blends "old-school" R&B, amapiano and pop. On "Jump", Tyla sings: "they ain't never had a pretty girl from Jo'burg, see me now and that's what they prefer". Including vocals from Gunna and Skillibeng, it was described as "the most trap-adjacent production" on the album by Lucas Martins of Beats Per Minute. "Jump" is a fusion of Afrobeats, dancehall and hip hop with echoing log drums and percussion that define the amapiano genre. Airhorns are introduced in the chorus, along with the party chant, "haibo!", a Zulu language expression for shock or disbelief. "Jump" opens with an intro by Skillibeng, who compliments Tyla and calls her "an original gyal". She sings the first verse with braggadocio and the single-syllable chorus in a rap-sung cadence. In the second verse, Gunna promises to fulfil Tyla's desires and buy her jewellery. The song ends with an outro by Skillibeng. "Art", the tenth song on the album, has been described as "the most erotic song Tyla has released since 'Water by Joshua Minsoo Kim of Resident Advisor. Martins of Beats Per Minute wrote that "Art" showcases Tyla's most subtle vocal performance and smooth ad-libs, as she expresses her desire to become a work of art for her love interest. It is followed by "On My Body", a deep house-influenced recording featuring vocals partially sung in Spanish by Becky G. On the song "Priorities", she illustrates her figurative message of spreading herself too thin over a ghostly highlife guitar. The thirteenth song on the album, "To Last" is a fusion of R&B and amapiano track that features Tyla's smooth, whispered vocals and synths with an aspect of sadness as she sings: "You never gave us a chance, it's like you never wanted us to last". The album closes with a remix of "Water", with Auto-Tuned vocals from Travis Scott.
Promotion On 5 December 2023, Tyla announced her debut concert tour, the Tyla Tour, scheduled to begin on 21 March 2024 in Oslo and conclude on 28 May 2024 in Minneapolis. On 7 March 2024, Tyla announced via social media the cancellation of the North American leg of the tour due to an undisclosed injury sustained before the tour began. The UK and European legs were postponed and rescheduled. Following the release of her album, Tyla hosted meet-and-greet events to promote it, including one in Shoreditch, England, on 27 March 2024, and another at Mall of Africa in Johannesburg, South Africa, on 2 April 2024. She also held meet-and-greet events in Tokyo, Japan, on 18 August 2024, and in Seoul, South Korea, on 26 August 2024.
Live performances Tyla first performed "Water" in June 2023 at Afro Nation Portugal. She also performed "Water" on 2 August, and "To Last" on 6 September 2023 for Vevo's programme DSCVR. That October, she made her global television debut performing "Water" on The Bianca Show in Sweden. She also performed the song on the US television show, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon later that month. On 30 November 2023, she performed "On and On" on ColorsxStudios. Tyla performed an unreleased remix version of "Water" with South African DJ Black Coffee at a nightclub in Sandton on 6 December. She performed a medley of "Water" and "Truth or Dare" on the season 24 finale of the US television series The Voice aired on NBC on 18 December. She also performed a medley of "On and On", "Truth or Dare" and "Water" in Times Square during the 2024 television special Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve. On 9 April 2024, she performed "Art" on the US late-night talk show The Late Show With Stephen Colbert.