Tyla

With her genre-bending and eye-catching performances, Tyla has become a key ambassador for South Africa’s amapiano genre. The singer has been on a quest to represent her native country on the world’s stage. Her music marries R&B and pop with Afrobeats and amapiano elements to create her own unique popiano. “A lot of artists have shown love for African music and African culture, which is amazing, but I’d love to see a lot more African artists showcasing that and being at the forefront of it,” she told Rolling Stone in 2023.

Tyla launched her career in 2019 with the single “Getting Late.” It wasn’t, however, until 2023 that she broke through the mainstream with her infectious single “Water,” which spawned a viral TikTok trend that only made the song blow up even more. Following the single’s success, which earned her the first-ever Grammy Award for Best African Music Performance, Tyla released her self-titled debut album in March 2024. The album featured collaborations with Tems, Gunna, and Becky G, including fan favorite “Jump.” 

Tyla first announced a tour for her album across the United States, but ultimately decided to canxel the show due to a “tragically worsening” injury. She has yet to announce a new run. However, the South African star followed up Tyla in October with a deluxe version called Tyla+ that included three more songs, including “Push 2 Start,” which she debuted at the 2024 Victoria’s Secret Fashion show days after its release. — Tomás Mier