Tyla

Tyla Laura Seethal was born to Sharleen and Sherwin Seethal and grew up in Johannesburg. She is the middle of five children. Her family includes her sisters Sydney and Whitney and her brother Tyrese. Her younger sister Sydney works as a model and content creator, later appearing with her in fashion campaigns.

Tyla identifies as Coloured, reflecting a multiethnic background with Zulu, Indian, Mauritian, and Irish ancestry. She has spoken openly about the distinction between racial terminology in South Africa and abroad. Beyond music, she enjoys painting and drawing in her spare time.

Music was an early focus. She began writing lyrics in a diary at age twelve, singing her original words over beats she found online. During her final year at Edenglen High School, where she served as Head of Culture, she spent every weekend in the recording studio after connecting with manager Garth von Glehn.

She briefly studied mining engineering at university. The pull toward music won out. After convincing her parents to let her take a gap year, she focused entirely on her craft. In late 2019, she self-released her debut single, "Getting Late," produced by Kooldrink. The music video was released in January 2021 and accumulated millions of views, earning a South African Music Award nomination. The momentum led to a joint recording contract with Epic Records and Fax Records in May 2021.

Her international profile grew throughout 2023. Early that year, she released "Been Thinking" and joined Chris Brown on the European leg of his Under the Influence Tour. In July 2023, she released "Water."

The song took off instantly. A viral TikTok dance challenge featuring South African bacardi choreography propelled the track into the top ten across multiple countries, including the United States and the United Kingdom. It marked the first time a South African solo artist entered the US Billboard Hot 100 since Hugh Masekela in 1968. At the 66th Annual Grammy Awards, "Water" won the first-ever Grammy for Best African Music Performance, making her the youngest African artist to receive a Grammy. Her self-titled debut studio album arrived in March 2024.

In late 2024, she issued a deluxe edition of her debut featuring "Push 2 Start." The song earned her a second Grammy Award for Best African Music Performance at the 68th Annual Grammy Awards, making her the first artist to win the category twice.

She released the EP WWP (We Wanna Party) in July 2025, featuring the singles "Bliss" and "Is It." Later that year, she released "Chanel," which reached number eleven on the Billboard Global 200. In July 2026, she released her second studio album, APop*, which featured collaborations with Babalwa M, MaWhoo, Liquideep, and Zara Larsson. That summer, she also performed at the opening ceremony of the 2026 FIFA World Cup alongside Future.

Her sound centers on popiano, a hybrid genre combining pop, R&B, and amapiano. She incorporates the log drums and rhythms of amapiano into concise pop arrangements.

Her biggest inspirations include Michael Jackson, Rihanna, and Britney Spears. She also cites Aaliyah, Cassie, and South African group Freshlyground as formative influences.