During her acceptance speech for the Best Afrobeats Song award at the 2024 MTV Video Music Awards, Tyla emphasized that she represents the Amapiano genre and not Afrobeats.
Tyla acknowledged the significant impact of Afrobeats in expanding opportunities for African music globally.
However, she voiced her concern regarding the tendency to broadly classify all African music under the Afrobeats umbrella.
Tyla highlighted her South African origin and clarified that she represents the Amapiano genre, distinct from Afrobeats.
While expressing gratitude for the recognition, Tyla also acknowledged her nominations in the Best New Artist and Best RnB categories, where she did not emerge as the winner.
She said: “The impact that ‘Water’ has had on the world proves that African music can be pop music, too. This is so special but also bittersweet. Because I know there’s a tendency to group all African artists under Afrobeats.
“Even though Afrobeats has run things and has opened so many doors for us, African music is so diverse. It’s more than just Afrobeats.
“I come from South Africa, I represent Amapiano. I present my culture. And I just want to shout out all the Afrobeats artists in this category with me. Shout out to all the Afrobeats artistes Tems, Ayra Starr, Wizkid, Burna Boy, Rema etc.
On March 22, 2023, Tyla unveiled her eagerly awaited eponymous debut album, titled “Tyla.”
The album is supported by the following singles: “Water”, “On and On”, “Truth or Dare”, and “Art”. Additionally, the promotional single “Butterflies” and the 2022 stand-alone single “To Last” were also released.
Tyla’s globally successful single, “Water,” has had a significant impact on her career. It sparked a viral dance challenge, garnered nearly 500 million streams on Spotify, and culminated in a prestigious Grammy Award win.