Tyla Explains Why She Calls Her Music Style ‘Popiano’.21-year-old South African sensation, Tyla has been making headlines since breaking into the mainstream. Signed to Epic Records through a joint venture with Johannesburg/New York-based Fax Records, and co-managed by We Make Music and Africa Creative Agency, Tyla is poised to achieve international dominance with style, soul, and spirit.
“I grew up listening to everything and loving all genres. I love singing, but I wanted to make it more me. In South Africa, I get down to Amapiano music and Afrobeats music, it’s what I enjoy most. When I first started making Amapiano music, originally there was no song structure: the songs were like five minutes and just vibes. But I really wanted to have a structure — a verse, chorus, pre-chorus — like pop music, so I shortened the songs, kept the log drum and just gave it structure.”
Following the success of her debut song, which currently sits at over 4 million streams on Spotify, the South African singer has released ‘Overdue’, which was featured on Netflix’s hit series “Blood and Water,” and ‘To Last’, which was remixed by DJ Maphorisa. Her latest single, ‘Been Thinking,’ was released on January 27 alongside a sultry dance music video that sees the South African singer exude Main Pop Girl energy
Speaking on how the song came about, Tyla said: “Years ago, I was in the shower and I was singing to myself—I always sing in the shower, by the way—and I came up with the chorus lyrics, and they really stuck. I wasn’t even thinking melody, but when I said those words, I was like, “Yeah, this hits!” So I recorded it on my phone and kept it there.”
“Years later, I returned to it while recording music at a camp in South Africa, and it just sat so perfectly on the beat that the song literally flowed out of me. I finished very quickly, and it was the perfect timing because the song is about what a friend was going through at the time, so I was speaking through her in the song. That’s how it came about.
