Tyla On Working With A Record Producer Who Created Rihanna’s ‘Umbrella’. Born in Johannesburg, Tyla gained local buzz by competing in song challenges on Musical.ly, the social media app that went on to form TikTok. The artist’s growing online profile landed her a management deal and studio session with Johannesburg producer Kooldrink.
Not only did Tyla sign to major US label Epic Records, but her talent also reached the ears of Tricky Stewart, the US producer who scored hits with Beyonce (Break My Soul), Rihanna (Umbrella) and Mariah Carey (Touch My Body).
“I was very nervous when I first met him because I love all the songs he produced. But what he does is that he creates a vibe that is really welcoming. We would work on songs and we would just build it and add different things to it until they felt right.”
Speaking to The National backstage, she says she is trying to keep level-headed about the rise of her career, all while learning from her peers. “This is something I realised when performing with Chris Brown. You know, I dreamt my whole life of being at this stage of my career and I am so blessed for that. But then going on that tour with Chris Brown was amazing because I studied his performance, which is amazing. This did give me a lot of confidence on how I wanted to carry myself on stage,” she said.
