Tyla On Being Called ‘The South African Ariana Grande’. As one of the hottest artists coming out of Johannesburg, Tyla’s pushing the boundaries of popular music in South Africa, adding her voice to the sounds defining the country’s musical heritage. Before the success, the 21-year-old had her mother to thank for early forays into songwriting.
Tyla never thought that “Getting Late” would permeate beyond South Africa’s borders. Racking up millions of views and becoming a global amapiano anthem, the track disrupted Africa’s ascendant music scene and flourished on the sound systems of clubs and festivals worldwide.
Tyla has been described as the South African Ariana Grande; and as much as that is great comparison, Tyla wants her own name known. “People maybe haven’t seen this before, they like things that are familiar, and want to relate and understand it. Those are amazing comparisons because they’re amazing artists but also I’m Tyla, you know?,” she said.
And if her start in this industry just two years ago is anything to go by, she ought to be taken seriously. “As a South African, this type of thing, it wasn’t a reality. That we could actually make a living from it and do well, especially with the dreams I had, it wasn’t a reality… but I just always put myself out there. Since I was young, I had a feeling that this is what I was going to do and it was going to happen. I feel like I was born for it.”
