Tyla won the first African music performance Grammy. Now, ‘I really want people to go deeper.’

As a fan of Tyla’s music and her incredible journey, I can confidently say that she is truly a shining star in the vast expanse of global music. Her ability to seamlessly blend traditional African sounds with modern beats is nothing short of captivating.

At the Met Gala, it’s quite challenging to outshine everyone else. However, once you witness South African singer Tyla gracefully climb the stairs in a unique Balmain couture dress crafted from sculpted sand in May, that image is forever etched in memory.

In her cozy bedroom in New York, the 22-year-old reminisced, “It seemed like a statue, and I wondered how on earth I’d manage to put it on! I didn’t anticipate needing men to lift me up the stairs. The entire event was impromptu yet flawless, right down to us trimming the dress at the end. It felt like a contemporary work of art.

The dress wasn’t found the next morning, yet it enhanced Tyla’s enigmatic charm. In February, the singer clinched the inaugural Grammy for Best African Music Performance, for her sensual, stunningly performed single “Water,” a standout track that has significantly influenced the global pop and club music scene. Her self-titled debut album dropped in March and could potentially repeat this success.

As a passionate film buff, reflecting on the evolution of South African music, I can’t help but marvel at how far we’ve journeyed, yet recognize there’s still a distance to go. Despite our music reaching incredible heights, our culture hasn’t had a platform quite like this before. The Grammys acknowledging us was a monumental moment for all of us. However, I sense it’s merely the start of something truly extraordinary for this continent.

South Africa’s music significantly impacts the global scene, often connected to civil rights and anti-apartheid struggles. For instance, Miriam Makeba was banished from her homeland for many years, yet her unique fusion of jazz and indigenous folk music found a worldwide audience, culminating in her receiving the first Grammy awarded to an African artist in 1966. Similarly, Hugh Masekela became the first African act to reach number one on the Hot 100 with “Grazing in the Grass” in 1968.

Lately, as Afrobeats continues to sweep across the globe, South Africa has emerged with its unique club genre called amapiano. This sleek, melodious form of dance music sits comfortably between deep house from Europe, jazz-infused R&B, and local rhythms like kwaito and gqom.

Originating from Johannesburg, this artist’s popular 2023 single “Water” is graceful and airy, smoothly moving around an agile amapiano rhythm. The English-language tune, along with its successor “Jump,” triggered TikTok dance trends highlighting the local “Bacardi” dance style. A remix by Travis Scott was also released, and eventually, “Water” climbed to No. 7 on the Hot 100 chart.

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When ‘Water’ became a hit unexpectedly, we knew the song was fantastic, but it still took us by surprise. It wasn’t just pressure for me; it represented an opportunity to not only capitalize on my success, but also to pave the way for those coming after.

Tyla demonstrated an exceptional ability to grasp not just the subtle rhythms unique to her locale, but also the vocal skills and melodic intuition characteristic of R&B artists such as Beyoncé and Aaliyah. In doing so, she upheld South Africa’s rich legacy as a melting pot for worldwide music.

However, the album resonates with a sense of caution towards contemporary fame and its deformations. The song “Priorities” might depict an overwhelming relationship, but it can equally represent the dangers of being sought after — “My first error / Believing I could be all things / See how stretching myself thin turned out / My priority once more.

On “Truth or Dare,” she criticizes an ex-partner, expressing that they can’t handle her current self. She remarks that he is a fan now, while she is not the person she used to be… When people ask you questions about me, inform them of our potential past together, as you were too impulsive for us to reach our destined places.

She shared with The Times that the experience has been challenging as her life took an unexpected turn, and she now finds herself in a foreign country where cultural differences are abundant and continue to confound her. Essentially, she’s learning on-the-job in front of a global audience, and making mistakes will inevitably be scrutinized, which includes the possibility of being judged harshly by some. What she hadn’t anticipated was the level of difficulty she would encounter in this journey.

Tyla asserts that although the work can be tough at times, it’s all worth it given the significant crossroads African music has reached. Artists like Burna Boy, Wizkid, and Tems have garnered both chart-topping success and Grammy recognition. This newly established category specifically for African music will stimulate discussions towards more prestigious awards overall.

Tyla has teamed up with Makeba and Masekela to win awards at the Grammys and top the pop charts. This confirms what many in her country and continent have long suspected – African music is the wave of the future, and Tyla is a versatile representative for this genre.

She expressed her strong desire for people to appreciate the authentic African musicians who create amapiano and Afrobeats genres, emphasizing their unique, original African sounds. She’s eager for listeners to delve deeper into this music and she wants to collaborate with other artists to spread this passion. In her view, the music and culture of Africa carries a significance that transcends its current status, and she sees it as something much more expansive than it appears at present.

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2024-10-09 13:39