Tyla, Singer of Viral Hit ‘Water,’ Says Her DMs Are ‘Always Active’: What to Know About the South African Star (Exclusive)

Singer Tyla’s sexy song “Water” has been seeing success since it dropped earlier this year.

“First of all it’s a banger, like a crazy song,” Tyla, 21, tells PEOPLE of her Afrobeat-tinged breakthrough about romantic romance, which climbed to No. 21 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song was an even bigger winner on social media, with thousands of fans using it over their own videos and testing their skills in the Water Dance Challenge based on the star’s impressive moves in her music video.

“Even before the challenge started, before the video went viral, people loved the song. But I think what pushed it over the edge was my performance,” says Tyla. “I was working with my choreographer in South Africa and we did that dance, and when I was performing on stage, I just poured water on myself, like I didn’t even think about it.”

Tyla and Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show in October 2023.

Todd Owyoung/NBC via Getty

She recently wowed Jimmy Fallon and his studio audience, making her American television debut with a live performance of “Water.” Tonight’s show. It’s been a tumultuous year for the young South African star and it’s only just begun.

Here are five things to know about Tyla:

She was born Tyla Laura Seethal in Johannesburg, South Africa

Tyla.

Annie Reid

Tyla, pronounced TIE-Luh, “grew up listening to Afrobeats, amapiano, house Kwaito and all that,” says the singer of popular genres in her homeland. “But there was also a lot of R&B and pop playing in my house, and I looked up to a lot of R&B and pop artists.”

As for her American influences, “I really looked up to Michael Jackson especially as a performer. I also looked up to Rihanna and Aaliyah.” But when it came time to figure out her own sound, she says, “I knew I wanted my culture in it. I made my first amapiano song ‘Getting Late’ and added pop and R&B melodies to it. With ‘Water’ alone I would describe it as perfect mix. Being from South Africa is why my sound is the way it is.”

She studied mining at school before focusing on music

Tyla’s music video for “Getting Late”.

Tyla/ Youtube

“Music was always the plan, but when I started consciously working on it, I was in my senior year of high school,” says Tyla, who started her career by posting singing videos on social media. “I studied and wrote final exams, but every weekend I went to the studio and just recorded, experimented, took pictures and that’s it.”

However, her parents were not always in favor of it. “When I finished school, my parents asked me what I was going to study and I immediately told them that I wanted to do music,” she says. “After a lot of persuasion they let me do just that.”

He has more than 6 million TikTok followers and tons of fans

Tyla in the music video for “Water”.

Tyla/Youtube

Tyla isn’t new to social media, but she’s the first to admit that things have changed. “I grew up on social media,” she says. “Maybe when I was 12 or 13, I would have borrowed my dad’s phone to make social media accounts. I shouldn’t have been on it at that age, but I just fell in love with pictures and making videos and musical.ly.”

These days, after both of her singles went viral, “I’m starting to feel the pressure of social media now because the numbers are going up so much faster and I’m just realizing the impact I have now,” she says. “I have to be more careful and use my platform properly.”

As for eager suitors snapping photos of themselves and expressing interest in the beautiful star on social media: “My DMs are always active, baby! I’m telling you, there’s always someone I wouldn’t expect, so yeah, it’s blooming!”

The viral music video for “Water” almost didn’t happen

Tyla.

Annie Reid

Tyla fans can thank themselves for bringing “Water” to life on camera. “We weren’t really going to make a video, and then the song just went viral,” Tyla explains. “We were like, ‘Oh my God!’ In the end we worked with [music video director] Child and I have always wanted to work with her so it was exciting. It was a little stressful, but I had a lot of fun on set.”

That didn’t stop the rising star from feeling nervous ahead of the release of the music video. “I was so nervous,” she says, “like I literally couldn’t sleep. I was just waiting for it to drop. But once I saw that the answer was good, it was such a relief. I felt so much better after everything.”

When he’s not singing and dancing, he likes to lie around and scroll

Tyla.

Annie Reid

“I like to just lie down,” says the star, “draw the curtains, maybe go on TikTok. Sometimes I watch TV or when I’m at home I like to just relax with my family.”

For Tyla, there is no place better than home, and an especially special place in her home. “We do that thing where we just sit on our parents’ bed and just talk about anything and everything. It’s something I really enjoy doing. Basically, I just relax.”

Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education