The upcoming, self-titled, debut album TYLA will be released on 22 March 2024, and already, the South African singer has gained some local and international attention since her 2021 single Getting Late and her more well-known 2023 track Water which earned her a Grammy for Best African Music Performance. Since then, she has released Truth or Dare, Butterflies, On and On, and even a remix of Water featuring Travis Scott. All these singles have been released before the upcoming album TYLA.
Although Tyla’s main genre and style is Amapiano, which originated in her native country South Africa, she infuses Western genres, particularly R&B and Pop, into her music creating a refreshing, novel, sound in the music industry. On IOL Entertainment, Tyla explains her style:
'I’ve just been basically trying to find my sound because I feel like since I do Popiano, I like to fuse different Western genres with some African influences'.
What makes Tyla's music stand out is how she takes her musical background and her roots and infuses it with popular industry genres. The style is refreshing because it sounds authentic and raw and that’s what the public and the industry look for in new artists; Tyla represents that perfectly through the originality of her music.
At a first listen of all the singles, there are a lot of sultry beats, with an Amapiano percussion style. TYLA contains a very airy, sensual, and soulful style of singing within her vocals and the structure and melody of each song sounds very R&B and Pop-like. All the singles seem to follow a common theme of love, whether it be intimate or sultry, self-improving or destructive. This is demonstrated through her lyricism.
Firstly, her biggest single, Water, gained a lot of attention on TikTok with the #WaterChallenge which mirrors her iconic dance move that she performs by pouring water down her back to the audience.
'I always knew that it was a smash'
Tyla says about Water in a Genuis interview, and it exceeded her and other’s expectations when it gained her a Grammy, interviews, and subsequent stardom. The track itself contains an upbeat style with sultry beats, heavily dominated by an Amapiano style with a sensual and airy voice giving an intimate and desirable feel to the track. The music itself is structured with a keyboard as the main instrumentation and contains a captivating melody. This track is an absolute earworm.
'Talk is cheap, so show me.'
Tyla sings in the verse, showing that she challenges the listener to desire her, also demonstrating she knows her worth, and won't just accept anyone. She sticks to the trope of self-love and knows she deserves it. In the age of the internet, it is very easy to just 'talk'; what Tyla is expressing is that you must prove to be more than words for her to even consider wanting you.
'Make me sweat, make me hotter Make me lose my breath, make me water!'
The chorus not only shows this thematic sense of self-love, but also that sultry intimate love we find across Tyla's releases. These lyrics show if you can exceed the bare minimum and appreciate her worth, Tyla wants that love to be shared with you.
Another track that follows the musical style of Water is Truth or Dare. The track involves the same style and beats of that Amapiano style and the same airy, beautiful, ethereal-like vocals. What differentiates the tracks from one another is the message of each song.
'Can't handle what I am now You're a fan now and I'm not what I was.'
The pre-chorus suggests, following the same theme. Tyla represents a lot more of this self-love in this single, but here she tries to juggle a past love, aiming to not be played like a game of truth or dare once the subject comes into her life after newfound fame.
Overall, both singles can relate to a wide audience, wanting someone to meet their expectations and experience intimate love together. An immense part of the global population has experienced a desire for a partner to meet their expectations, and this audience is aptly addressed in Water. In Truth or Dare, people relate to being used for a newfound success in their life, making both tracks extremely relatable. Both songs are certified earworms, with their catchy melodies that I catch myself singing to throughout the day. Both are quite upbeat and dance-influenced songs that are not only enjoyable to listen to, but also contain deeper and thoughtful meanings. The singles smoothly blend Pop, R&B, Afrobeats, and Amapiano to create a powerful, new style of music. The singles deserve their popularity.
Although she has quite a repertoire of upbeat tracks, Tyla does show versatility within her music, as showcased in Butterflies. The track is quite slow with the instrumentation being led by a gently plucked lo-fi guitar and bass, opposed to Tyla's usual keyboard sounds. With no beats, and very slight rhythmic patterns, Tyla opposes her heavy Amapiano style in the track, displaying a simpler instrumentation through Butterflies.
'Plus you the type to leave me confused in a maze trapped in your rule,
Many tried to cleanse me of you,
But my heart wants more'
Tyla sings this in the Butterflies pre-chorus, showcasing that this song is more about destructive love than anything. The release perfectly depicts how Tyla gets butterflies for the wrong person; she wants them but shouldn’t because they are toxic for her. Even others have tried to stop her from going to that person. Again, the track displays a toxic and destructive type of love sticking to the overall theme, but also highlighting her versatility in song writing.
Overall, Butterflies is a slow-paced track that parades her airy vocals once again and shows technical thematic cohesion. Tyla has more of an R&B, Soul, and Pop style in this track.
Finally, her track On and On has the same musicality as Water and Truth or Dare but a similar pace to Butterflies. On and On is the in-between of all the tracks. It is once again heavily dominated by her signature Amapiano style but this time it is more mellow and calm.
'Party like it's '95 I just wanna dance all night.'
The chorus identifies this song as more of a party song, but also a song you can just chill and groove to with its mellow Afrobeats. The song itself doesn’t have a whole lot of meaning to it; you don’t have to think about the lyricism, since the beat, instrumentation, and melody convey the single's meaning. Tyla has more of a sensual and airy vocal on this track giving it an intimate feel. This time, the theme of love is a love to party, a love of dance, and overall, just a love for a good time, which her audience relates to a lot. Do you remember going to a party that was so good that you just wanted to stay and never leave? That feeling of love for a good time emanates from Butterflies. This song is perfect to listen to, to groove to, or just chill to, but hits the relatability and thematic mark making it a hit. Once again, Tyla succeeds in capturing that R&B, Soul and Pop style.
Overall, Tyla is an admirably talented singer-songwriter and showcases her talents in her music; she creates a different vibe for all her singles, but manages to tie it all together, making them cohesive by sticking to a general theme and blending genres. Tyla has a huge passion for music and has created something refreshing and unique in the music industry. There’s a reason for Tyla's fame and she has proved with her singles that she is not just a one-hit wonder. She’s here to make a splash and to cause a flood. I loved all the singles that she has put out there and I highly anticipate her full upcoming album, TYLA.
CREDIT:
“I’ve just been basically trying to find my sound because I feel like since I do popiano, I like to fuse different western genres with some African influences. -IOL
https://www.iol.co.za/entertainment/music/local/chris-brown-thanks-mzansis-tyla-for touring-with-him-take-over-the-world-shawty-3b592413-b2f0-4461-84a6-d4eabb2d0218
“I always knew that it was a smash”- Genius
Photo Credit
Cover: ourfrequency
Body: TYLA Album Cover
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