Who is Tyla? Get to know South Africa's youngest Grammy winner

“If you don’t know me, my name is Tyla from South Africa, and last year, God decided to change my whole life.”

These were the words of Tyla Seethal as she accepted her first Grammy Award. 

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The singer has taken the world by storm with her hit song ‘Water’.

Who exactly is this global sensation?

Get to know the singer with these fun facts:

Her parents gave her a year to ‘make it’ in music

While the singer always had a passion for music throughout high school, her parents never really considered it to be a sustainable career path. 

"They were like music is not a job, it’s a hobby, so I had to literally cry every day and convince them.”

With a chart-topping song and a Grammy in hand, we think it’s safe to say that they have changed their minds. 

She released her first song in 2019

While she is greatly known for her hit song ‘Water’, she released her first song in 2019. 

‘Getting Late’ was a viral success in South Africa which had everyone dancing on TikTok. 

She went on tour with Chris Brown

Many people may be interested to know that Tyla’s first tour was with Christ Brown in Europe.

She was the supporting act for the European leg of his ‘Under the Influence Tour’ in early 2023.

This was a massive opportunity for her to get her music and name out there, especially because it was before ‘Water’ was released.

‘Water’ almost didn’t happen

While her song ‘Water’ is what saw her explode onto the global scene, the head-bopping hit almost didn’t happen. 

“We weren’t actually going to shoot a video, and then the song just went viral.”

The music video has garnered just over 119 million views on YouTube.

Her first-ever award was a Grammy

While being awarded a Grammy is a significant milestone in any artist's career, it was particularly special for Tyla.

Not only was this her first Grammy, but it was her first award, ever. 

At 22 years old, she is African’s youngest Grammy winner.