Tyla has emerged as a prominent African artist over recent years. Following the release of her highly praised debut album in 2024 and subsequent wins at major music award shows for “Best Afrobeats,” TunesDeck decided to explore her music and its classification within the industry. This is the first installment in that exploration.
In the latest MTV Europe Music Awards (EMAs), Tyla was the sole non-Nigerian artist nominated for the Best Afrobeats category, along with five Nigerian contenders. Recently, after winning a similar award at the MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) for her hit track, “Water,” Tyla expressed a desire to distance herself from the ‘Afrobeats’ label, declaring that she represents amapiano.
Her comments stirred controversy online, with some taking issue with her discomfort around the Afrobeats classification. Tyla’s acceptance speech implied that while Afrobeats has significantly impacted the music scene, African music is uniquely diverse and deserves recognition beyond a singular label.
Many artists share similar sentiments about the Afrobeats label; some Nigerian musicians have explicitly rejected it. The real question to consider is whether Tyla’s claim of representing amapiano stands strong given that her music is often viewed as Afrobeats.
Amapiano has a distinct sound characterized notably by the log drum, but it’s an amalgamation of various South African musical elements, including deep house, jazz, soul, and folk, making it adaptable across genres like hip-hop and R&B. With its expansive reach and influence, especially in Nigerian pop music, conversations about the origins and global appreciation of amapiano have gained traction.
Tyla occupies a unique position, being from South Africa, the birthplace of amapiano, yet crafting music that defies strict classification. Her breakout single, “Getting Late,” has been labeled “pop-piano,” a fusion she and her producer Kooldrink aimed to create, blending amapiano with pop influences drawn from R&B and Y2K genres.
Tyla has expressed a desire to explore a mix of musical styles—promising more pop-piano tracks, Afrobeats, dancehall, and R&B. Her musical explorations mirror a broader trend of artists moving away from singular genre definitions.
This brings us to the ongoing debate surrounding the use of Afrobeats as a broad classification, which encompasses a myriad of genres from Nigerian and Ghanaian artists alike. This broadness leads to diverse sounds—from reggae and dancehall to street-pop and highlife—being lumped under one label.
Pop-piano encapsulates Tyla’s sound better than Afrobeats due to the blend of genres present in her work. The log drum, a vital element, features prominently throughout her music, including her self-titled album released in March. Tyla consistently showcases her versatility as an artist.
However, her strong association with amapiano might be overstated. While being South African is significant, simply incorporating log drums does not define her as an amapiano artist. The length and structure of her songs differ from traditional amapiano music, indicating her broader pop orientation.
More precisely, tracks like “To Last” and her collaboration on “Ke Shy,” although vivid in their amapiano influence, are not her most popular pieces. In her album, aside from the collaboration with amapiano producer Kelvin Momo, most tracks lean more toward pop than strictly amapiano.
Tyla embodies the pop artist profile similar to stars like Ayra Starr and Rema, maneuvering beyond the constraints of genre labels. As music continues to evolve, strict genre definitions become less meaningful, although they still serve to describe an artist’s style.
Thus, while Tyla should not be limited to only identifying as Afrobeats, her music aligns with broader pop aesthetics. Additionally, her rise can be partially attributed to the global push of “Afrobeats to the World,” a movement focused on promoting African music on international platforms.
With polished production and catchy melodies, Tyla’s songs are crafted for a worldwide audience. Should she win Best Afrobeats at the MTV EMAs, it will underscore the prevailing perception of her artistry within the African pop landscape. However, the significance of her music emerges from navigating cultural narratives, highlighting the challenges artists face in a landscape shaped by existing frameworks.
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