Over the past few years, South African singer-songwriter Tyla has made a significant impact on the global music scene, sparking discussions about her rapid rise to fame.
At just 22 years old, Tyla first garnered international attention with her viral hit “Water,” accompanied by the Bacardi dance challenge, which became a worldwide sensation. Her breakthrough was so profound that it led to her making history as the youngest African artist to win a Grammy. This accomplishment was achieved with just one major release, a feat that even legendary artists like Rihanna, Beyoncé, and Jay-Z took years to achieve with multiple albums.
However, her meteoric success has also led some to question whether her rise was the result of luck or whether she is an “industry plant,” a term used to describe artists who are believed to have been manufactured and pushed into the spotlight by powerful industry figures. Despite these accusations, Tyla is adamant that her success is due to hard work, talent, and perseverance.
In a recent interview, Tyla opened up about her unconventional path to discovery. She revealed that, in the beginning, she took a very proactive approach to getting her music heard. “I started DM’ing tons of people in the music industry with my original music. I’ve always been ambitious—I just believed someone would reply,” she shared. While many of her messages went unanswered, she kept pushing forward. She would also engage with her followers by asking for song prompts, creating content, and posting regularly. Eventually, her persistence paid off when one of her videos caught the attention of her current manager.
Before her song “Water” took the world by storm, Tyla had been steadily honing her craft. She created TikTok skits and shared snippets of her original songs, but for a long time, her efforts went largely unnoticed. Behind the scenes, she was putting in years of work—writing music since the age of 11, dealing with rejections, and perfecting her sound. Her rise to fame, she insists, was not an overnight success but the result of years of dedication and the willingness to keep going despite the setbacks.
Tyla is also quick to dispel the “industry plant” myth that has followed her. She stresses that the misconception that she had an easy path to success doesn’t reflect the late nights and hard work that led her to where she is today. “People don’t see the rejections, the struggles, or the grind that went into getting here,” she said, emphasizing that her journey has been anything but effortless.
Signed to Epic Records and working with South Africa’s Flourish and Multiply label, Tyla’s success is a testament to both her artistry and the powerful collaboration between her label and her vision. She has become a key figure in bringing African pop to the global stage, seamlessly blending amapiano rhythms with a sound that appeals to a broad, international audience. In just a short time, Tyla has amassed 32.4 million monthly listeners across streaming platforms, further proving that her talent, along with the support of her label, is the driving force behind her success.
Her journey is a reminder that success in the music industry, while sometimes perceived as instantaneous, is often built on years of hard work, rejection, and persistence.
