The musician, whose full name is Tyla Laura Seethal, was ecstatic after her name was revealed as the winner. Photo: X/@Am_Blujay
South African singer Tyla has scooped a Grammy award in the category of Best African Music Performance.
She beat out the competition from Nigeria’s Davido, Burna Boy, Ayra Strrr and Asake at the 66th annual Grammy Awards.
Watch Tyla speaking about her Grammy.
The musician, whose full name is Tyla Laura Seethal, was ecstatic after her name was revealed as the winner.
“Oh my! What the heck? What? Oh my gosh! Guys this is crazy. I never thought I’d say I won a Grammy at 22 years old. Guys, you don’t know me. My name is Tyla. I’m from South Africa and last year God decided to change my whole life. So, thank you so much to God, thank you to my team, my family, I know my mother’s crying somewhere in here.”
Tyla said it was an amazing feeling winning the award.
“It’s gonna be saying it all the time now. I am just so excited and it’s just an honour. It’s the first time the category has been introduced, so it just means too much more being the first winner of this category.”
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Tyla said she has always been an advocate of African music.
“I love African music and its music that I make and listen to all the time and I believed in it for so long. I am just happy that its getting its recognition now.”
Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture Zizi Kodwa congratulated the trailblazing Tyla for winning her first Grammy Award.
“Tyla is a proud ambassador of South African arts and culture. I congratulate Tyla for a historic Grammy Award win, which comes before she has even released a full album. Continue to inspire and to raise the South African flag high.
“I also congratulate all the South African artists who were nominated for the 66th Grammy Award. Trevor Noah, Just 6 and Musa Keys show the diverse South African artistic talent on display on the world stage,” Kodwa said.
Tyla’s single Water broke into Spotify’s top 40 global playlist, having been streamed more than 40 million times.
The song also entered the Apple Music US chart at number 82, making it the highest charting song by a South African artist since Master KG’s Jerusalema.
When news broke that her song had made history, the South African-born muso dedicated her achievement to Mzansi, which led a number of social media users to wonder about the Amapiano sensation.
After her big break, Tyla signed a recording contract with Epic Records through a joint venture with Fax Records in the United States.
Additional reporting by Bonginkosi Tiwane
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