How Tyla Almost Lost Herself After ‘Water’ Went Viral

Tyla might be riding high now, but the South African star says her journey to the top was not as glamorous as it looks.

In a recent sit-down with Variety, the breakout artiste opened up about the chaotic whirlwind that followed her global smash hit Water and how the pressure nearly drowned her.

The hit single, which turned her into an overnight sensation at just 21, catapulted her into a level of fame she admits she was not prepared for.

Behind the shiny awards like her history-making Grammy win for Best African Song Performance and a clean sweep across the Afrobeats categories at the VMAs, the EMAs, and the AMA Tyla was quietly falling apart.

Instead of soaking in the moment, she became fixated on getting everything “right.”

But that pressure left her feeling like she missed out on the time most young artistes need to experiment, mess up, and grow.

Long before Water took over charts and TikTok, Tyla had already been fighting an uphill battle with her label.

At just 19, she signed with Epic Music and quickly found herself trapped in a sound that did not reflect who she was.

According to her, she was pushed into recording Bubblegum Pop and other types of pop music that felt fake and forced.

There was even a point where she broke down crying in a hotel room, refusing to go to a session because the music was not true to her.

But after being pulled back into the studio, she realized something important: she was done compromising.

The whole experience, as rough as it was, only deepened her connection to African music.

She has been leaning harder into those sounds ever since, and her fans have been showing up in massive numbers for it.

Now 23 and with a global spotlight on her, Tyla seems more certain than ever of what she wants and what she refuses to do again.

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