Tyla�s�past year has been nothing short of phenomenal. Her breakout hit, �Water,� released in July 2023, ignited a global sensation with its iconic TikTok dance challenge. The track amassed a staggering 29 million monthly Spotify�streams�and earned her her first�Grammy�Award for Best African Music Performance. Despite the song�s unprecedented success, Tyla admits to being caught off guard.

�It came as a surprise to all of us, myself and my whole team. It was really a cool moment,� she says.

In the latest issue of�V Magazine, the South African singer talks about her self-titled debut album, �Tyla,� sharing insights into her adolescent inspirations and her ambitious plans for the future.

Read excerpts from the interview:

On how the journey as a young songwriter has shaped her career

�All those years of writing, making music by myself, performing in talent shows or for family, acting in plays�I feel like all of those moments developed me in a way and help me now as a performer and as an artist. Just having had some sort of experience, even though it wasn�t professional, it definitely helped me.�

On being multifaceted and how her performing arts experience has influenced her artistry

�Yeah, definitely. I loved doing it in school. Every single play, I would be there auditioning and singing and acting. I just loved playing a character on stage and entertaining people, really. So I really incorporate those [passions] into my performance today. I love combining everything that I enjoy into one show, balancing acting [and] singing. I really have fun with it.�

On how her sound and personal style have evolved

�It evolved a lot. I�ve loved fashion and music since I was very young, but I never really had the resources when I was growing up to access the things that I personally liked. Now, I�m able to play around more and get the pieces and wear the things that I�ve always wanted to wear, so I�m enjoying that as well. And musically, my direction has always been to take African sounds to the world and mix pop, R&B, afrobeats, and amapiano together and make it huge. All those years of trying, making terrible songs, making okay songs, brought me to this point where I feel like I�ve made a sound that I�m happy bringing to the world.�