After burning up the charts (and winning a Grammy Award) for “Water,” Tyla is starting her hot girl summer strong with a huge cover feature with Cosmopolitan.
Source: Amber Asaly / Cosmopolitan
Tyla Covers Summer 2024 Issue Of Cosmopolitan
Our friends at COSMO were kind enough to share a few photos and excerpts from the story — just because we know y’all love Tyla so much. But we were really excited to see she’s addressing all the rumors and misconceptions out there about her — especially that TikTok theory that her “quick” rise to success is the result of an early initiation into the Illuminati.
Here’s what she has to say about that… and more. Check out the full article HERE!
On rumors that she’s in the Illuminati:
“People already think I’m in the Illuminati? Oh, now. I know some people think that’s the only way, but it really isn’t. God is the center of everything that we are doing, and clearly, it’s working.”
On postponing her upcoming tour due to a back injury:
“Yeah, unfortunately, I had to postpone the tour. Obviously, I wanted to do all the shows, but it didn’t really make sense considering the injury and the recommendations from the doctor. I’ll be back on it very soon, and I will be giving my Tygers the best show ever. I just need to slow down a bit more and just be easy on myself. I’m still recovering. At least I have medicine that helps ease the pain. It sucks, but I know God’s going to bring me out of it.”
On entertaining at family get-togethers while she was growing up:
“Every single time, I was there performing. My mom would just be like, ‘Everybody gather, Tyla’s going to sing.’ I’d give them Justin Bieber. I’d give them Beyoncé. Adele. I loved singing Adele’s songs. Adele was especially the girl for me. Even in school, the old compositions, I loved Adele’s songs. And Whitney.”
So basically Tyla wants y’all to know she’s no scrub — she’s been doing her best to show she been had the range since she was a pretty young thang!
We LOVE LOVE LOVE the motion digital cover what do you think?
Tyla also opened up about her roots, revealing that singing runs in the family and that she’s excited that African music has finally made it’s way to pop culture.
On how her grandmother, also a singer, influenced her career:
“I love my gran so much. She would always tell us stories about being a singer and how she would have to basically sing to support her family. She’d take long bus rides to competitions and win. All those stories always inspired me and made me work harder to get to where I want to be years from now. My gran always pushed me. Always. I would sing a song and she’d make me sing it over and over again, like, ‘Sing it again. Practice. Do this.’ So I’m so happy that she’s also able to experience this now. Because these dreams aren’t only my dreams; they’re so many South Africans’ dreams. My gran always speaks about it: ‘I can’t believe, Tyla. I’m so proud of you. You made something that never felt real real.’”
On wanting to be a truly global African pop star:
“When I was younger, I would always speak about pop culture and what we would like to see from artists and what’s missing. An African pop star [is what was missing]. Like, how has that not happened yet? People have an idea of Africa and it is very stereotypical. They see it as animals everywhere or think we’re hungry, we’re thirsty. It’s just so boring! We want to change that narrative. We want people to see Africa for really what it is. We have our fashion, our stylists, our creators, our artists, our producers. We have so much and we just need the eyes. I’m happy that people are paying attention—it’s amazing. But we need more people to see Africa for what it is and not just what you guys have learned in textbooks and on National Geographic.”
Source: Amber Asaly / Cosmopolitan
On not feeling pressure to conform to a more American sound or style in any way:
“People know how much I love my culture and where I’m from. So it’s never been something where I would even want to, because the source is in South Africa. I also feel like we are changing the way people see pop right now because “Water” is an African song. Afrobeats has a log drum sound and it’s in the Billboard Hot 100 with all pop songs. It’s amazing.”
On the persistent comparisons to Rihanna:
“It’s flattering because Rihanna is Rihanna. It’s a compliment. But at the same time, I’m my own artist. I’m Tyla. And I know as people get to know me and my music, they will see me as just Tyla. So I’m fine with it now. People want to tie me to something familiar to them, cool. But at the end of the day, we’re doing something no one’s done before, and it can’t really be compared to anyone.”
What do you think about the Rihanna comparisons? They make since in some regards because both women are international artists who were able to make an impact on the US charts very early in their careers, very young and have even helped shift the direction of pop music.
Source: Amber Asaly / Cosmopolitan
One of the most key parts of the Tyla interview has to be when journalist Elaine Welteroth asked about the controversy around a video she posted on TikTok last year with the text “I am a Coloured South African.”
Elaine said:
In South Africa, the term “Coloured” is commonly used to describe the vast multiracial community established legally during apartheid but that has existed since long before that—an ancestral mix of Black African, Indian, Asian, and white with their own language and customs. You ignited a nuanced dialogue about a group that the rest of the world has largely overlooked. What does it feel like to be able to carry that flag for your people?
Tyla’s response was:
“I’m happy there’s a conversation happening and that people are learning that Africa is more than just Black and white. Obviously, it gets messy and no one likes that, but I’m just happy people know we exist and have our own culture. When people are like, ‘You’re denying your Blackness,’ it’s not that at all. I never said I am not Black. It’s just that I grew up as a South African knowing myself as Coloured. And now that I’m exposed to more things, it has made me other things too. I’m also mixed-race. I’m also Black. I know people like finding a definition for things, but it’s ‘and,’ not ‘or.’ As young people, we have a platform where we can speak about things like this, things that are new and controversial and scary. It’s a perfect time for this conversation to happen.”
Well said. Americans can have some pretty narrow ideas/definitions particularly when it comes to nuanced discussions about races. Tyla truly held her ground!
Hit the flip to watch her answer a few questions on video for Cosmo’s The Breakdown.
