South African singer-songwriter Tyla poses in the press room with the Best Afrobeats award for ‘Water’ during the MTV Video Music Awards at UBS Arena in Elmont, New York, on September 11, 2024. Picture: Angela Weiss/AFP
South African superstar Tyla keeps winning, collecting awards at almost every top awards ceremony internationally and locally. The Joburg-born superstar stated boldly that she represented the amapiano despite winning in the Afrobeats category.
The charismatic singing sensation also had words for the organisers and their lazy classification of African music.
"I come from South Africa. I represent amapiano. I represent my culture, and I just want to shout out [to] all the Afrobeats artists in this category with me."
Tyla won the VMA for Best Afrobeats for her smash hit "Water", she was nominated with Nigerian superstars Burna Boy, Davido, Ayra Starr, Tems and Lojay.
During her acceptance speech for her award, Tyla reflected on her win, calling it “special, but also bittersweet”.
"This is such a big moment for Africa [and] African music," began Tyla, as she became the first South African artist to win a VMA.
“This is just so special, but also bittersweet because I know there's a tendency to group all African artists under Afrobeat[s]. It's a thing, and even though Afrobeats has run things and has opened so many doors for us, African music is so diverse, it is more than just Afrobeats.
"I come from South Africa. I represent amapiano. I represent my culture, and I just want to shout out [to] all the Afrobeats artists in this category with me."
Afrobeat music evolved in Nigeria in the late 1960s by Fela Anikulapo Kuti, and has grown into a global phenomenon, while amapiano is a sound originating from the townships of South Africa and has also become a global sensation.
In 2023, the Afrobeats category was first introduced and Nigerian superstar Rema won the award for the remix of his global hit “Calm Down” featuring Selena Gomez.
Tyla’s stellar trophy cabinet is steadily growing; she already has a Grammy, Billboard, BET, Metro FM Music, Basadi in Music and now she has a MTV Video Music Award to add to the lot.
IOL Entertainment