South Africa’s emerging music sensation, Tyla, has achieved a significant milestone by making her debut on the Billboard Hot 100 with her viral hit track “Water.”
Tyla, born Tyla Laura Seethal, the 21-year-old amapiano artist, celebrated her breakthrough as a “win for the whole of Africa” on social media.
“I’m a South African girl born and raised in Johannesburg,” she wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. “This is crazy.”
“Water” incorporates a fusion of genres, including R&B and amapiano, which is itself a combination of house, jazz, and lounge music that originated in South Africa’s townships and is gaining increasing global recognition.
The single entered the Billboard chart at number 67, which is the prominent weekly music ranking in the United States, and Tyla’s strong social media presence contributed to this achievement.
Released in July, this infectious track gained viral popularity on TikTok in recent weeks, following the artist’s videos of herself dancing to it, which sparked a dance challenge.
One clip has gathered more than 70 million views on the platform.
“Tyla scores her first appearance on the Billboard Hot 100 chart (dated Oct. 14), as ‘Water,’ the breakthrough single for the South African singer-songwriter, debuts at No. 67,” Billboard wrote on Tuesday.
“TikTok has been a major contributor in the song’s growing profile,” the magazine added.
Under the banner of Epic Records, a subsidiary of Sony, Tyla, despite having only a handful of singles to her credit, has already garnered recognition as one of the most promising talents on the continent according to industry experts.
In the same year, she had the privilege of being the opening act for American R&B artist Chris Brown on his European tour.
“Let’s take our sound to the world,” Tyla wrote on X.
