South Africa’s Tyla wins African Music Performance Award at Grammys

South Africa has another winner on the global stage after Tyla won the inaugural African Music Performance Award, the first prize at the Grammys dedicated exclusively to music from the continent.

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The 22-year-old Mzansi singer was awarded for her song Water, the lead single from her eponymous debut studio album, Tyla.

Labelled by the singer as popiano, the track fuses elements from pop and amapiano, a South African subgenre of house music.

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Tyla beat Burna Boy, Davido, Asake, Olamide and Ayra Starr to the award, as well as fellow South African Musa Keys, who was nominated alongside Davido for Unavailable.

TYLA’S WATER STARTED WITH A TIKTOK DANCE CHALLENGE

“What? Oh my gosh, guys, this is crazy! I never thought I’d say I won a Grammy at 22-years-old,” Tyla said in her acceptance speech.

“If you don’t know me, my name is Tyla and I’m from South Africa, and last year God decided to change my whole life, thank you so much to God, to my team, my family.

“I know my mum is crying somewhere in here. Thank you to The Recording Academy for this category. It’s so important. I know I’m forgetting some things, but I won a Grammy!”

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Water had been making waves on social media, starting with a TikTok dance challenge in July.