Tyla has shot up trends lists again, this time because of her sophomore album A*POP, which means African Pop.
From making music in her Johannesburg bedroom to conquering global stages as a Grammy Award-winning artist, Tyla continues to push the boundaries of what it means to be an African artist.
“A*POP, African Pop. A*POP is literally me trying to extend the idea of what an African pop star looks like, what an African pop star sounds like. I think sometimes when you’re from somewhere, you’re expected to look a way or sound a way. I’ve seen things where they’re like, “Oh, Tyla’s not African enough,” and I’m like, what is African enough?" she said in an interview with Ebro on Apple Music Radio.
To bring the A Pop to life, Tyla tapped into South Africa’s rich musical ecosystem.
She reimagines Liquideep’s 10-year-old classic song Fairytale, nine months after the duo Ziyon and Tyzor made their musical comeback.
“When we wrote Fairytale, we never imagined it would still be finding new audiences all these years later,” Ziyon said in a statement shared with TshisaLIVE.
“To hear an artist like Tyla, who is carrying South African music to every corner of the world, embrace the song is incredibly special. It reminds us great music never really belongs to one moment in time. It evolves, it grows, and it keeps connecting people.”
With Tyla having achieved global success as a Grammy award-winning artist, Ryzor said he was happy to see her honour artists who built a foundation.
“Every generation adds its own voice to the story.”
“We’re proud Fairytale has become part of that journey. Seeing a new generation discover the song through Tyla is incredibly rewarding because it shows how South African music continues to inspire itself while reaching the world. That’s something worth celebrating.”
The other South Africans featured include amapiano sensations Mawhoo on Crazy of Me and Babalwa M on I Don’t Care, who sing in the intro and outro of both tracks in isiZulu.
Social media users have weighed in on the highly anticipated album. While some say it has the perfect SA flavour, others say it did not strike the right tone for them.
TimesLIVE
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