South Africa’s Ampiano starlet, Tyla has made her debut on the Billboard Hot 100, which is the benchmark in the US music chart of the most listened-to tracks each week.
The 21-year-old Tyla, whose real name is Tyla Laura Seethal, made her remarkable entry into the chart with her viral hit track, “Water” which debuted at number 67, a feat deemed phenomenal by many music buffs.
The Billboard Magazine, which made the announcement on its website, said the young star had merited her position.
“Tyla makes her first appearance on the Billboard Hot 100 chart with “Water”, the single that gave the South African singer-songwriter her breakthrough, ranked at number 67,” the statement said.
Tyla, a singer, dancer, and stage performer with just a few singles to her credit, has made an instant impact in the music industry, with professionals already describing her as one of the continent’s most promising talents.
Tyla is signed to Epic Records, formerly Sony Music, and opened for American RnB singer Chris Brown on his European tour.
Her hit single, “Water” released in July, is one of the most popular Amapiano songs in South Africa which has become a global style, and gained popularity in just a few weeks, notably on TikTok, thanks to a video of the artist dancing seen over 70 million times.
The official video of “Water”, which uses RnB codes, has already racked up over eleven million views on YouTube, and has surpassed number of monthly listens to the global hit “Jerusalemema” on Spotify.
Reacting to her Billboard entry, Tyla took to her X account to say:
“I’m a South African born and bred in Johannesburg. It’s crazy. Let’s make our sound heard all over the world… a victory for all of Africa.”