{"id":2071410,"date":"2026-07-31T09:00:57","date_gmt":"2026-07-31T06:00:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2071410"},"modified":"2026-07-31T09:00:57","modified_gmt":"2026-07-31T06:00:57","slug":"tyla-on-her-ethos-as-a-new-age-african-popstar-we-are-all-limitless","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2071410","title":{"rendered":"Tyla on her ethos as a new-age, African popstar: \u201cWe are all limitless\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Tyla-In-Conversation-hero-credit-Catherine-LoMedico@2000&#215;1270.jpg&#8221;]<\/p>\n<article id=\"template-id-2576840\" class=\"post-2576840 tdb_templates type-tdb_templates status-publish post\">\n<div id=\"tdi_65\" class=\"tdc-zone\">\n<div class=\"tdc_zone tdi_66  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div id=\"tdi_67\" class=\"tdc-row stretch_row_1400 td-stretch-content\">\n<div class=\"vc_row tdi_68 featured-video-container wpb_row td-pb-row tdc-element-style\">\n<div class=\"vc_column tdi_70  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_featured_image tdi_71 tdb-content-horiz-left td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_71\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"wpb_video_wrapper\">\n<div id=\"jwplayer-video-ewW1RyNA\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"tdi_72\" class=\"tdc-row stretch_row_1400 td-stretch-content\">\n<div class=\"vc_row tdi_73  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column tdi_75  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_breadcrumbs tdi_76 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 tdb-breadcrumbs \" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_76\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span>Features<\/span><span>Music Interviews<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_title tdi_77 tdb-single-title td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_77\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Tyla on her ethos as a new-age, African popstar: \u201cWe are all limitless\u201d<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_subtitle tdi_78 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_78\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<p>The South African singer on going deeper into her roots and influences for her second album, &#8216;A*Pop&#8217;, her love of dancehall, collaborating with Zara Larsson and more<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_author tdi_80 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 tdb-post-meta\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_80\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-author-name-wrap\"><span class=\"tdb-author-by\">By<\/span> Nicolas-Tyrell Scott<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_date tdi_81 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 tdb-post-meta\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_81\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><time class=\"entry-date updated td-module-date\" datetime=\"2026-07-31T10:00:57+01:00\">31st July 2026<\/time><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"tdi_82\" class=\"tdc-row stretch_row_1400 td-stretch-content\">\n<div class=\"vc_row tdi_83  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column tdi_85  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-column td-pb-span8\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"vc_row_inner tdi_87 article-content-row vc_row vc_inner wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column_inner tdi_89  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-inner-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"vc_column-inner\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_content tdi_90 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 td-post-content tagdiv-type\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_90\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<p>We\u2019re days away from the release of \u2018A*Pop\u2019 when <em>NME<\/em> meets a highly energetic Tyla at the chicly minimalist Pan Pacific hotel. \u201cShould the Gucci be in frame?\u201d she questions our videographers, the bounce in her cadence as audacious as her overall demeanour. Like her album title suggests, this is an African popstar \u2013 from the walk to the talk to the look, there\u2019s no pretense here. It\u2019s who she\u2019s always wanted to be.<\/p>\n<p>\u201c[Ever] since I was a little girl in South Africa, I was always like, \u2018Nah, there has to be a way,\u2019\u201d the 24-year-old says of her ambitions and how her debut single \u2018Getting Late\u2019, then mega-hit \u2018Water\u2019 got her to national, then world stages. \u201cI was performing in a club, not long before I was performing in an arena. Not long before I was winning a Grammy! Not long before I was on the World Cup stage, you know what I mean.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>On her sophomore album, Tyla looks to shift the lens from world-stages to her Johannesburg roots, letting the world into what a contemporary African popstar could look and feel like. She tells us about working with South African talent, having flipped a regional classic \u2018Fairytale\u2019 alongside the prolific Liquideep. \u201cThat\u2019s a wedding song,\u201d she exclaims. \u201cIt\u2019s a flex having Liquideep on the album.\u201d Alongside them is rising talent MaWhoo, whom Tyla has worked with before. \u201cWe literally had a party in a room, and while the party\u2019s going on, while trying to record.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In our latest edition of In Conversation, Tyla speaks on her ascension, the recording process of \u2018A*Pop\u201d, adjusting to fame in the western world, and her intentions as an artist.<\/p>\n<div class=\"td-a-ad id_inline_ad0 id_ad_content-horiz-center\"><span class=\"td-adspot-title\">Advertisement<\/span><\/div>\n<p><strong>Tyla, we are just about a week out from \u2018A*Pop\u2019. How do you feel in this moment?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Tyla:<\/strong> \u201cI\u2019m very excited! The anticipation is crazy! Like, oh my gosh. And I\u2019m kind of doing it to myself because I\u2019m doing a countdown\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>And you released the tracklist yesterday. How has the fan reaction been since you released the tracklist?<\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"td-a-ad id_inline_ad1 id_ad_content-horiz-center\">\n<h5 class=\"taboola-mid-article-title\">Recommended<\/h5>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s cute! I love my Tygers. I love that they are excited about it. They feel like it\u2019s a scavenger hunt, you know? They\u2019re trying to read it, it\u2019s kind of blurry. But it came out officially yesterday. I\u2019m really excited. I\u2019m just curious to see what they think about it. I always love watching their reaction videos on YouTube.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>So you watch them as much as they watch you, basically?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes, I do! I\u2019m a fan of my Tygers.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cNow that I\u2019m blessed to have been given this opportunity, I want to do everything that little Tyla always wanted to do and was never able to do\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><strong>You\u2019ve had this title for so long. It feels like it relates to \u2018popiano\u2019 in a way; your first era and what you were trying to do in that sense. And I know you said in previous interviews you felt restricted within normal pop archetypes, and so you created \u2018A*Pop\u2019. Talk to me about when that moment came into your head that you wanted to kind of rip the band-aid off and do it your own way.<\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"td-a-ad id_inline_ad2 id_ad_content-horiz-center\"><span class=\"td-adspot-title\">Advertisement<\/span><\/div>\n<p>\u201cI think I\u2019ve always felt that way. Like since I was a little girl in South Africa, I was always like, \u201cNah, there has to be a way.\u201d Because growing up in South Africa, you\u2019re born around so many different influences, and I feel like I was just so influenced by the world that I felt like the music I wanted to make, I wanted it to be for the world, you know? And in the beginning, I started small and I got better at it, and I got closer to my sound. And that\u2019s when I made my first album with \u2018Water\u2019.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI just feel like I\u2019m just growing as an artist. I\u2019m travelling more, I\u2019m meeting more people, and also last year and this year, I\u2019ve just spent a lot of time just going back to myself and my roots and like remembering, what did Tyla want? What did Tyla like when she was this innocent child, like\u2026 you know, mentally? What did she like, and what did she want to do? And that\u2019s what I did with this one. I just went deeper into my roots and my influences and just kind of played with that.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3959211\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3959211\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3959211\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Tyla-In-Conversation-1-credit-Michael-Drummond@2160x2700.jpg\" alt=\"Tyla, photo by Michael Drummond\" width=\"2160\" height=\"2700\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3959211\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Credit: Michael Drummond<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong>The topic of conversation when it comes to \u2018A*Pop\u2019 is the visuals. Everyone has something to say \u2013 your Tygers, commentators, critics. Break down the aesthetic for me, because there\u2019s a lot of neon colors, you\u2019ve got neon nails right now. Talk to me about the aesthetic for you and what this sophomore album represents from a visual point of view.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cUm, you know what\u2019s crazy? Like yesterday I was like, \u2018Hmm, I want to change it now.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Change it? It\u2019s out in the world right now! You released the tracklist with neon colors and everything!<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know! And it\u2019s still there, and it\u2019s still what it is. Hey, that\u2019s still \u2018A*Pop\u2019. But I\u2019m like, I\u2019m creating this whole thing. Like, why not? You know what I mean? I\u2019m literally creating this whole thing. And now I\u2019m kind of like, \u2018Hmm, I want to do more of this. I want to actually do more of that.\u2019 You know, I feel like this album run, I just want to do what I want to do in the moment. And the Tygers, they\u2019re going to experience each version and just have fun with me, you know? It\u2019s not that serious. I don\u2019t think it needs to be a planned thing that you stick to 24\/7. Because I\u2019m also not really gimmicky. I don\u2019t like forcing myself to stick to one thing just because it\u2019s an era. I don\u2019t really like that. I like what I like when I like it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>So on that note, what are some other things that are in the universe? Because we\u2019ve seen the neons, we\u2019ve seen the bright hair, we\u2019ve seen the pink hair that people want from you this era. Talk to me about some other things that you\u2019re inspired by that you feel \u2013that feel \u201cA-pop\u201d that we haven\u2019t seen yet.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnimation. I\u2019m just tapped more into like me as a child, like things that I\u2019ve loved. And just, eh, I\u2019m now a pop star, I\u2019m going to do what I want to do! You know what I mean? Now I got the opportunity, so the world is like, in my hands. And now that I\u2019m blessed to have been given this opportunity, I want to do everything that little Tyla always wanted to do and was never able to do, you know? So, I\u2019m doing animation, I\u2019m doing something special at home with a theme park. I have a Bratz doll\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Talk to me about the Bratz doll. How does that moment feel for you and how did it come together?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cHonestly, it\u2019s one of the most exciting things that I\u2019ve ever done. You know, it\u2019s up there with all the big things that I\u2019ve done. Because I\u2019ve always wanted a doll! Like, ever since I was young, I\u2019ve always wanted a doll. And I tweeted that at that time, so I think it\u2019s cool that the Tygers can go back and see like, yo guys, if you say you want something, you can get it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Now, we know you released \u2018We Wanna Party\u2019 last summer. I remember critics noting that you should\u2019ve released the album then instead of an EP. How long has \u2018A*Pop\u2019 actually been finished for, and why did you decide to release it this year if it had been done earlier?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cI finished it this year. But I started it at the beginning of last year. I don\u2019t like being like, \u2018OK guys, now it\u2019s time to make my album,\u2019 and like lock in and do it like, <em>ttrrrr<\/em>! I didn\u2019t want to do that this time. I really wanted to live through the making of it. Initially last year was the plan. But then I felt like it was leaning towards that, where now I have to lock in, make an album, and force it. And I was just like, \u2018No, like, I don\u2019t want to do that.\u2019 So then I randomly hit up my team like, \u2018Yo guys, I just want to drop a few songs and call it a mixtape.\u2019 And they went crazy because they were like, \u2018Um, Tyla, no! First of all, no time. Second of all, why?\u2019<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut it was just something that I wanted to do, because I\u2019m just like, if I really feel like I want to do it, let me do it. Because I need to scratch that itch, you know what I mean? I just wanted to drop a few songs and party. And not even just party on the outside, but more so I just wanna find out what happens. I don\u2019t wanna be afraid, be so strategic. I just wanna live. That was the whole point of it. And while that was happening and I was performing, I got to do an Asia tour!\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>How was that?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cOh my gosh, like that opened my eyes to the world! And I just realised how big the world is and how music just connects you. I fell in love with just culture. I feel like it helped me connect more, because like the language barrier was crazy!\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>So connect with global audiences, you mean?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cYeah, the language barrier was crazy. We didn\u2019t have similar cultures, but I also saw a lot of similarities that we just have as people. We do. And yeah, it was really fun. Playing with the neons and the bobs \u2013 I was throwing my bob into the audience! And they were catching it. One time a Tyger found me and he showed up with a bob on! And I was just like, first of all, that\u2019s creepy, but I love it! [<em>Laughs<\/em>] And yeah, it was just such a cool moment to live in.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3959213\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3959213\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3959213\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Tyla-In-Conversation-2-credit-Catherine-LoMedico@2160x2700.jpg\" alt=\"Tyla, photo by Catherine LoMedico\" width=\"2160\" height=\"2700\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3959213\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Credit: Catherine LoMedico<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong>For the fans, are we getting \u2018Mr. Media\u2019? Will we ever get \u2018Mr. Media\u2019? Will it be a lost file?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou know, I don\u2019t know. I\u2019ll have to see how I feel.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>You know Tinashe releases stuff on SoundCloud for the fans after like albums and stuff are done \u2013 do you feel like you could ever release \u2018Mr. Media\u2019? Because I know you teased it, people saw it online, the bobs, etc. etc., and it was coming at a time where you were facing quite a lot of media discussion.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs usual.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>But do you feel like you could ever release it? Has it been edited? Is the video done?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cI mean\u2026 What I will say is that there needs to be a big enough moment. Like if something happens. I feel like there\u2019s been a few things\u2026 But I feel like I\u2019ve become so numb to it that it feels like, \u2018Eh, another thing. Eh, another thing.\u2019 If there\u2019s something that\u2019s like, \u2018Ooh, scandalous pop star, this that that,\u2019 then that\u2019s the time, yeah.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>I feel like you could have dropped it after the Met Gala. It could have been a moment!<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cI feel like then it would be corny. Like, what the heck, like why am I trying to profit off of that moment when it was not meant to even be a moment? Like, the heck! So, no. That was \u2013 nah, that would have been corny. But if there\u2019s like a scandalous pop star like 2000s type scandal, you know? Like if that naturally happens, then maybe.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cI never had the opportunity to do small shows\u2026 It felt like leaps and leaps. I was forced to grow\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><strong>Since \u2018Jump\u2019, I\u2019ve felt that you\u2019re a dancehall girl. And on this album we\u2019ve got three dancehall songs, or three dancehall-coded songs. \u2018That Girl\u2019 starts the trend off from that. I want to know when you first heard dancehall, and how your relationship with the genre has grown since your career.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou know, like, I really see, um, Caribbeans as African. I feel very similar to, you know, Caribbean people, like the culture, the food, the dancing. We all love a good time, we are raw, we are honest. I really love that. And growing up in SA, we listen to dancehall in Africa. It\u2019s like, Afrobeats, dancehall. So, I grew up listening to it and I\u2019ve always loved it, you know? It\u2019s just so infectious. Like, I want to dance, I want to whine my hips, I want to whine my waist! Like on TikTok, the dancehall songs, I\u2019m there! Or every trend, I\u2019m there! It\u2019s very natural for me to want to go there.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>And obviously, you\u2019ve collaborated across your career with not only Skillibeng, but Sean Paul as well. Who is your favorite dancehall artist, or who was the first dancehall artist you can remember listening to?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cMm\u2026 first dancehall artist\u2026 Artist names in general, names in general, like\u2026 Whoa! But songs\u2026 You know one song that I really love, it sounds like it\u2019s off key almost. It\u2019s a woman singing it. [<em>Sings<\/em>] <em>\u2018I\u2019m so in love with you\u2026\u2019<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Oh, classic! That\u2019s \u2018I\u2019m Still In Love With You\u2019.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cOh, my word! That song\u2026 I\u2019m so mad that that\u2019s not my song. It can\u2019t be my song, but I love that song. That song, and um\u2026 uh, Shaggy? Shaggy. My mother is in love with Shaggy. And Sean Paul.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>How was it to collaborate with Sean Paul?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was like a childhood pinch-me moment, because Sean Paul \u2013 obsessed! And even now, he still feels like the 2000s. He got it! Like, he got the swag down, he\u2019s cool, he\u2019s chill, the voice, he still got it. You know what I mean? And what he did on \u2018Push 2 Start\u2019, I love.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Most of the features on your album are South African, except the lovely Zara Larsson. Why did you decide to hone in on home so much on this album, particularly on the second half?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou know, it was not intentional. Like, there\u2019s no deep reason. Honestly\u2026 I finished the album in South Africa because I really wanted to. I was very specific on that. I really like curating the environments I work in, because it changes what you do. It really does. So I really pushed to do it somewhere where I could just be reminded of places that I used to go when I was younger, my parents used to take us. And that was like our holidays. We never had holidays that were like\u2026 Dubai! Our holidays was with bugs, flies, like in the trees, playing and meeting people. I just wanted it to feel like that when I was finishing it, because like I said, as a child, what did I love? I just invited them to the camp, because I\u2019ve worked with Babalwa M before. Her, Mawhoo, Liquideep.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI just invited them and we were all just making music. Like, we were just making music! And I fell in love with what Babalwa did. And she did it on a different beat, but I was like, \u2018Nah, like I need that on this.\u2019 And the way we made it was just so beautiful and it just fit right in. Mawhoo also, we made that song just by literally having a party in a room, and while the party\u2019s going on, we\u2019re trying to record. We\u2019re saying, \u2018Everyone shh! Stop talking, stop talking!\u2019 We\u2019re trying to record parts and like, that memory is the reason why I wanted that song. And also her voice, her energy. The song just feels like a memory that I always want to have, so I wanted that on there. And with Liquideep, that\u2019s just the song that I grew up on, and I always wanted to redo that song. I feel like it\u2019s such a wedding song. Like, guys, get married to that song! Guys, if you have a wedding? \u2018Fairytale\u2019, by Tyla and Liquideep.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3959215\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3959215\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3959215\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Tyla-In-Conversation-3-credit-Catherine-LoMedico@2160x2700.jpg\" alt=\"Tyla, photo by Catherine LoMedico\" width=\"2160\" height=\"2700\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3959215\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Credit: Catherine LoMedico<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong>This energy that you\u2019re giving to me now, it feels like a growth from \u2018Tyla\u2019. You\u2019re balancing your sexuality, your confidence as a woman. Even in your lyrics, it feels like you\u2019re just more audacious across this album. Talk to me about that confidence and the arc of it growing across this album. Do you feel like there\u2019s been a development in your songwriting as well?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes. I feel like my life went from this to this overnight. The transition was fast. Very fast. I never had the opportunity to do small shows and grow and grow. Like, I was performing in a club, like, not long before I was performing in an arena. Not long before I was winning a Grammy! Not long before I was on the World Cup stage, you know what I mean? It felt like leaps and leaps. I was forced to grow.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think that also just changed my perspective on things, and it just made me want to say different things, and care more about things, care less about things. I feel like now I\u2019m able to like walk in a room and know what I want, know what I want to say, and be confident in that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Someone who does show up a lot is Sammy SoSo. I see he\u2019s back. He\u2019s noted as being a core part of that popiano sound, your sound to the world. How did it feel to re-collaborate with him and others like Ari PenSmith, the core team behind the last album?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cI love them. Believve, too. I\u2019ve known him since my first ever songwriting session, whatever it\u2019s called. And he also didn\u2019t do much before he met me. So it felt like we both are like Finneas and Billie. We\u2019re besties! Not only that but sonically, we\u2019ve just grew so much together, and really started it together, this idea of mixing where I\u2019m from and just where I could go.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd from there we did \u2018Water\u2019, and then I met Sammy SoSo, and I met Ari and Mocha [Bands], and we are literally besties. So we always see each other. I see each of them whenever I\u2019m in town, we outside! Like, we do karaoke, we have braais, we chill at the house, we go shisha at the shisha lounge! We\u2019re like family now. So, it\u2019s always fun like just getting back in and making music, cause they know me so well, so it feels very effortless, and we just flow.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd then, I also met a really good friend of mine now, Bibi Bourelly. She\u2019s insane! She\u2019s crazy. As a person! [<em>Laughs<\/em>] And as an artist! Like, she\u2019s just so talented, so fire. Dougie, Ian Kirkpatrick, Andre, Poo Bear\u2026 Like Poo Bear, I had a session with him and when I was writing with him, I wrote \u2018Right Now\u2019 with him. And that was when I was really like starting to be more open to speaking about those things. That\u2019s when it really started and that was like sometime last year. I really knew who I wanted to work with. Even DameDame. Oooh! Those girls, shit. Love them. They\u2019re nasty. I have to get in with them more.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere are so many talents I\u2019ve worked with, that I\u2019ve built real relationships with \u2013 I grew from them. I went into every room open and knowing I don\u2019t know everything, the heck? I\u2019m new, this is only my second album.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>So you\u2019re not afraid to grow. You\u2019re not afraid to be the person learning in the room.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo, I think that\u2019s what it is to be human. You learn something every day. You\u2019re not going to know everything, you know? There\u2019s always someone that knows more than you. I really respect the people that I work with, I know that I always have something to learn from them. So I think that also made me grow.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>You end the album on \u2018Hot Tubs\u2019 and you say something to the effect of, \u201c<em>Whether you like me or don\u2019t, shake, shake your ass to my song. Damned if I do, damned if I don\u2019t.<\/em>\u201d Do you genuinely feel that way, navigating pop stardom and your new career trajectory?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cExactly that. Exactly that. I learned that the hard way, because I think in the beginning when I came in, I really was very green. I was just like, \u2018Whoa, I\u2019m a pop star now, yay!\u2019 And then, so many things happened that were just lies, like so many lies on my name, and I\u2019m just like, damn, I really can\u2019t go to everyone on this earth and correct this narrative.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3959219\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3959219\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3959219\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Tyla-In-Conversation-4-credit-Catherine-LoMedico@2000x1270.jpg\" alt=\"Tyla, photo by Catherine LoMedico\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1270\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3959219\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Credit: Catherine LoMedico<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong>I feel like there was a moment in time where you were trying to course-correct, address everything on socials, and took it into your own hands\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cI tried, but it\u2019s a losing battle. Even if they understand something, and even if they agree with something, there\u2019s so many people that just are going to be stubborn, like little sisters, annoying Karens. I can\u2019t change the world and I can\u2019t make the world like me.<br \/>\nSo it is damned if you do, damned if you don\u2019t. There\u2019s a lot of narratives that aren\u2019t true, but it\u2019s going to happen my whole career, so I feel like if I try to correct everything, I\u2019m going to just be tired. And I\u2019m already numb to it \u2013 or not numb, but checked out.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>What helped check you out from it?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t know how to explain it, but you know when you\u2019re in a relationship? And let\u2019s say in the beginning they start complaining, \u2018Oh, I don\u2019t like you did this, and then you did that, and you did this,\u2019 and then like, \u2018I\u2019m sorry!\u2019 You correct. But then it gets to a point where like, \u2018Nah, come on now! Ah, I\u2019m checked out.\u2019 You just get drained, like you\u2019re just talking too much now! I\u2019m not meant to be correct 24\/7. There are pop stars that can be, and that are doing very well. I commend you! But me, I can\u2019t do that, because I just hate feeling like I have to play a game and chess and all of that. I just don\u2019t like that. I come from Africa. Like\u2026 no. That\u2019s not for me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo, I think that the song with \u2018Hot Tubs\u2019 was a time in my life where I was going through all of that, and I was angry, and I was just like\u2026 \u2018F this thing! Like, I\u2019m a pop star now, my dreams came true, you know what I mean? I\u2019m living in my dream, let me do that.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m not meant to be correct 24\/7. There are pop stars that can be, and that are doing very well. I commend you!\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><strong>You also released \u2018She Did It Again\u2019 with close friend and fellow pop star Zara Larsson. How does it feel to have a collaboration with such a close friend now and confidant in the industry, and how do you feel about both of you becoming new-age pop stars?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s very exciting, you know? I know what it felt like to have a moment where it\u2019s like, <em>bam<\/em>! I know that she\u2019s feeling really good right now, and we talk so often. Like, late night calls, we\u2019d just be yapping! We just talk talk talk talk talk talk talk, we gossip, we talk about this, that, and everything under the sun! And having a song and a video with her and everything is just fire, it\u2019s like working with your friend. It\u2019s like a group project. Like a friend project, like, \u2018Ayyy, let\u2019s go!\u2019 It\u2019s cool, and I like that she\u2019s a pop star for real, you know? Also, I wanted her on \u2018A*Pop\u2019. She sticks out like a sore thumb! It\u2019s kinda random but I like that, but I just wanted one pop star on there. I wanted her. I think we can relate in the sense of like we\u2019re not from Hollywood, you know what I mean? She\u2019s from Sweden, I\u2019m from South Africa, and she\u2019s a pop star now, and I\u2019m from South Africa, I\u2019m a pop star now! So, that\u2019s why I really feel like that was a nice \u2018A*pop\u2019 touch.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Beyond release week, what do you want the legacy of \u2018A*Pop\u2019 to be, in both your discography, but in the world as well?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m not thinking about legacy, I\u2019m thinking about the 24th of July! I don\u2019t know if I\u2019m thinking about legacy right now. But just that energy of being limitless. I can make anything I want to make, and it\u2019ll always have the \u2018A\u2019 in it, because of where I\u2019m from, you know? I\u2019ve just noticed that it\u2019s a thing where it\u2019s if you\u2019re African, you in African categories, and that\u2019s where you are, regardless of what you make. Like, Tems makes R&amp;B music, guys! Like, she makes obviously Afrobeats and stuff, but she\u2019s very diverse. And she does get recognition here and there, but I feel like it\u2019s hard to break out of that.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWith this album, I don\u2019t know what it\u2019s going to do, I don\u2019t know what legacy this, that, and the other, but I knew my intention behind making it was to show that I could make anything, \u2018cause I can! We are all limitless. We\u2019re not limited to anything, not where we\u2019re from, our accent, our language. I wanted to do exactly what I wanted to do, and not what people feel like an African pop star should look like, or what an African pop star should sound like. Like\u2026 I don\u2019t understand that. It\u2019s just\u2026 yeah, it\u2019s just Tyla. \u2018A*Pop\u2019 is Tyla.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Tyla\u2019s \u2018A*Pop\u2019 is out now. Her \u2018A*Pop\u2019 world tour kicks off October and will land in North America, Europe, the UK and Africa<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_tags tdi_91 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_91\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<ul class=\"tdb-tags\">\n<li><span>Related Topics<\/span><\/li>\n<li>In Conversation<\/li>\n<li>Tyla<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper td_block_wrap vc_raw_html tdi_93 \">\n<div class=\"td-fix-index\">\n<h3>You May Also Like<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"vc_row_inner tdi_95  vc_row vc_inner wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column_inner tdi_97  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-inner-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"vc_column-inner\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper td_block_wrap vc_raw_html tdi_99 \">\n<div class=\"td-fix-index\">\n<h3>More Stories<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap td_flex_block_1 tdi_100 td-pb-border-top td_module_flex_1--card td_module_flex_1--card--highlight td_block_template_2 tdc-no-posts td_flex_block\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_100\">\n<div id=\"tdi_100\" class=\"td_block_inner td-mc1-wrap\">\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-above\">\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n                    Features<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">Finn Wolfhard on his first post-\u2019Stranger Things\u2019 album: \u201cThese songs are less personal and more about characters\u201d<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-above\">\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n                    Features<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">Mick Jagger on The Rolling Stones\u2019 future: \u201cI\u2019m already writing for the next album\u201d<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-above\">\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n                    Features<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">Paul McCartney: \u201cWriting a song is still a magic feeling for me, and hopefully always will be\u201d<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-above\">\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n                    Features<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">Kneecap on \u2018Fenian\u2019 and fighting back: \u201cWe understand that religious divide serves absolutely nobody\u201d<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div 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td-module-title\">\u2018Spider-Man: Brand New Day\u2019 review: is Tom Holland Marvel\u2019s new super-saviour?<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-\">\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">UK drill pioneer PS Hitsquad on his solo debut: \u201cI feel like I\u2019ve spent my whole life on license\u201d<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-\">\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">Chanel Beads: the stuff of waking dreams<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-\">\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">\u2018Silent Hill\u2019s unsettling soundtrack was always meant to give you nightmares<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td-a-rec td-a-rec-id-custom_ad_1  tdi_105 td_block_template_2\"><span class=\"td-adspot-title\">Advertisement<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span class=\"td-page-meta\"><\/span><span class=\"td-page-meta\"><span class=\"td-page-meta\"><\/span><\/span><span class=\"td-page-meta\"><\/span><\/article>\n<\/p>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_content tdi_90 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 td-post-content tagdiv-type\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_90\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<p>We\u2019re days away from the release of \u2018A*Pop\u2019 when <em>NME<\/em> meets a highly energetic Tyla at the chicly minimalist Pan Pacific hotel. \u201cShould the Gucci be in frame?\u201d she questions our videographers, the bounce in her cadence as audacious as her overall demeanour. Like her album title suggests, this is an African popstar \u2013 from the walk to the talk to the look, there\u2019s no pretense here. It\u2019s who she\u2019s always wanted to be.<\/p>\n<p>\u201c[Ever] since I was a little girl in South Africa, I was always like, \u2018Nah, there has to be a way,\u2019\u201d the 24-year-old says of her ambitions and how her debut single \u2018Getting Late\u2019, then mega-hit \u2018Water\u2019 got her to national, then world stages. \u201cI was performing in a club, not long before I was performing in an arena. Not long before I was winning a Grammy! Not long before I was on the World Cup stage, you know what I mean.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>On her sophomore album, Tyla looks to shift the lens from world-stages to her Johannesburg roots, letting the world into what a contemporary African popstar could look and feel like. She tells us about working with South African talent, having flipped a regional classic \u2018Fairytale\u2019 alongside the prolific Liquideep. \u201cThat\u2019s a wedding song,\u201d she exclaims. \u201cIt\u2019s a flex having Liquideep on the album.\u201d Alongside them is rising talent MaWhoo, whom Tyla has worked with before. \u201cWe literally had a party in a room, and while the party\u2019s going on, while trying to record.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In our latest edition of In Conversation, Tyla speaks on her ascension, the recording process of \u2018A*Pop\u201d, adjusting to fame in the western world, and her intentions as an artist.<\/p>\n<div class=\"td-a-ad id_inline_ad0 id_ad_content-horiz-center\"><span class=\"td-adspot-title\">Advertisement<\/span><\/div>\n<p><strong>Tyla, we are just about a week out from \u2018A*Pop\u2019. How do you feel in this moment?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Tyla:<\/strong> \u201cI\u2019m very excited! The anticipation is crazy! Like, oh my gosh. And I\u2019m kind of doing it to myself because I\u2019m doing a countdown\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>And you released the tracklist yesterday. How has the fan reaction been since you released the tracklist?<\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"td-a-ad id_inline_ad1 id_ad_content-horiz-center\">\n<h5 class=\"taboola-mid-article-title\">Recommended<\/h5>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s cute! I love my Tygers. I love that they are excited about it. They feel like it\u2019s a scavenger hunt, you know? They\u2019re trying to read it, it\u2019s kind of blurry. But it came out officially yesterday. I\u2019m really excited. I\u2019m just curious to see what they think about it. I always love watching their reaction videos on YouTube.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>So you watch them as much as they watch you, basically?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes, I do! I\u2019m a fan of my Tygers.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cNow that I\u2019m blessed to have been given this opportunity, I want to do everything that little Tyla always wanted to do and was never able to do\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><strong>You\u2019ve had this title for so long. It feels like it relates to \u2018popiano\u2019 in a way; your first era and what you were trying to do in that sense. And I know you said in previous interviews you felt restricted within normal pop archetypes, and so you created \u2018A*Pop\u2019. Talk to me about when that moment came into your head that you wanted to kind of rip the band-aid off and do it your own way.<\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"td-a-ad id_inline_ad2 id_ad_content-horiz-center\"><span class=\"td-adspot-title\">Advertisement<\/span><\/div>\n<p>\u201cI think I\u2019ve always felt that way. Like since I was a little girl in South Africa, I was always like, \u201cNah, there has to be a way.\u201d Because growing up in South Africa, you\u2019re born around so many different influences, and I feel like I was just so influenced by the world that I felt like the music I wanted to make, I wanted it to be for the world, you know? And in the beginning, I started small and I got better at it, and I got closer to my sound. And that\u2019s when I made my first album with \u2018Water\u2019.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI just feel like I\u2019m just growing as an artist. I\u2019m travelling more, I\u2019m meeting more people, and also last year and this year, I\u2019ve just spent a lot of time just going back to myself and my roots and like remembering, what did Tyla want? What did Tyla like when she was this innocent child, like\u2026 you know, mentally? What did she like, and what did she want to do? And that\u2019s what I did with this one. I just went deeper into my roots and my influences and just kind of played with that.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3959211\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3959211\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3959211\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Tyla-In-Conversation-1-credit-Michael-Drummond@2160x2700.jpg\" alt=\"Tyla, photo by Michael Drummond\" width=\"2160\" height=\"2700\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3959211\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Credit: Michael Drummond<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong>The topic of conversation when it comes to \u2018A*Pop\u2019 is the visuals. Everyone has something to say \u2013 your Tygers, commentators, critics. Break down the aesthetic for me, because there\u2019s a lot of neon colors, you\u2019ve got neon nails right now. Talk to me about the aesthetic for you and what this sophomore album represents from a visual point of view.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cUm, you know what\u2019s crazy? Like yesterday I was like, \u2018Hmm, I want to change it now.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Change it? It\u2019s out in the world right now! You released the tracklist with neon colors and everything!<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know! And it\u2019s still there, and it\u2019s still what it is. Hey, that\u2019s still \u2018A*Pop\u2019. But I\u2019m like, I\u2019m creating this whole thing. Like, why not? You know what I mean? I\u2019m literally creating this whole thing. And now I\u2019m kind of like, \u2018Hmm, I want to do more of this. I want to actually do more of that.\u2019 You know, I feel like this album run, I just want to do what I want to do in the moment. And the Tygers, they\u2019re going to experience each version and just have fun with me, you know? It\u2019s not that serious. I don\u2019t think it needs to be a planned thing that you stick to 24\/7. Because I\u2019m also not really gimmicky. I don\u2019t like forcing myself to stick to one thing just because it\u2019s an era. I don\u2019t really like that. I like what I like when I like it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>So on that note, what are some other things that are in the universe? Because we\u2019ve seen the neons, we\u2019ve seen the bright hair, we\u2019ve seen the pink hair that people want from you this era. Talk to me about some other things that you\u2019re inspired by that you feel \u2013that feel \u201cA-pop\u201d that we haven\u2019t seen yet.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnimation. I\u2019m just tapped more into like me as a child, like things that I\u2019ve loved. And just, eh, I\u2019m now a pop star, I\u2019m going to do what I want to do! You know what I mean? Now I got the opportunity, so the world is like, in my hands. And now that I\u2019m blessed to have been given this opportunity, I want to do everything that little Tyla always wanted to do and was never able to do, you know? So, I\u2019m doing animation, I\u2019m doing something special at home with a theme park. I have a Bratz doll\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Talk to me about the Bratz doll. How does that moment feel for you and how did it come together?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cHonestly, it\u2019s one of the most exciting things that I\u2019ve ever done. You know, it\u2019s up there with all the big things that I\u2019ve done. Because I\u2019ve always wanted a doll! Like, ever since I was young, I\u2019ve always wanted a doll. And I tweeted that at that time, so I think it\u2019s cool that the Tygers can go back and see like, yo guys, if you say you want something, you can get it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Now, we know you released \u2018We Wanna Party\u2019 last summer. I remember critics noting that you should\u2019ve released the album then instead of an EP. How long has \u2018A*Pop\u2019 actually been finished for, and why did you decide to release it this year if it had been done earlier?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cI finished it this year. But I started it at the beginning of last year. I don\u2019t like being like, \u2018OK guys, now it\u2019s time to make my album,\u2019 and like lock in and do it like, <em>ttrrrr<\/em>! I didn\u2019t want to do that this time. I really wanted to live through the making of it. Initially last year was the plan. But then I felt like it was leaning towards that, where now I have to lock in, make an album, and force it. And I was just like, \u2018No, like, I don\u2019t want to do that.\u2019 So then I randomly hit up my team like, \u2018Yo guys, I just want to drop a few songs and call it a mixtape.\u2019 And they went crazy because they were like, \u2018Um, Tyla, no! First of all, no time. Second of all, why?\u2019<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut it was just something that I wanted to do, because I\u2019m just like, if I really feel like I want to do it, let me do it. Because I need to scratch that itch, you know what I mean? I just wanted to drop a few songs and party. And not even just party on the outside, but more so I just wanna find out what happens. I don\u2019t wanna be afraid, be so strategic. I just wanna live. That was the whole point of it. And while that was happening and I was performing, I got to do an Asia tour!\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>How was that?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cOh my gosh, like that opened my eyes to the world! And I just realised how big the world is and how music just connects you. I fell in love with just culture. I feel like it helped me connect more, because like the language barrier was crazy!\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>So connect with global audiences, you mean?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cYeah, the language barrier was crazy. We didn\u2019t have similar cultures, but I also saw a lot of similarities that we just have as people. We do. And yeah, it was really fun. Playing with the neons and the bobs \u2013 I was throwing my bob into the audience! And they were catching it. One time a Tyger found me and he showed up with a bob on! And I was just like, first of all, that\u2019s creepy, but I love it! [<em>Laughs<\/em>] And yeah, it was just such a cool moment to live in.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3959213\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3959213\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3959213\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Tyla-In-Conversation-2-credit-Catherine-LoMedico@2160x2700.jpg\" alt=\"Tyla, photo by Catherine LoMedico\" width=\"2160\" height=\"2700\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3959213\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Credit: Catherine LoMedico<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong>For the fans, are we getting \u2018Mr. Media\u2019? Will we ever get \u2018Mr. Media\u2019? Will it be a lost file?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou know, I don\u2019t know. I\u2019ll have to see how I feel.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>You know Tinashe releases stuff on SoundCloud for the fans after like albums and stuff are done \u2013 do you feel like you could ever release \u2018Mr. Media\u2019? Because I know you teased it, people saw it online, the bobs, etc. etc., and it was coming at a time where you were facing quite a lot of media discussion.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs usual.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>But do you feel like you could ever release it? Has it been edited? Is the video done?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cI mean\u2026 What I will say is that there needs to be a big enough moment. Like if something happens. I feel like there\u2019s been a few things\u2026 But I feel like I\u2019ve become so numb to it that it feels like, \u2018Eh, another thing. Eh, another thing.\u2019 If there\u2019s something that\u2019s like, \u2018Ooh, scandalous pop star, this that that,\u2019 then that\u2019s the time, yeah.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>I feel like you could have dropped it after the Met Gala. It could have been a moment!<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cI feel like then it would be corny. Like, what the heck, like why am I trying to profit off of that moment when it was not meant to even be a moment? Like, the heck! So, no. That was \u2013 nah, that would have been corny. But if there\u2019s like a scandalous pop star like 2000s type scandal, you know? Like if that naturally happens, then maybe.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cI never had the opportunity to do small shows\u2026 It felt like leaps and leaps. I was forced to grow\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><strong>Since \u2018Jump\u2019, I\u2019ve felt that you\u2019re a dancehall girl. And on this album we\u2019ve got three dancehall songs, or three dancehall-coded songs. \u2018That Girl\u2019 starts the trend off from that. I want to know when you first heard dancehall, and how your relationship with the genre has grown since your career.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou know, like, I really see, um, Caribbeans as African. I feel very similar to, you know, Caribbean people, like the culture, the food, the dancing. We all love a good time, we are raw, we are honest. I really love that. And growing up in SA, we listen to dancehall in Africa. It\u2019s like, Afrobeats, dancehall. So, I grew up listening to it and I\u2019ve always loved it, you know? It\u2019s just so infectious. Like, I want to dance, I want to whine my hips, I want to whine my waist! Like on TikTok, the dancehall songs, I\u2019m there! Or every trend, I\u2019m there! It\u2019s very natural for me to want to go there.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>And obviously, you\u2019ve collaborated across your career with not only Skillibeng, but Sean Paul as well. Who is your favorite dancehall artist, or who was the first dancehall artist you can remember listening to?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cMm\u2026 first dancehall artist\u2026 Artist names in general, names in general, like\u2026 Whoa! But songs\u2026 You know one song that I really love, it sounds like it\u2019s off key almost. It\u2019s a woman singing it. [<em>Sings<\/em>] <em>\u2018I\u2019m so in love with you\u2026\u2019<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Oh, classic! That\u2019s \u2018I\u2019m Still In Love With You\u2019.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cOh, my word! That song\u2026 I\u2019m so mad that that\u2019s not my song. It can\u2019t be my song, but I love that song. That song, and um\u2026 uh, Shaggy? Shaggy. My mother is in love with Shaggy. And Sean Paul.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>How was it to collaborate with Sean Paul?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was like a childhood pinch-me moment, because Sean Paul \u2013 obsessed! And even now, he still feels like the 2000s. He got it! Like, he got the swag down, he\u2019s cool, he\u2019s chill, the voice, he still got it. You know what I mean? And what he did on \u2018Push 2 Start\u2019, I love.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Most of the features on your album are South African, except the lovely Zara Larsson. Why did you decide to hone in on home so much on this album, particularly on the second half?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou know, it was not intentional. Like, there\u2019s no deep reason. Honestly\u2026 I finished the album in South Africa because I really wanted to. I was very specific on that. I really like curating the environments I work in, because it changes what you do. It really does. So I really pushed to do it somewhere where I could just be reminded of places that I used to go when I was younger, my parents used to take us. And that was like our holidays. We never had holidays that were like\u2026 Dubai! Our holidays was with bugs, flies, like in the trees, playing and meeting people. I just wanted it to feel like that when I was finishing it, because like I said, as a child, what did I love? I just invited them to the camp, because I\u2019ve worked with Babalwa M before. Her, Mawhoo, Liquideep.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI just invited them and we were all just making music. Like, we were just making music! And I fell in love with what Babalwa did. And she did it on a different beat, but I was like, \u2018Nah, like I need that on this.\u2019 And the way we made it was just so beautiful and it just fit right in. Mawhoo also, we made that song just by literally having a party in a room, and while the party\u2019s going on, we\u2019re trying to record. We\u2019re saying, \u2018Everyone shh! Stop talking, stop talking!\u2019 We\u2019re trying to record parts and like, that memory is the reason why I wanted that song. And also her voice, her energy. The song just feels like a memory that I always want to have, so I wanted that on there. And with Liquideep, that\u2019s just the song that I grew up on, and I always wanted to redo that song. I feel like it\u2019s such a wedding song. Like, guys, get married to that song! Guys, if you have a wedding? \u2018Fairytale\u2019, by Tyla and Liquideep.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3959215\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3959215\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3959215\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Tyla-In-Conversation-3-credit-Catherine-LoMedico@2160x2700.jpg\" alt=\"Tyla, photo by Catherine LoMedico\" width=\"2160\" height=\"2700\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3959215\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Credit: Catherine LoMedico<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong>This energy that you\u2019re giving to me now, it feels like a growth from \u2018Tyla\u2019. You\u2019re balancing your sexuality, your confidence as a woman. Even in your lyrics, it feels like you\u2019re just more audacious across this album. Talk to me about that confidence and the arc of it growing across this album. Do you feel like there\u2019s been a development in your songwriting as well?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes. I feel like my life went from this to this overnight. The transition was fast. Very fast. I never had the opportunity to do small shows and grow and grow. Like, I was performing in a club, like, not long before I was performing in an arena. Not long before I was winning a Grammy! Not long before I was on the World Cup stage, you know what I mean? It felt like leaps and leaps. I was forced to grow.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think that also just changed my perspective on things, and it just made me want to say different things, and care more about things, care less about things. I feel like now I\u2019m able to like walk in a room and know what I want, know what I want to say, and be confident in that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Someone who does show up a lot is Sammy SoSo. I see he\u2019s back. He\u2019s noted as being a core part of that popiano sound, your sound to the world. How did it feel to re-collaborate with him and others like Ari PenSmith, the core team behind the last album?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cI love them. Believve, too. I\u2019ve known him since my first ever songwriting session, whatever it\u2019s called. And he also didn\u2019t do much before he met me. So it felt like we both are like Finneas and Billie. We\u2019re besties! Not only that but sonically, we\u2019ve just grew so much together, and really started it together, this idea of mixing where I\u2019m from and just where I could go.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd from there we did \u2018Water\u2019, and then I met Sammy SoSo, and I met Ari and Mocha [Bands], and we are literally besties. So we always see each other. I see each of them whenever I\u2019m in town, we outside! Like, we do karaoke, we have braais, we chill at the house, we go shisha at the shisha lounge! We\u2019re like family now. So, it\u2019s always fun like just getting back in and making music, cause they know me so well, so it feels very effortless, and we just flow.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd then, I also met a really good friend of mine now, Bibi Bourelly. She\u2019s insane! She\u2019s crazy. As a person! [<em>Laughs<\/em>] And as an artist! Like, she\u2019s just so talented, so fire. Dougie, Ian Kirkpatrick, Andre, Poo Bear\u2026 Like Poo Bear, I had a session with him and when I was writing with him, I wrote \u2018Right Now\u2019 with him. And that was when I was really like starting to be more open to speaking about those things. That\u2019s when it really started and that was like sometime last year. I really knew who I wanted to work with. Even DameDame. Oooh! Those girls, shit. Love them. They\u2019re nasty. I have to get in with them more.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere are so many talents I\u2019ve worked with, that I\u2019ve built real relationships with \u2013 I grew from them. I went into every room open and knowing I don\u2019t know everything, the heck? I\u2019m new, this is only my second album.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>So you\u2019re not afraid to grow. You\u2019re not afraid to be the person learning in the room.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo, I think that\u2019s what it is to be human. You learn something every day. You\u2019re not going to know everything, you know? There\u2019s always someone that knows more than you. I really respect the people that I work with, I know that I always have something to learn from them. So I think that also made me grow.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>You end the album on \u2018Hot Tubs\u2019 and you say something to the effect of, \u201c<em>Whether you like me or don\u2019t, shake, shake your ass to my song. Damned if I do, damned if I don\u2019t.<\/em>\u201d Do you genuinely feel that way, navigating pop stardom and your new career trajectory?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cExactly that. Exactly that. I learned that the hard way, because I think in the beginning when I came in, I really was very green. I was just like, \u2018Whoa, I\u2019m a pop star now, yay!\u2019 And then, so many things happened that were just lies, like so many lies on my name, and I\u2019m just like, damn, I really can\u2019t go to everyone on this earth and correct this narrative.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3959219\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3959219\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3959219\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Tyla-In-Conversation-4-credit-Catherine-LoMedico@2000x1270.jpg\" alt=\"Tyla, photo by Catherine LoMedico\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1270\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3959219\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Credit: Catherine LoMedico<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong>I feel like there was a moment in time where you were trying to course-correct, address everything on socials, and took it into your own hands\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cI tried, but it\u2019s a losing battle. Even if they understand something, and even if they agree with something, there\u2019s so many people that just are going to be stubborn, like little sisters, annoying Karens. I can\u2019t change the world and I can\u2019t make the world like me.<br \/>\nSo it is damned if you do, damned if you don\u2019t. There\u2019s a lot of narratives that aren\u2019t true, but it\u2019s going to happen my whole career, so I feel like if I try to correct everything, I\u2019m going to just be tired. And I\u2019m already numb to it \u2013 or not numb, but checked out.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>What helped check you out from it?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t know how to explain it, but you know when you\u2019re in a relationship? And let\u2019s say in the beginning they start complaining, \u2018Oh, I don\u2019t like you did this, and then you did that, and you did this,\u2019 and then like, \u2018I\u2019m sorry!\u2019 You correct. But then it gets to a point where like, \u2018Nah, come on now! Ah, I\u2019m checked out.\u2019 You just get drained, like you\u2019re just talking too much now! I\u2019m not meant to be correct 24\/7. There are pop stars that can be, and that are doing very well. I commend you! But me, I can\u2019t do that, because I just hate feeling like I have to play a game and chess and all of that. I just don\u2019t like that. I come from Africa. Like\u2026 no. That\u2019s not for me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo, I think that the song with \u2018Hot Tubs\u2019 was a time in my life where I was going through all of that, and I was angry, and I was just like\u2026 \u2018F this thing! Like, I\u2019m a pop star now, my dreams came true, you know what I mean? I\u2019m living in my dream, let me do that.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m not meant to be correct 24\/7. There are pop stars that can be, and that are doing very well. I commend you!\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><strong>You also released \u2018She Did It Again\u2019 with close friend and fellow pop star Zara Larsson. How does it feel to have a collaboration with such a close friend now and confidant in the industry, and how do you feel about both of you becoming new-age pop stars?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s very exciting, you know? I know what it felt like to have a moment where it\u2019s like, <em>bam<\/em>! I know that she\u2019s feeling really good right now, and we talk so often. Like, late night calls, we\u2019d just be yapping! We just talk talk talk talk talk talk talk, we gossip, we talk about this, that, and everything under the sun! And having a song and a video with her and everything is just fire, it\u2019s like working with your friend. It\u2019s like a group project. Like a friend project, like, \u2018Ayyy, let\u2019s go!\u2019 It\u2019s cool, and I like that she\u2019s a pop star for real, you know? Also, I wanted her on \u2018A*Pop\u2019. She sticks out like a sore thumb! It\u2019s kinda random but I like that, but I just wanted one pop star on there. I wanted her. I think we can relate in the sense of like we\u2019re not from Hollywood, you know what I mean? She\u2019s from Sweden, I\u2019m from South Africa, and she\u2019s a pop star now, and I\u2019m from South Africa, I\u2019m a pop star now! So, that\u2019s why I really feel like that was a nice \u2018A*pop\u2019 touch.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Beyond release week, what do you want the legacy of \u2018A*Pop\u2019 to be, in both your discography, but in the world as well?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m not thinking about legacy, I\u2019m thinking about the 24th of July! I don\u2019t know if I\u2019m thinking about legacy right now. But just that energy of being limitless. I can make anything I want to make, and it\u2019ll always have the \u2018A\u2019 in it, because of where I\u2019m from, you know? I\u2019ve just noticed that it\u2019s a thing where it\u2019s if you\u2019re African, you in African categories, and that\u2019s where you are, regardless of what you make. Like, Tems makes R&amp;B music, guys! Like, she makes obviously Afrobeats and stuff, but she\u2019s very diverse. And she does get recognition here and there, but I feel like it\u2019s hard to break out of that.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWith this album, I don\u2019t know what it\u2019s going to do, I don\u2019t know what legacy this, that, and the other, but I knew my intention behind making it was to show that I could make anything, \u2018cause I can! We are all limitless. We\u2019re not limited to anything, not where we\u2019re from, our accent, our language. I wanted to do exactly what I wanted to do, and not what people feel like an African pop star should look like, or what an African pop star should sound like. Like\u2026 I don\u2019t understand that. It\u2019s just\u2026 yeah, it\u2019s just Tyla. \u2018A*Pop\u2019 is Tyla.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Tyla\u2019s \u2018A*Pop\u2019 is out now. Her \u2018A*Pop\u2019 world tour kicks off October and will land in North America, Europe, the UK and Africa<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>[analyse_source url=&#8221;https:\/\/www.nme.com\/features\/music-interviews\/tyla-interview-a-pop-zara-larsson-3959166&#8243;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Tyla-In-Conversation-hero-credit-Catherine-LoMedico@2000&#215;1270.jpg&#8221;] FeaturesMusic Interviews Tyla on her ethos as a new-age, African popstar: \u201cWe are all limitless\u201d The South African singer on going deeper into her roots and influences for her second album, &#8216;A*Pop&#8217;, her love of dancehall, collaborating with Zara Larsson and more By Nicolas-Tyrell Scott 31st July 2026 We\u2019re days away from [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[226,78],"class_list":["post-2071410","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-crawlmanager","tag-nme-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2071410","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2071410"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2071410\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2071410"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2071410"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2071410"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}