South African pop star Tyla has released her sophomore album A*POP, a project that deliberately stretches beyond the amapiano sound that propelled her to global recognition with the Grammy-winning single “Water.”
“I’ve always wanted to be a pop star,” Tyla said in a call from Portugal, where she had just performed at Afro Nation. “Now that things are changing, the world is changing, I’m seeing how our [South African] music is so popular and infectious. Me being this pop star is such an exciting thing.”
The stakes have been high since she won a Grammy Award for “Water,” a track that introduced her to a worldwide audience but also risked confining her to the narrow lane of amapiano, or what some labeled ‘popiano.’ Her output since then has demonstrated wider range: “Push 2 Start,” “Jump,” and “Dynamite” are dancehall cuts with Caribbean influences, while “Mr. Media” and “Is It” from 2025’s four-track project WWP lean into stripped-down pop built for movement.
Global Footprint, Johannesburg Roots
Three weeks before the interview, Tyla appeared as a surprise guest during DJ Shimza‘s Shimza & Co. residency at Pacha Ibiza, dipping into Afro-house territory. Her schedule now spans festival mainstages, fashion houses, and studio sessions across three continents, yet she remains connected to home.
“Sometimes I struggle to find food that I actually like, so I travel with as many South African sauces, spices, and seasonings as I can,” she said.
Inside ‘A*POP’
In South Africa, the album’s arrival became national news. Fans organized listening parties in their hometowns and tagged her label, Sony, on social media demanding access to album events.
“I’ve definitely expanded through the making of this album,” Tyla said. “I really wanted to try everything that I’ve always wanted to try, to play with not only writers and producers, but also my voice. Seeing what else I could do and just taking it there. With this one, I just wanted to make something that I’ve never done.”
Album opener “Is It Love” sets the emotional tone with lyrics that question whether love exists without pain, while the vocal performance at the 2:22 mark sustains a striking high note. “Right Now” and “Say Now” explore desire and casual intimacy through breathy, close-harmony arrangements.
The songwriting process varies by session. Among the credited contributors are Bibi Bourelly (who has written for Rihanna, Selena Gomez, and Usher) and P2J (Beyoncé, Stormzy, Doja Cat).
“It literally depends on the room, the people, on whether someone sends me something that’s done and I want to work on it. I always move with what excites me. I only work on things that make me feel something the first time I hear it. If it doesn’t, then I don’t force it,” she explained.
Romantic and Untouchable
Across the album, Tyla toggles between two registers: the wounded romantic and the audacious, untouchable figure. On “Chanel” she delivers lines like “self-made bitch, yeah, ain’t upgrade me / waistline crazy, mandem chase me,” while “That Girl” centers on excess: “who’s that girl about to make a purchase / I’m talking diamonds, not just purses.”
These personas are not presented as contradictions but as twin engines of contemporary pop stardom, and Tyla moves between them with ease.
