“This Year Was Me Introducing Myself. Next Year, I’m Just Gonna Have Fun”
Read excerpts of the interview below:
On Amapiano:
“When amapiano would come on, we would see everybody’s moves just change. Seeing the energy of it…it felt so spiritual,” she tells me. “I always wanted to mix it with other styles that I enjoy, like R&B and pop—and make it my own.” It was frustrating to watch her country’s unique music, from amapiano to kwaito house, go unnoticed by the rest of the world. “I felt it was so special, and it needed to be shared. I did my own version of it in hopes of getting people to go deeper and discover the other artists we have and the origins of my sound.”
On South African music:
“Another thing about South African music: There can be a depressing song, but the beat just makes you wanna dance. So I also like incorporating that in my stuff. While you’re crying, dance and shake your ass at the same time,” she says with a laugh. Whenever she listens to the amapiano song “Healer Ntliziyo Yam,” for instance, she cries. “I know what I like,” Tyla says. “I know what I wanna look like. I know what is cool, especially now. I trust my judgment, and yeah, I love collaborating with people and going outside of my comfort zone, but not too far off where it feels like something I wouldn’t do. If I don’t like it, I’m not going to do it.”
Reflecting on her wild year,
“I do feel like I’ve changed a lot in the span of a few months; people may not see it. I’m excited to see that in my next album.” She describes that change as starting to detach from what people say or think about her, after feeling annoyed at constant comparisons to Rihanna and “I’m a Slave 4 U”-era Britney Spears. “Initially I used to care. Recently I’ve just been feeling, ‘They’re gonna say what they wanna say, and it doesn’t even matter because I know it’s not that,’” Tyla says. She posts less and sometimes deletes social media apps from her phone for a week at a time.
“This year was me introducing myself. Next year I’m just gonna have fun,” she says. “Do whatever, wear whatever. I’m just playing around a lot, and bringing a lot of my roots into my music. It’s still gonna be me, still sweaty vibes, but evolved.”
Read the full article here.
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