In a recent interview with Variety, South African music star Tyla shared how she struggled with the success of her global hit single ‘Water’.
According to her, when the song dropped, she wasn’t ready for fame. Instead, she wanted more time to find herself and make some mistakes that would lead her in the right direction.
“When ‘Water’ happened, I wasn’t ready. I became obsessed with the idea of doing things ‘right.’ I wanted more time to make mistakes to fully figure out who I am as an artist, but then things just went … Well, you know.”
The singer was only 21 years old when the pop song became a viral success and rocketed her to global stardom. The song won her several awards.
In the interview, she revealed that after she first signed to Epic Music in 2021 as a 19-year-old, she was forced to create Bubblegum Pop and other types of pop music that didn’t resonate with her.
“[Those songs] didn’t feel like me at all. I remember being in my hotel room, and my managers were calling me, ‘Come down, we need to cut the song.’ I was crying and thinking, ‘This is not what I want. I didn’t get signed to do this.’ They had to [coax] me out of that room. But, I think through doing that, I realized how much more I love African music. It made me more persistent in keeping my ideas.”
She said the experience of being shoehorned into a sound that doesn’t fit her artistry and desires increased her love for African sounds, which she continues to explore.
