South African artist Tyla emerges top in the Best Afrobeats category at the 2024 MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs), overcoming strong competition from prominent Nigerian musicians. Her hit song, “Water,” clinched the highest spot in a category historically dominated by Nigerian artists, marking a defining moment for her career and the African music scene.
The year 2024 has been a phenomenal one for Tyla, marking her rise as one of Africa’s brightest musical talents. Her breakthrough single, “Water,” from her debut self-titled album, became the first-ever recipient of the Best African Music Performance at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards. This monumental achievement set the stage for her to dominate at the 2024 BET Awards, where she claimed two awards.
With six nominations, Tyla topped the nomination list at the 18th Metro FM Music Awards, where she was honored with the prestigious Global Icon Award. In her home country of South Africa, Tyla’s success continued as she won Song of the Year, International Achievement, and Highest Airplay at the 3rd annual Basadi in Music Awards. Additionally, Billboard recognized her as one of five chart-toppers, awarding her the Global Force Award at the inaugural Billboard R&B’s No. 1s event.
Capping off this remarkable year, Tyla’s recent victory at the MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) has been the highlight of her success. She clinched the top spot in the Best Afrobeats category, defeating fierce competition from Nigerian artists.
The award ceremony, held at UBS Arena in New York on September 11, 2024, showcased Tyla’s meteoric rise in the global music industry and her role in bringing diverse African genres to the global stage.
In her acceptance speech, Tyla described the win as “a big moment for Africa,” expressing pride in the global success of her single. She emphasized that her song, “Water,” demonstrated that African music can transcend genres, noting that African sounds, including Amapiano from her country South Africa, have the power to go beyond Afrobeats.
“This is just so special, but also bittersweet because I know there’s a tendency to group all African artists under Afrobeat[s]. It’s a thing, and even though Afrobeats has run things and has opened so many doors for us, African music is so diverse, it is more than just Afrobeats. I come from South Africa. I represent amapiano. I represent my culture, and I just want to shout out [to] all the Afrobeats artists in this category with me.” Tyla
Amapiano, the genre Tyla represents, originated in South Africa and has gained international popularity in recent years. Known for its blend of deep house, jazz-infused piano melodies, and distinctive log-drum basslines, Amapiano stands out with its soulful and rhythmic sound. Though Afrobeats has long dominated the global African music scene, Amapiano’s rise showcases the diversity of African genres. Tyla’s success with “Water” not only highlights her talent but also pushes Amapiano onto the global stage, expanding the world’s appreciation of African music beyond Afrobeats.
While Tyla celebrated her groundbreaking achievements, the night also belonged to global superstar Taylor Swift, who took home an impressive seven awards, including Artist of the Year and Video of the Year. Swift’s dominance reflected a global shift toward recognizing women excelling in their craft, similar to Tyla’s emergence as a pioneer for African music. Just as Swift solidified her place as one of the most decorated artists in VMA history, Tyla’s historic win made her the first South African to take home a VMA, further strengthening her growing prominence on the world stage.
