Water, Tyla’s global hit single opened the floodgates for her career, leading to a viral dance challenge, almost 500 million streams on Spotify (so far), and a Grammy win. Now, her self-titled debut album, Tyla is out.
The 14-track album which she first teased in November by releasing three songs, is already a fan favorite. Truth or Dare, the soulful R&B release with a touch of Amapiano -Tyla’s signature, has taken the spot as her second most streamed song on Spotify, just four months after its release. Butterflies and On and On are also coming in hot, with both songs in her top ten most streamed tracks.
Tyla’s journey does not begin with this viral hit. Before Water, Tyla had a discography that included collaborations with some of Africa’s best artists such as Ayra Starr and DJ Maphorisa.
While all her songs got a major bump in streams thanks to her now global fame, it’s her 2022 single, To Last, that has seen the highest increase, at 279%, followed by Getting Late at 196%. Social media is a huge part of achieving virality, so it’s no surprise that after Water, To Last had the highest shares with an increase of 173%.
The star-power that is Tyla and Ayra Starr has made their collaboration, Girl Next Door both the most liked track and the most added to playlists, of all her tracks released before Water.
Most people, especially in Europe and the US, became familiar with Tyla post-Water. But a look at the streaming data from Spotify reveals that the artist was already making waves within Africa.
Her top streams before the release of Water came from Nairobi, Lagos, Johannesburg and Cape Town. Now, Sydney, Melbourne and Jakarta are topping the cities streaming the artist. A city that has been consistently streaming Tyla’s music is Amsterdam, which is in the top ten both before and after the release.
Over 30,000%! That’s the increase in Tyla’s average daily streams since Water was released. Her tracks have also been added to over 10 million playlists by Spotify users. Talk about global appeal!
Her debut album, with features from Kelvin Momo, Tems, Becky G, and Gunna promises to keep Tyla firmly in the music stratosphere.
“The fact that four of the songs from this album are already in Tyla’s top streamed tracks showcases her immense talent. We are excited for everyone to experience South African talent on a global stage”, says Jodie Tabisher, Artist, Label and Partnerships Manager, South Africa.
