If you’ve listened to Tyla’s self-titled debut album, then you are probably as puzzled as everyone else. The intro, which features Kelvin Momo, is a 41-second clip where people are talking while a song is playing in the background. Not really what one would expect from Kelvin Momo who’s known for his long-form tracks.
Tyla has explained the reasoning behind the song in an interview with Apple Music:
“I really wanted to start with something proudly South African, something that is raw. The song is a voice recording that I took in a Kelvin Momo session so I love that you’re hearing the song, you’re hearing people talk - you’re hearing our accents, our language - and I just wanted people to also hear the roots of my sound, because obviously I’ve experimented a lot and it’s very much different from how original piano or afrobeats is, so I just wanted people to hear a raw South African session, and then take them through what I did with it [with the album].”
The singer also spoke on the pressure of winning a GRAMMY so early in her career, cancelling her tour and broke down her sound.
Tyla on the pressures of winning a GRAMMY early in her career
“I feel really good. Either way it’s a blessing I’ve received [a Grammy], regardless of when I did. It’s a huge achievement, a huge moment for Africa so I’m just happy I was able to be that vessel for home, and more to come for sure!”
Tyla on the Injury that led her to cancel her tour
“It was definitely a difficult decision. It was a hard one, missing Coachella, missing all these festivals that I’ve dreamed about, and opening my own tour… all of these things have been moments that I’ve been waiting for, but I’m always living by ‘everything happens for a reason’ so either way I know that I’m gonna do it, whether it be next year or the end of this year or whenever it may be. It’s gonna be bigger and even better, so I’m just trusting that God got me regardless.”
Tyla on how she found her sound
“Since ‘Getting Late’ - since I discovered that I really enjoyed mixing pop with African music - I was kind of on a mission to find the perfect blend, the sound where I feel 100% about it, so over two or three years now I’ve been working towards perfecting the sound and just trying new things. I feel like when I got to ‘Water’, it was kind of the moment where we’re getting somewhere.
“Wrapping up the album I just started going in more and working with these people that I call the Fantastic Four - it’s Corey [Marlon Lindsay-Keay], Sammy Sosa, Mocha and Ari [PenSmith] - and working with them, and I feel like I just hit the jackpot. I finally got to the point where I was happy.”
Tune in to Africa Now Radio with Nandi Madida this Friday, March 22nd 9a London / 10a Lagos/Paris / 11a Johannesburg / 1a LA / 4a NYC on Apple Music 1.
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