Tyla becomes the most streamed South African artist on Spotify

Musician Tyla has been taking the world by storm with her new hit Water, which has launched her career to new heights, making her the top South African artist on Spotify.

At the time of writing, the singer and dancer currently has 5.2 million monthly listeners on the music streaming service, with Water being streamed over 22 million times. It is the highest charting song lead by a South African artist since Master KG’s Jerusalema. Tyla has even dethroned the likes of DJ Maphoris and Kabza De Small to become the most streamed South African artist on Spotify.

She reposted on her socials:

The official audio posted on YouTube has also received over 6.2 million views and more than 200 million views on TikTok.

The Johannesburg-born singer, who found success with her debut hit single Getting Late with Kooldrink in 2021, took to Instagram to also share that Water debuted at number 20 on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 (a chart that lists the top songs that have not yet charted on the main Billboard Hot 100).

In the same post, Tyla also shared that the viral song has officially entered the Apple Music US chart at number 82.

On Twitter (now known as X), Tyla reposted a tweet stating that her song is currently charting in 67 countries on Apple Music, including Angola (number one) and the United Kingdom (number nine) to name a few.

“Water is making history. Thank you to everyone making videos to this sound, the love is so overwhelming,” said an appreciative Tyla.

Here’s everything you must know about SA’s latest rising star

Tyla Laura Seethal, born on 30 January 2002, and known professionally as Tyla, is a multi-talented South African artist. She’s not only a singer but also a songwriter and dancer.

Hailing from Johannesburg, Tyla made waves in 2021 when she signed with Epic Records following the domestic success of her debut single, Getting Late, featuring Kooldrink.

However, her international rise to stardom truly took flight with her 2023 single, Water, which gained immense popularity on TikTok through a viral dance challenge.

Tyla’s background is as diverse as her talents. She was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, to a mixed-race family with Zulu, Indian, Mauritian, and Irish heritage.

In 2019, she graduated from Edenglen High School, where she held the position of Head of Culture.

Her journey into the music industry started with posting original songs and covers on her Instagram account, as well as sharing them with various figures in the music world.

It wasn’t long before she was discovered by her first manager, who arranged her initial recording sessions.

In early 2021, Tyla released her debut single, Getting Late, with production from Kooldrink, a song that achieved national recognition.

Well done Tyla!