Tyla’s road to stardom began during her childhood in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Starting at age 11, the pop star posted singing covers on YouTube and Instagram, according to Billboard. In her feature on “Spotify RADAR Africa,” she and her dad recalled her mother always putting her on the spot to sing wherever they went.
As a born dreamer, Tyla’s passion for performing grew during her teenage years in high school. Whether it was acting, singing, or dancing, she was eager to be on a stage.
“Even if the character didn’t make sense, I would literally always audition for the biggest role,” Tyla recalled to “Spotify RADAR Africa.” “Ever since then, I kept pushing. I kept auditioning for everything, all the soirees, the talent shows, I was there. And I just loved it.”
Fast forward to 2023, Tyla opened for Chris Brown’s “Under the Influence Tour” in Europe. The same year, her breakout hit single “Water” went viral and a few months later, she announced her first world tour, including a Coachella set. However, right ahead of her self-titled debut album’s release, she shared that the tour was canceled due to an injury that “tragically worsened.”
Although Tyla’s tour was put on hold, she still made her rounds to perform at various shows both in the U.S. and internationally. Take a look at some of the “PUSH 2 START” singer’s best live performances.
1. Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show 2024
For Victoria’s Secret’s first fashion show in six years, Tyla was one of the musical performers along with Cher and Blackpink’s Lisa. According to Marie Claire, it was the show’s first-ever all-women lineup. On the runway, she performed “PUSH 2 START” off Tyla +, the deluxe edition of her debut album, and “Water.” At the start of the performance, she even had her own pair of Victoria’s Secret angel wings and hit her own modelesque strut.
2. BET Awards 2024
Tyla came ready with the theatrics to represent South Africa for her first award show performance on the BET Awards stage. From the beginning, viewers are captivated by a tiger — alluding to her fanbase “Tigers” — that is formed by dancers. In addition, she was joined by Gunna and Skillibeng to perform “Jump.” Not only did she have a grand entrance floating from the air, but she also closed out her performance dancing under dancers on high stilts.
3. Live from The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
In October 2023, Tyla crossed off a career milestone. Her appearance on “ The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” marked her debut U.S. TV performance. Being that it was her national debut, Tyla ensured to incorporate her South African culture. Before hitting the “bacardi” dance move, she yelled out “Asambe,” a South African expression.
“‘Asambe’ in South Africa means ‘Let’s go!’ And she screamed it on the mic,” Tyla’s choreographer, Lee-ché Janecke, explained to Billboard. “That was pivotal. It felt awkward at first when we were rehearsing it because we were like, ‘Are we really going to do this on national television in America? Um, yeah, we are!’ As much as it’s one word, it meant the most to South Africa.”
4. The Voice live season 24 finale
Who better than Tyla to help close out a finale? For “The Voice’s” season 24 finale, she performed a medley of “Truth or Dare” and “Water.” The beginning of the performance was reminiscent of the official visualizer for “Truth or Dare,” except for the inclusion of a shebeen, a South African speakeasy, for the set design. For “Water,” instead of her viral moment of pouring water on her back, there was an entire water production on stage.
5. Domingão com Huck, a Brazilian TV show
When it comes to performing, Tyla’s stage presence is top tier. And her performance on Brazilian variety show “Domingão com Huck” is a perfect example of how she commands a stage even if she’s solo. Although she has performed “Water” numerous times, she constantly finds ways to keep things fresh. For this go round, her engagement with the crowd brought new life to the hit record.
6. The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
Just two months after winning her first Grammy at the 2024 award ceremony, Tyla performed on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.” For this particular TV performance, she performed “ART,” the third single from her debut album. Similar to its music video, Tyla is dressed in a modern Renaissance dress. And as always, her performance’s choreography had a South African flavor.
7. Bianca, a Swedish TV show
A few months after the “Water” dance challenge went viral, Tyla performed on Bianca Ingrosso’s talk show in Sweden. Dressed in a yellow two piece, the performance was a rare moment of seeing Tyla with a hair blowout. Typically, the songstress rocks her signature curly fro with or without cornrows. Tyla’s appearance on “Bianca” was her first official TV interview and performance.