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Who is Tyla and what’s her net worth?
Tyla Laura Seethal born 30 January 2002 and widely known as Tyla, is a South African singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Johannesburg. Her rise in the music industry has been nothing short of meteoric. This young South African singer started turning heads in 2019 with her debut single “Getting Late”. But it was her 2023 release, “Water”, that truly propelled her onto the global stage.
The catchy tune, infused with Afrobeats and pop sensibilities, climbed the charts internationally, reaching the top ten in countries like the UK and the US. The song was further amplified by a viral dance trend on TikTok, solidifying Tyla’s status as a social media darling.
However, Tyla’s success wasn’t just about a single viral moment. She had been honing her craft for years, building a local fanbase in South Africa. Signing with Epic Records in 2021 gave her the platform to take her music global. Strategic partnerships, like her inclusion in Spotify’s RADAR Africa program, further fueled her international exposure.
Tyla’s talent extends beyond catchy melodies. She’s a songwriter who isn’t afraid to showcase her individuality. Critics have praised her for her fresh take on R&B, blending it seamlessly with African influences. This unique sound has resonated with audiences worldwide.
Capping off her incredible year, Tyla made history at the 2024 Grammys. Not only did she win the first-ever Grammy Award for Best African Music Performance with “Water”, but she also became the youngest African artist ever to win a Grammy. This prestigious recognition cements her as a force to be reckoned with in the music industry for years to come.
Tyla’s net worth is approximately $2 million. Converted to South African Rand, that would be R37,354,650.00 (thirty-seven million three hundred fifty-four thousand six hundred fifty rands). Converted to Nigerian Naira it would be ₦3,177,920,090.00 (three billion one hundred seventy-seven million nine hundred twenty thousand ninety naira).
Tyla’s parents and siblings
Tyla’s parents are Sharleen and Sherwin Seethal. While she’s yet to release full details about her parents, she disclosed during an interview that they didn’t want her to do music. “I had to literally cry every day and tell them that I wanna do this. There’s nothing else I wanna do, It was difficult convincing them.” she said.
Stating why her parents didn’t want her to do music, she said, “In South Africa, it doesn’t happen to us,” referring to her successful music career. “I’ve heard so many women who wanted to do music and didn’t end up the way they wanted to. So, my parents were just trying to protect me, which is fine, but I showed them that I want to do music by all means.”
Tyla has three siblings, Whitney Seethal, Tyrese Seethal, and Sydney Seethal.
Sydney is her immediate younger sister and she’s a TikToker too.
Tyla’s boyfriend, husband, and children
It had been rumored that Tyla was dating Nigerian super star Rema. Addressing the rumors during the ‘We Need To Talk podcast’, Tyla said, “We are just friends. I went to his show and he happened to hold my hand. And obviously, people will always interpret it the way they do. He is not my boyfriend. He’s not my man.”
On the 24th of February 2024, Tyla honored an interview in Miami with Power 96.5 FM and the host asked whether she would rather have a boyfriend who plays video games a lot or a boyfriend who is always in the club?”
In response, Tyla said, “Video games all day. A club guy? No! What the hell?
“I would rather have a boyfriend who plays video games than a boyfriend who is at the club every weekend. At least, I know the guy who plays video games will always be home with me. I also love being at home.”
Tyla’s educational background
Tyla graduated from Edenglen High School in 2019 and was the schools Head of Culture in that year. Also, she was studying Mining Engineering before transitioning fully to her music career.
Tyla’s life before fame
Tyla had always known that she wanted to be an artist. From a very young age, she was always that girl singing for everyone, every competition, every talent show. It has always been her dream from the beginning and she never changed her mind because she was so sure about it. If you even check her Instagram, you’d see videos of her belly dancing as a small girl.
At age 12, she started writing songs and would perform it for her family. Her parents didn’t have a challenge with that as they thought it was just for fun. Little did they know that she had dreams of building a career out of it.
While in school (secondary school), Tyla started recording covers of popular songs and did her own original songs. She’d share them on her Instagram asking her audience to help her repost. She didn’t stop there, she also sent the recordings to several music industry professionals. Through this, her first manager, Garth von Glehn, discovered her talent and made arrangements for her first recording sessions. Back then, Tyla used to spend all her weekends at the studio recording.
After graduation from high school late in 2019, Tyla finally got permission from her parents to do music but only for a year. Unfortunately, COVID-19 spread through South Africa too and Tyla was stuck at home. At some point, she felt like she couldn’t achieve enough in a year to convince her parents but she kept trying and started using social media (TikTok and Instagram) to promote her talent.
By the end of 2019, she released her debut single, “Getting Late,” featuring her producer, Kooldrink. The single was a hit in South Africa and its official video reached millions of views on YouTube at the time. The video, which was filmed sporadically by her manager during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, was released in January 2021 was also nominated for Music Video of the Year at the 28th South African Music Awards in 2022.
After fame

By May 2021, Tyla earned a recording contract with Epic Records in the United States through a collaboration with Fax Records in May 2021. She continued her musical journey with the releases of “Overdue” in October 2021 and “To Last” in November 2022.
In 2023, Tyla had her first public appearance at a party by Dolce & Gabbana during Milan Fashion Week. This happened when she released her song “Been Thinking,” which got her on the charts for the first time on both the Billboard Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay and Rhythmic Airplay charts. Heven Haile of Pitchfork likened the song to those of Ciara and Rihanna’s in the mid-2000.
Tyla also performed as the opening act for Chris Brown’s ‘Under the Influence’ tour. In May 2023, she put out “Girl Next Door,” a song featuring Nigerian singer Ayra Starr aka Celestial Being.
Barely two months after the release of ‘Girl Next Door’ Tyla dropped ‘Water’ in July 2023, as the first song from her upcoming album. The song gained more popularity when Tyla did a dance with it and TikTokers took it up as a challenge to do the dance too.
Water made it to top 10 hits in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, and other countries. Its official music video was released on 6 October 2023 and in 3 days, it gained 3 million views on YouTube. With the track, Tyla made history as the youngest South African and the first solo artist from South Africa in 55 years to get into the US Billboard Hot 100, after Hugh Masekela’s “Grazing in the Grass” in 1968.
Sharing her thoughts on the opportunities to perform on globally recognised stages, she said, “I’ve been sizzling there in the studio, like I’ve been so ready, you know, Like I really believe in myself and I know that people are hungry for something new, so I’m just excited that they like the music”.
3 questions and answers on Tyla’s life
How does Tyla feel with the success she has achieved in the music industry?
Having a globally recognised song and winning the Grammy at a very young age is not a small feat. Tyla definitely feels happy about the accomplishments. According to her,
“It feels so amazing, like I’m finally reaping the rewards. So yeah, I’m just happy I’m taking it all in, thanking God every day, you know”.
How did Tyla react when she learned she had been nominated for the Grammy?
She was lying down in her room in New York while the nomination session was streaming Live but she wasn’t watching because she wasn’t expecting anything of such magnitude at that time. However, her record label managers urged her to just watch in case she gets nominated.
So she joined the Live stream and was even screen recording just in case she hears her name. Narrating the experience during an interview, she said, “…then I saw my name pop up. I died, I literally died. Luckily, my friend travels with me. She ran to my room. She was screaming and jumping and we were calling everybody…I video called my family. When I was like, guys, I’m nominated for a Grammy. They went off. They were running around screaming like, yeah”.
Was Tyla expecting the tour with Chris Brown?
Nope, a big No!
When her label told her about the offer from Chris Brown, she was like, “What the heck?”
She didn’t have any idea of what was happening and had just two days to rehearse for the performance. So she just went to the O2, did her thing and it was a banger. That was actually her first tour and she also mentioned that it was even her first proper performance.
Tyla’s relationships in the music industry
DJ Black Coffee
This renowned South African DJ and record producer played a significant role in propelling Tyla’s career forward. In December 2023, after her hit song “Water” skyrocketed to fame, Tyla performed a remix version alongside DJ Black Coffee at a nightclub in Sandton. This high-profile collaboration exposed Tyla to a wider audience and helped solidify her place in the South African music scene.
Litchi (Choreographer)
While not exactly a musical collaborator, Litchi, Tyla’s choreographer, deserves a mention. Litchi created the viral dance challenge for “Water,” which significantly boosted the song’s popularity on platforms like TikTok. Tyla herself acknowledges Litchi’s role in the song’s success, highlighting their collaborative spirit in the music industry.
Controversies
I’m colored
November 2023 was a hot one for Tyla as she got lots of backlash for identifying as ‘colored’ in a TikTok video. Tyla made the video to let her followers know more about her but it was misinterpreted, especially in the United States.
Americans consider the word degrading and stigmatizing as it dates back to the time of Jim Crow, when laws in the southern states were made to keep Black Americans down after slavery ended. In response, a US user on X said: “We are not gonna call her coloured here and if she personally demands it, her career will end before it begins”.
The thing to note here is that use of the word ‘colored’ has different meanings in the US and South Africa. In SA, it means “a person of mixed European (“white”) and African (“Black”) or Asian ancestry,” or a mixed race person. Many South African creators also gave a voice to the subject saying that their definition of coloured, which the South African government officially defined from 1950-1991, is also valid and therefore informs their use of the word.
Tyla’s discography
Albums
(Awaiting release) 2024 – Tyla
Singles
2019
- Getting Late
2021
- Overdue
2022
- To Last
2023
- Girl Next Door feat Ayra Star
- Been Thinking
- Water
- On and On
2024
- Truth or Dare
Singles as featured artist
2022
- Thata Ahh (ShaunMusiq, Ftears, and DJ Maphorisa featuring Young Stunna, Madumane, and Tyla)
2023
- Ke Shy (Major Lazer and Major League DJz featuring Tyla, Luudadeejay, and Yumbs)
- Bana Ba (Daliwonga featuring ShaunMusiq, Ftears, Tyla, and TitoM)
Tyla’s awards, nominations, and recognitions
Nominations
2022
- Getting Late feat Kooldrink was nominated for Music Video of the Year by South African Music Awards
2023
- She was nominated for Best New Artist by Soul Train Music Awards
- Been Thinking was nominated for Best Produced Music Video by South African Music Awards
- She was nominated for Best African Music Act by MOBO Awards
2024
- Water was nominated for International Song by BRIT Awards
Awards
2023
- She won Best Female Artist award at the African Entertainment Awards USA
2024
- Water won Best African Music Performance at the Grammy Awards
- She won Most Stylish Performing Artist at the South African Style Awards
Tyla’s net worth and assets
Tyla’s Net worth
Tyla’s net worth is approximately $2 million. Converted to South African Rand, that would be R37,354,650.00 (thirty-seven million three hundred fifty-four thousand six hundred fifty rands). Converted to Nigerian Naira it would be ₦3,177,920,090.00 (three billion one hundred seventy-seven million nine hundred twenty thousand ninety naira).
Tyla house and car
As at March 2024 when this article was written, there’s no verified information on Tyla’s house or car. This article will be updated accordingly when possible.
Few lessons you can learn from Tyla’s life
- Be dedicated to your craft: Tyla’s years of honing her craft before achieving mainstream success emphasize the importance of dedication and continuous improvement. Success often requires persistence, hard work, and a commitment to refining your skills over time. So get up and make sure you get better at your craft every day.
- Never say never: From Tyla’s life, you can learn the importance of perseverance and determination in pursuing your dreams. Despite facing initial resistance from her parents, Tyla continued to pursue her passion for music, showcasing her commitment and convincing them of her dedication. Her journey emphasizes the value of working hard and believing in oneself.
- Be adaptable: Tyla’s ability to adapt and leverage social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram during COVID-19 highlights the significance of being adaptable and utilizing modern tools for self-promotion and exposure. Where there is a will, there is a way; but the way can only be seen if you remain adaptable.