-
Tyla gives credit to Afrobeats for opening doors for African Music
-
SA Superstar Honors Afrobeats in 2024 MTV EMAs Speech, Wins Best Afrobeats and Best African Act
South African singer Tyla celebrated Afrobeats’ global influence at the 2024 MTV Europe Music Awards, where she picked up two major awards: Best Afrobeats and Best African Act.
Continuing her sweep of this year’s award season, Tyla overcame fierce competition from Nigerian heavyweights Asake, Rema, Ayra Starr, Burna Boy, and Tems to win the Best Afrobeats award. She also topped Ayra Starr, DBN Gogo, Diamond Platnumz, and TitoM & Yuppe for the Best African Act title.
While accepting the Best Afrobeats award, Tyla praised the genre for its role in elevating African music on the global stage. “Thank you to Afrobeats, it has opened many doors for African music,” she said, standing proudly with her younger sister beside her.
This heartfelt acknowledgement was viewed as a positive nod to Afrobeats and the opportunities it has provided to African artists worldwide.
https://twitter.com/mtvema/status/1855729871109947471?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1855729871109947471%7Ctwgr%5E7bca52aad8ba9b489e494ea948bfd174a4f6d3b7%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fpulsembed.eu%2Fp2em%2FsL9Fbkmvd%2F
Observers saw this as a marked shift from her acceptance speech at the 2024 MTV VMAs, where Tyla identified as an Amapiano artist after winning the Best Afrobeats award for her hit single ‘Water.’
Her comments at the VMAs sparked debate, with some feeling that her efforts to clarify genre distinctions were poorly timed, particularly given that ‘Water‘ largely draws on Afrobeats influences.
Her EMAs speech has since been praised as a balanced acknowledgement of Afrobeats’ powerful role in amplifying African talent across genres, signalling Tyla’s appreciation for the genre’s influence on her career and that of fellow African artists.