At the 2024 MTV VMAs on Wednesday, September 11, South African singer Tyla took home the Best Afrobeats award for her hit song “Water.” Tyla made history by winning her first MTV Video Music Award for ‘Best Afrobeats’ for her hit song “Water,” becoming the first female African artist to claim a VMA.
While accepting the prestigious Moonperson trophy, the 22-year-old star used the moment to express her pride in representing her home continent and address the tendency to group all African artists under the Afrobeats genre.
According to People Magazine, dressed in a striking strapless neon yellow Area Couture dress from the fall 2024 collection, Tyla turned heads on the red carpet. The bold look featured peekaboo string details and turquoise briefs, adding a daring edge. She accessorised with sparkly pink Rene Caovilla heels, vibrant Fabergé rings, and her natural curls, giving her a radiant glow under the stage lights.
During her acceptance speech, Tyla made a lighthearted moment, jokingly asking the presenters to hold her award because she wasn’t strong enough to carry it. She then shared a powerful message about African music’s global impact. “The global impact that ‘Water’ has had on the world just proves that African music can be pop music too,” she began.
However, Tyla also acknowledged the challenges African artists face, saying, “This is just so special, but also bittersweet because I know there’s a tendency to group all African artists under Afrobeats. Even though Afrobeats has run things and has opened so many doors for us, African music is so diverse. It’s more than just Afrobeats.”
Representing her roots, Tyla proudly emphasised her role as an amapiano artist, a genre that fuses house, jazz, and kwaito, a sound originating in the ’90s. “I come from South Africa. I represent amapiano, I represent my culture,” she declared, before shouting out her peers in the Afrobeats category and adding, “Africa to the world.”
Tyla wins her first MTV Video Music Award for ‘Best Afrobeats’ for her hit song ‘Water’
She makes history as the first female African artist to win an #VMA #VMAs pic.twitter.com/D5lIegoptL
— Pop Pulse (@PopPulseSA) September 12, 2024
