South African artist Tyla released her self-titled debut album, “TYLA,” on March 26 and has grown in popularity after receiving a Grammy for best African music performance for her smash single, “Water.”
At the age of 22, Tyla is now the youngest African musician to get a Grammy Award. Tyla has drawn attention from people all across the world. “Water” has received 518 billion streams on Spotify worldwide.
In the recent release of her new album, Tyla mixes many different genres such as Afropop, R&B, hip hop and amapiano. The following is my thoughts of the songs within her debut album:
“Intro”(with Kelvin Momo): Tyla collaborates with fellow South African musician and DJ Kelvin Momo on the song “Intro,” which serves as the album’s introduction. This is a great way to introduce the album to the audience gradually. It contains a preview of what fans might expect to hear on the rest of the album.
“Safer”: Even though there was a previous “Intro,” I would still classify this as the album’s introduction. This song was the ideal way to start her debut album. Tyla was successful in blending cultural sounds with her contemporary lyrics.
“Water”: I truly cannot help moving around during this song. It is so catchy! The beats, the melody, the instruments, everything about this song is great. I see why this was her smash hit and why this song won a Grammy.
“Truth or Dare”: Tyla is able to encapsulate the risks of loving someone in this song and how commitment is sometimes a slippery slope when it comes to relationships nowadays.
“No.1” (ft. Tems): In collaboration with Nigerian artist Tems, this song is the perfect self love anthem. As Tyla sang in the song: “I gotta put me number one no compromise.”
“Breathe Me”: I was hoping for something a little bit different at this point in the album. Even though this song was really lovely, it kind of got lost in the mix as I was attempting to remember every song on the album.
“Butterflies”: “Butterflies” slows everything down and has a romantic vibe. It seems like a perfect midway point to welcome the listeners to the latter section of the album. The sensation of having butterflies in your stomach due to a crush is depicted perfectly in the song. Although the song is beautiful, the lyrics are a stark contrast from the sound of the song. “In a maze trapped in your rule, many tried to cleanse me of you.” I can picture myself lying in a field of grass, this song playing in the background, the sun shining and the birds chirping.
“On and On”: This song kept the vibe of the last track, Butterflies, while speeding it up a little and having its own charm to it, bringing the mood from romantic to a more dancey feel.
“Jump” (ft. Gunna and Skillibeng): This song offered a different vibe than every other song on the album. This song, which was in collaboration with Jamaican DJ Skillibeng and American rapper Gunna, looks to go more toward the hip hop side of the album. Although it was not the strongest song lyrically on the album, I was surprised by how well it worked as a change of pace.
“Art”: The title of the song accurately describes this track: it is literally art. This song pulled me back into the album after the last two tracks kind of lost me. “Let me be your muse, let me inspire you,” Tyla said in the opening sentence. Tyla describing herself as a work of art resonated with me, because everyone should view themselves as a piece of art.
“On My Body” (ft. Becky G): For me this was the most successful collaboration on the album. Becky G gives this song a unique twist by incorporating her Latin flair. The song was a perfect fit for Becky G’s voice.
“Pritories”: This song discusses the troubles of prioritizing yourself, and navigating the balance between loving yourself and loving others. But just like “Breathe Me,” this did get lost in the shuffle for me.
“To Last”: This seemed like the song that the album should have ended on. Everything was neatly packaged with a bow. The last few seconds of the song were just fading beats, giving the impression that it was a closing track.
“Water” (remix with Travis Scott): Tyla’s most well-known song, “Water,” got a remix at the end of her album; the remix featured famous American rapper Travis Scott. All of the original song’s memorable components are retained in the remix. Did “Water” need a remix? No, Tyla had already achieved great success with it as a hit single. “To Last” might have been the better finale for the album. Travis Scott does not really add much to the already fantastic song, and this remix felt like an album filler.
I had a great time listening to this album overall! Tyla was able to combine contemporary music with her culture. The only criticism I have of this album is that the latter section of the album does tend to get weaker. While the album’s upper half is outstanding, several tracks, such as the “Water” remix, seemed to be included merely to make up the album’s length.