Season Finale of “Spotify: Mic Check”--South African Amapiano Artist Tyla

Spotify saved the best for last on its season finale this week of “Spotify: Mic Check.” In this episode, we learn about Amapaino music, which is a Zulu or Xhosa word loosely translated to "the pianos", is a subgenre of house and Kwaito music that emerged in South Africa in the mid-2010s. It is a hybrid of deep house, jazz, and lounge music characterized by synths and wide percussive bass lines.

 In this episode, listeners will head overseas to South Africa to learn more about South African Amapiano artist Tyla whose sound fuses pop, classic R&B, and African Beats.

You can listen to the full episode here.

Tyla discusses her beginnings in South Africa, her DM to Drake, the pivotal moment when she almost gave up on music, working with accomplished producers like Tricky Stewart and Kooldrink, the impact of joining Spotify’s RADAR program in Africa and sharing a sneak peek of her new single, “Water.”

RADAR is Spotify’s program created to spotlight up-and-coming music talent – allowing them an opportunity to broaden their fanbase and supporting them in their path to superstardom through comprehensive marketing, content, and editorial campaigns.

Available to stream for free exclusively on Spotify, please see below for interview highlights in the episode.

Tyla on growing up in South Africa. “... I always wanted to actually grow up in America. When I was younger, I just always thought, ‘If I were born in America, I would have been famous by now,’ and all of these things. But I mean, now that I'm older, I just realized how amazing my childhood was. Just like the culture, the music, the food, the people. Yeah, South Africa is amazing. I still believe that everyone needs to visit South Africa at least once in their life.”

Tyla on sending one of her earliest songs to Drake via direct message on social media. “Literally, when my first song started doing well, I unsent the message. I was like, ‘There's no way he's seen this small little girl on his phone singing.’ So no, he hasn't. But I have a feeling one day soon he's going to reach out.”

Tyla on what makes a song fit into the Amapiano genre. “I feel like it's a genre that grew over time. There are definitely roots in Kwaito and jazz, South African house. But I feel the thing that makes it Amapiano is that log drum. The log drum that just slams you, like, I feel that's what makes Amapiano.”

Tyla on why she believes her first single, “Getting Late,” resonated with so many people globally. “You know, I was actually so surprised. Initially, I was just like, ‘I like the song and hope it does well.’ And then, when people from America, Europe, and all of those people started jumping on, I was so shocked. I was like, ‘Why? Okay, this is cool.’ I feel the dancing, the song, the music video. I feel like it just made a whole package for everyone to consume, and then they just loved it, I guess.”

Tyla on working with famed music producer Tricky Stewart who has worked with the likes of Beyoncé and Rihanna. “Crazy. Like, when I heard that I was going to work with him, I was like, ‘You guys are lying. You guys are literally lying.’ But then we met, and he's such a good person. Such a nice person. I always imagine these hectic producers to be serious, you know? But he's just so fun and he was very welcoming. And I don't know, I just love working with him because you can see his passion for music. So, yeah, just the fact that he worked with Rihanna, with Beyoncé, all these different artists. I was just so grateful to even be there.”

Tyla on being a featured artist in Spotify’s RADAR Africa program. “Yo, the opportunities that I've been given, like billboards and a documentary that's coming out soon -- I'm excited about it! My whole family was in it. They keep asking me every day, "When can we watch the video? When can we watch the video?" I'm just so happy that Spotify was able to do this for me because, I mean, it's a huge opportunity. And yeah, I'm excited to see how much further we can go with it.” 

 You can listen to the full episode here.