Epic

She’s already won a Grammy and scored a global smash with “Water” — but now, it’s time for Tyla to release her self-titled debut. And the South African star feels that with this album, she’s pioneered a true fusion of African music and pop.

“Over the years, I feel like I’ve just come more to my own and I’ve refined [my sound],” she tells ABC Audio. “And I feel like I’ve gotten to a point … where I can send it off comfortably, knowing that it is a project. It’s not just a bunch of songs put together. It’s a project, and it’s a project of songs that I’m super proud of, and that really is a new sound.”

“It’s a new, fresh vibe,” she adds. “And I’m just excited to see how people take it.”

In addition to “Truth or Dare” and collabs with Tems, Gunna and Becky G, the album includes “Water,” which Tyla feels was the perfect song to introduce her sound to the world.

“I just remember hearing it and being like, ‘I’m on a different level now,'” she notes. “All these years of trying things and working with people. … After ‘Water,’ I felt like I finally reached the moment I’d been waiting for.”

But fans will have to wait a bit longer for the moment they’ve been waiting for: her tour, which had to be called off for medical reasons. But when she does hit the road, Tyla says we’re in for something special.

“I just know that it’s going to be an experience,” she says. “I really want to dive deep into it and let people really experience a ‘Tyla show,’ with South African dances and just small elements that make it bigger and more of a feeling … rather than just watching something.”

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