South African amapiano sensation Tyla made history on Wednesday by becoming the first South African to win an MTV Video Music Award.
The award was presented in the Best Afrobeats category at the UBS Arena in Elmont, New York, Cape {town} Etc reports.
Also read: A night at Cape Town’s Curry Club on New Church Street
Tyla received the accolade for her hit single ‘Water,’ which boasts over 230 million views on YouTube and nearly 800 million streams on Spotify.
During her acceptance speech, she humorously remarked about the weight of the trophy.
‘You guys know me and holding awards, yoh hai. I’m not strong enough,’ she said, asking Lil Nas X, who was beside Halle Bailey, to hold the trophy for her.
Find your perfect set of wheels with these incredible deals on cars for under 100k. Find car listings here.
In her heartfelt speech, Tyla expressed her gratitude to MTV, her fans – whom she calls her ‘Tygers’ – her team, and God.
‘This is such a big moment for Africa [and] African music,’ she said.
The Afrobeats category was introduced at the VMAs in 2023, with Rema and Selena Gomez as the inaugural winners.
Tyla is the first solo artist to claim the title. ‘The global impact that Water has had on the world just proves that African music can be pop music too,’ she continued.
She also touched on a broader issue, noting, ‘This is just so special, but also bittersweet because I know there’s a tendency to group all African artists under Afrobeats. It’s a thing, and even though Afrobeats has run things and has opened so many doors for us, African music is so diverse, it is more than just Afrobeats.’
Tyla proudly acknowledged her South African roots, stating, ‘I come from South Africa. I represent amapiano. I represent my culture, and I just want to shout out [to] all the Afrobeats artists in this category with me.’
She named Tems, Ayra Starr, Lojay, Rema, Wizkid, and Burna Boy, concluding with ‘Africa to the world.’
Other nominees in the Afrobeats category included Giveon with Ayra Starr, Burna Boy, Chris Brown with Davido and Lojay, Tems, and Usher with Pheelz.
Tyla was also nominated for Best New Artist and Best R&B.
Taylor Swift emerged as the event’s major winner, taking home seven awards, including Video of the Year for ‘Fortnight’ with Post Malone.
Sabrina Carpenter was awarded Song of the Year, and Chappell Roan received the Best New Artist honour.
SZA, Eminem, Lenny Kravitz, and Blackpink’s Lisa were also among the winners.
Cape {town} Etc discount: Looking for things to do in the city, at half the price? Get exclusive offers here.
Also read:
Watch: Jason Derulo showcases CPT house with $30k cost per night
Picture: Doug Peters / Getty Images
