After a record-breaking debut, the global star enters her boldest era yet.
Tyla isn’t easing into her next chapter; she’s kicking the door open.
Two years after rewriting expectations with her debut era, the South African star is gearing up for A*POP, her highly anticipated sophomore album, arriving July 24. If her first run made her a breakout, this one looks designed to cement her as a global mainstay.
Her 2024 debut, TYLA, and its expanded edition TYLA+, did more than perform. They marked a turning point in her rise. The project earned her the distinction of becoming the highest-charting African female solo artist in the history of the Billboard 200. That milestone quickly snowballed into a string of accolades, sold-out performances, and an unmistakable rise in global pop.
The first hints of A*POP did not come through a press release. They were embedded in spectacle. In the glossy, high-fashion video for her hit single “Chanel,” Tyla placed the album title front and center, lounging beside a sculptural “A*POP” set piece between tightly choreographed dance breaks.
“Chanel,” which first appeared on her Summer 2025 mixtape WWP, has since evolved into something bigger than a teaser. The track climbed through the charts, eventually hitting No. 1 on both Billboard’s Afrobeats and Rhythmic Airplay charts while spending 17 weeks on the Hot 100. Its music video, equal parts fashion editorial and pop spectacle, has amassed over 120 million views alongside massive global social engagement.
That momentum did not come out of nowhere. It followed a run of hits that began with “Water” and continued with “Push 2 Start,” both of which helped define Tyla’s blend of Afropop, R&B, and sleek global pop.
By the time awards season rolled around, Tyla was no longer just a nominee. She was a fixture. At this year’s Grammy Awards, she took home her second Grammy, winning Best African Music Performance for “Push 2 Start.”
More telling, though, was her mindset. Speaking to Rolling Stone on the red carpet, Tyla described a creative process that finally clicked.
“I just knew that as I lived through the making of the album, it was going to fall into place,” she said. “I feel like I just did something really fresh and so… Tyla.”
That sense of identity, distinct, self-assured, and globally fluent, appears to be the core of A*POP.
If “Chanel” set the tone, “She Did It Again” proves the scope. The track, featuring Zara Larsson, arrives as the album’s second single and a statement of intent. The collaboration blends Tyla’s rhythmic precision with Larsson’s polished pop delivery, resulting in a track that is already rippling across charts and playlists worldwide.
The music video pulled in over five million views in its opening weekend, landing on Rolling Stone’s “Songs You Need This Week” and earning praise from Vanity Fair, which declared the song “shook the culture.”
Offstage, the rollout is just as aggressive. Tyla is slated to headline a set at Today’s Citi Concert Series in New York, alongside a string of high-profile festival appearances, from Afronation in Portugal to the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland, plus major stops in Romania and Italy.
Awards recognition continues to follow. At the upcoming American Music Awards, Tyla is nominated four times, including two nods for “Chanel” for Social Song of the Year and Best Music Video, as well as Best Female R&B Artist and Best Afrobeats Artist.
It adds to an already crowded trophy shelf. She has an AMA, two Grammys, multiple Billboard and MTV awards, and an NAACP Image Award, a remarkable list for an artist still early in her career.
Even the aesthetics of this era signal a shift. Tyla recently fronted the inaugural Beauty Zine issue of i-D, a fitting move for an artist who continues to blur the lines between music, fashion, and cultural influence.
If her debut was about arrival, A*POP feels like consolidation and expansion.
The details of the album remain tightly guarded, but the signals are clear. Bigger sound, broader reach, and a sharper sense of identity. Tyla is not just riding momentum. She is shaping it.
Come July 24, she will be setting the pace again.