Mzansi beams with pride after Tyla’s VMA win
SOUTH African-born singer Tyla won the MTV Video Music Award 2024 for Best Afrobeats at Wednesday night’s ceremony at UBS Arena in Elmont, New York, in the United States.
She makes history as the first female African artist, as well as the first South African artist, to win a VMA.
Tyla has topped trending lists as Mzansi stars took to their timelines to praise her for the win.
Tyla won the award for Water, a result she called “such a big moment for Africa”.
Tyla keeps winning, collecting awards at almost every top awards ceremony internationally and locally.
e Joburg-born superstar stated boldly that she represented the amapiano genre despite winning in the Afrobeats category.
“ e global impact that Water had on the world just proved that African music can be pop music too,” she said to wild applause during her acceptance speech for the award.
e charismatic singing sensation also had words for the organisers and their lazy classification of African music.
“Like this is just so special, but also bittersweet, because I know there is a tendency to group all African artists under Afrobeats,” Tyla said.
“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 added: “African music is so diverse — it’s more than just Afrobeats.”
Tyla was nominated with Nigerian superstars Burna Boy, Davido, Ayra Starr, Tems and Lojay.
e vast majority of awards were doled out offstage during the evening far better known for its performances and stage antics than its prizes.
Afrobeats music evolved in Nigeria in the late 1960s by Fela Kuti, and has grown into a global phenomenon, while amapiano is a sound originating from the townships of South Africa and has also become a global sensation.
In 2023, the Afrobeats category was first introduced and Nigerian superstar Rema won the award for the remix of his global hit Calm Down featuring Selena Gomez.
Tyla’s stellar trophy cabinet is steadily growing; she already has a Grammy, Billboard, BET, Metro FM Music, Basadi in Music and now she has a MTV Video Music Award to add to the lot. — Tshisalive/iol.