Tyla set to floor Burna Boy, Davido, Wizkid for another Grammy

By Nehru Odeh

South African music sensation, Tyla, can’t stop raising the bar, just as her fans across the globe can’t get enough of her; what with her becoming a global superstar, releasing hit after hit, as well as the uncanny way she merges lyrics and choreography, thus inspiring a dance frenzy. Yet she is just in the morning of her burgeoning music career. And she is set to have another day in the sun.

This is the astonishing story of Tyla, the 24-year-old artiste who took the music world by storm in 2023 when she released the global anthem, Water, which earned her a Grammy in the first-ever Best African Music Performance category at 22, thus making her the youngest African female artiste in the history of the Grammys to win the award.

Two years on, the young, sleek artiste who makes lyrics and dance performance look so easy and natural, and dance so sexy, is set for a repeat performance at the 2026 Grammys billed to take place on February 1.

Still, it is instructive to note that the Grammys will be coming two days after her 24th birthday, which comes up on January 30. If she wins another Grammy, which she will, no doubt, that certainly would be a veritable birthday gift.

‘Push 2 Start’, that hypnotic track that blends sensuality, a declaration of power and, of course, a captivating beat, and which is already making waves across the globe, has been nominated for Best African Music Performance in this year’s competition.

She is competing against giants such as Burna Boy (Love), Davido featuring Omah Lay (With You), Eddy Kenzo & Mehran Matin (Hope & Love) and Ayra Starr featuring Wizkid (Gimme Dat).

Still, the fascinating thing about this year’s competition is that there is a strange similarity between it and the 2024 Grammy Awards. Tyla has been pitted against the same artistes she defeated in 2024 to win the highly coveted award, except the duo of Eddy Kenzo & Mehran Matin, who are debutants in the category.

While those artistes are also making waves across the globe, the fact remains that Tyla’s Push 2 Start has not only become a global anthem, it has generated a buzz across the globe, following the same path that her 2023 global hit, Water, had taken.

This is not an attempt to downplay or rubbish the strength of the other contestants, who have had marvellous music careers over the years, with one of them (Burna Boy) a Grammy Award winner. If the odds in her favour are anything to go by, Tyla winning the Grammy this year is already a fait accompli.

The fact that those heavyweights are competing with Tyla in the same category makes them walk a tightrope. These are the reasons the multiracial singer from South Africa will win the Grammy this year. As of press time, Push 2 Start has garnered more than 134 million views on YouTube, one year after the video was released.

And just three days after it was released on YouTube, it accumulated three million views. Following the path Water had taken, it won the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards for Best Afrobeats, marking her second win in the category. The fact that she beat the same artistes she is competing with in this year’s Grammy shows that she is set for a repeat performance.

The single has not only been trending, it has mass appeal. This can be gleaned from its performance on charts across the globe, as well as the number of streams it has generated. It debuted at number 88 on the U.S. Billboard, making Tyla the second female African artiste to attain multiple solo entries on the chart. It also peaked at number one on the UK Afrobeats Singles Chart and the Billboard U.S. Afrobeats Songs Chart.

The song has also recorded success on charts across the globe. It was certified platinum in Brazil and New Zealand, gold in Canada, Greece and the United States, and silver in the United Kingdom. The song has also gained visibility through collaborations. It was covered by Chloe Bailey, while the remix features vocals from Sean Paul.

It also peaked at number 44 in Australia, number 18 in Greece, number 60 in Ireland, number 16 in the United Arab Emirates, number 20 in New Zealand, number 10 in Sweden, number 55 in Switzerland and number 104 in Portugal. Its music video peaked at number 23 on the UK Video Charts, just to mention a few.

Since the song is competing in the Best African Music Performance category, it gives it an edge over the others. Critics have praised its “effortlessly cool” blend of Amapiano, pop and R&B.

Tyla is an A-list artiste when it comes to performance. As aforementioned, she has received praise from critics for her uncanny ability to mix lyrics and choreography.

Set in a vibrant car wash, the music video has drawn comparisons to Beyoncé’s Crazy in Love and Rihanna’s Shut Up and Drive. Tyla and her dancers perform choreography against a vibrant backdrop. She later spray-paints herself, similar to how a car would be painted, and dances on a car carrier as the video concludes, drawing comparisons with similar scenes from the aforementioned global superstars, emphasising the 2000s pop and R&B music video vibe. Tyla also wears Rihanna-inspired heels in the video.

The song is a blend of reggae, amapiano, pop and R&B genres, infused with elements of Afropop, and Tyla’s smooth vocal confidence has received praise from critics. Aside from its captivating beat, lyrics and choreography, the song is loaded with a message.

From the very start of the track, its striking lyrics convey a desire for mutual effort and motivation in a relationship, as Tyla uses metaphors like pushing buttons and accelerating to symbolise taking action and showing progress—all within her unique popiano (pop and amapiano) packaging.

Her no-nonsense attitude towards her partner is made evident throughout the song, making it crystal clear that she will only give her all if her partner proves they deserve it.

Tyla has been deemed the Queen of Popiano, a fusion of pop and amapiano genres infused with elements of R&B and Afrobeats. Her biggest musical influences include Michael Jackson, Rihanna, Beyoncé, Britney Spears, Drake, Wizkid, Whitney Houston, Freshlyground, Aaliyah and Cassie.

Still, despite the success Tyla has recorded so far, she has said that her dream is to become the first global pop star from Africa, which, no doubt, she is already becoming.

“When I was a kid, I always hoped that a pop star like Rihanna, Britney Spears or Michael Jackson would come out of South Africa. I wanted a star to come from my hometown. Now, for the people of my hometown, I want to be a pop star who represents South Africa,” she once said in an interview with Rolling Stone on January 19, 2024.

She has indeed achieved that dream, and winning the Grammy for the second time on February 1 will just be icing on the cake. And as the title of her fiery mixtape, We Wanna Party, connotes, Tyla and her fans across the globe will certainly have a blast.