South African sensation Tyla celebrated her first MTV Video Music Award (VMA) win this year, delivering a powerful message to the global music scene: African music is rich, diverse, and far more than just Afrobeats.
At the 2024 MTV VMAs, held at the UBS Arena in Queens, New York, and hosted by Megan Thee Stallion, Tyla secured the award for Best Afrobeats with her smash hit “Water.” Competing in the Best Afrobeats category against major African artists like Burna Boy, Tems, Davido, Ayra Starr, Lojay, and Pheelz, Tyla was also nominated for Best New Artist and Best RnB.
Receiving her award from Lil Nas X and Halle Bailey, Tyla expressed deep gratitude, calling the moment “a big moment for Africa.” She highlighted how the success of her song, “Water” proved that “African music can be pop music too.”
However, she also touched on the misconception that all African artists are solely defined by Afrobeats, saying, “Like this is just so special but also bittersweet because I know there’s a tendency to group all African artists under Afrobeats.”
Tyla’s victory follows Rema’s win in 2023, when he took home the first-ever Best Afrobeats award for his hit “Calm Down” featuring Selena Gomez.
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On the same night, Taylor Swift dominated with seven wins, tying for the most overall awards, while Eminem became the male artist with the most solo wins.
