Tyla Reveals She Was Forced To Record Bubblegum Pop Amid Reports That Her Latest EP Flopped

• South African music sensation Tyla got real about the pressures of the music industry when she first broke into the scene
• The multi-award-winning star spoke about how overwhelmed she felt when Water became a global hit
• Tyla was told to make bubblegum music, which went against what she truly loved doing

Think of Tyla as your typical American Pop diva. It just does not sound right! That is exactly how she felt when her label tried to push bubblegum music down her throat.

The Bliss hitmaker recently graced the cover of Variety, and she held nothing back regarding the pressures she faced to make music she didn’t connect with. Her music career shot up after she released her Grammy-winning single Water and she got signed to Epic Records.

However, things were not all rosy, as she was told to make bubblegum pop music.

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“[Those songs] didn’t feel like me at all. I remember being in my hotel room, and my managers were calling me, ‘Come down, we need to cut the song.’ I was crying and thinking, ‘This is not what I want. I didn’t get signed to do this.’ They had to [coax] me out of that room. But I think that through doing that, I realised how much more I love African music. It made me more persistent in keeping my ideas.”

Tyla was on a mission to stay true to her roots and not feed into the global pressures in mainstream music.

Tyla speaks Water success

After winning all of the awards, singer Tyla said Water's success came at a time when she was not ready for it all.

“When ‘Water’ happened, I wasn’t ready. I became obsessed with the idea of doing things ‘right.’ I wanted more time to make mistakes to fully figure out who I am as an artist. I cut out the noise and honed in on the sounds I felt in my heart,” she added.

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Netizens gave Tyla her flowers for pushing through when it felt like the odds were stacked against her:

Red Granite Sun praised:

"Tyla is the queen of Popapiano. Bubblegum pop is just one style of pop. It doesn't represent all pop music. Water is definitely a pop song. It's just Popapiano, not bubblegum pop."

M_Khanyinza exclaimed:

"Love the EP. It rocks! They know what they're doing."

Ms.Mimilu reacted:

"This is PR. There’s no way her record label and management would let her say this in public without their ok."

Tyla bags two nods for Push 2 Start

In a previous report from Briefly News, nominees for the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards have been revealed, and Mzansi's IT girl is among the nominees.

The South African singer has bagged two nominations for her song Push 2 Start, and fans are already rooting for her to win both. The star made an impact when she won her first MTV VMA, and during her acceptance speech, she condemned the trend of awarding African acts with the Afrobeats award only.

Source: Briefly News