South African Pop Star Tyla Makes History with MTV VMA Win

South African pop star Tyla won a 2024 MTV Video Music Award in the Best Afrobeats category on Wednesday at the UBS Arena in Elmont, New York. This achievement marks her as the first South African to win a VMA. Tyla received the award for her hit song Water, which boasts over 230 million views on YouTube and nearly 800 million streams on Spotify.

During her acceptance speech, Tyla humorously remarked about the weight of the award, stating, “You guys know me and holding awards, yoh hai. I’m not strong enough,” as she handed her trophy to Lil Nas X, standing next to Halle Bailey. She expressed gratitude to MTV, her fans, whom she calls her Tygers, her team, and God.

Tyla described the moment as significant for African music and celebrated African diversity. She acknowledged the Afrobeats category, introduced at the VMAs in 2023 and previously awarded to Rema and Selena Gomez, noting that she was the first solo act to win in this category.

Highlighting the impact of Water, Tyla emphasized that African music can cross into mainstream pop music. She acknowledged the challenge of being grouped under one genre, while celebrating the diversity in African music, stating, “I come from South Africa. I represent amapiano. I represent my culture.” She gave a shoutout to fellow artists in the category, including Tems, Ayra Starr, Rema, Wizkid, and Burna Boy.

Tyla was also nominated in the Best New Artist and Best R&B categories. The award ceremony saw notable wins, with Taylor Swift securing seven awards, including Video of the Year for Fortnight with Post Malone. Other winners included Sabrina Carpenter for Song of the Year and Chappell Roan for Best New Artist, along with recognitions for SZA, Eminem, Lenny Kravitz, and Blackpink‘s Lisa.