TYLA: I AM THE MUSIC

After three studio albums, international success, and a career that has seemingly moved at the speed of light, Tyla is ready to introduce a different side of herself. With her fourth studio album, Ngingumculo, the South African superstar is trading some of her familiar humility for unapologetic confidence. And she's having a lot more fun doing it

THE GIRL BEHIND THE MUSIC

INTERVIEWER: You're 23 years old, on your fourth studio album, and you've already experienced things that most artists spend their entire careers working toward. When you actually stop and think about that does it feel real?

TYLA: Honestly, sometimes no. Like, I'll be sitting somewhere and remember that I'm actually doing all of this. I'm 23! (laughs) I still feel like a girl figuring things out, but then I'll look at my life and realize how much has happened. It's crazy.

I think I've had to grow up in certain ways very quickly. There's a lot that comes with being an artist, especially when people are watching you grow up in real time. But I'm grateful. I wouldn't trade the experiences I've had for anything.

INTERVIEWER: Do you feel like the public has gotten to know the real Tyla?

TYLA: I think they've gotten to know parts of me. People know the performer, they know the music, they know the fashion, they know certain things about my personality. But there's obviously so much more.

Sometimes I think people have this idea that I'm always supposed to be sweet, always supposed to be humble, always supposed to be grateful. And I am grateful! But I'm also a person. I can be confident, I can be stubborn, I can be a little cocky. I can have an attitude. (laughs)

I'm not going to be one thing for everybody.

FOUR ALBUMS IN

INTERVIEWER: Let's talk about the albums. A*POP, Butterflies, Sweetener, and now Ngingumculo. Looking back, how would you describe the evolution between those four records?

TYLA: A*POP was me introducing myself. It was very much about figuring out what my sound was and showing people what I could do.

Butterflies was more emotional. I was exploring things, experimenting with different feelings and sounds. I think there was a lot of vulnerability in that album.

Sweetener was me becoming more comfortable. I knew what I wanted, I knew what people responded to, and I was starting to understand myself as an artist a lot more.

And Ngingumculo is me saying, "Okay, now you know who I am. Let me show you who I REALLY am." (laughs)

It's a lot more confident. It's a lot more playful. It’s freaky as hell. I wasn't trying to make something that everybody would immediately understand. I wanted to make something that felt like me.

INTERVIEWER: The title itself is quite a statement. Ngingumculo translates to "I am music." That's not exactly a subtle title.

TYLA: No! (laughs) That's the point!

I wanted something that felt bold. I didn't want to hide behind anything. It's almost like I'm introducing myself again, but this time I'm not asking anybody to accept me. I'm just telling you what it is.

I am music. That's how I feel. Music is literally my life, my personality, my way of expressing myself. Everything I do comes back to it.

And I think there's something beautiful about being able to say that without feeling like I need to explain myself.

THE JAPANESE TOUR THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING

INTERVIEWER: You've mentioned that a lot of the inspiration for this album came during your time touring Japan. What happened there?

TYLA: I think I just had a moment with myself. I was in Japan, performing, experiencing a completely different environment, meeting people, seeing different things, and I started thinking about how I wanted to approach my life.

I was always so concerned about being humble. Not doing too much, not appearing too confident, not making people feel like I'm full of myself.

And I was like, wait a minute. Why am I doing that? (laughs)

I've worked so hard to get here. Why can't I enjoy it? Why can't I feel like that girl? Why can't I walk into a room and know I'm that bitch?

INTERVIEWER: So this is your cocky era?

TYLA: A little bit! A little bit! (laughs)

But seriously, I think there's a difference between being arrogant and being confident in yourself. I spent so much time trying to make sure other people were comfortable with my success. And now I'm like, no. I'm going to enjoy my life.

I'm 23. I'm making music that I love. I'm traveling the world. I'm wearing beautiful clothes. I'm having fun. I want to show out!

I think people are going to hear that in this album.

INTERVIEWER: Was there ever a moment where you worried that this new attitude might change how people perceive you?

TYLA: Definitely. But then I realized people are going to have an opinion regardless.

If I'm quiet, people have something to say. If I'm confident, people have something to say. If I don't say enough, I'm mysterious. If I say too much, I'm doing too much.

So I might as well have fun.

NGINGUMCULO: THE SOUND

INTERVIEWER: Sonically, you've described Ngingumculo as a full alternative pop and alternative amapiano record. That's a pretty interesting combination. What were you trying to achieve?

TYLA: I wanted to push things further. I love amapiano, obviously, but I didn't want to just make another project that sounded like what people already expected from me.

I wanted to take elements of it and play around with them. Make things a little darker, a little stranger, sometimes more electronic, sometimes more pop.

There's still that South African influence throughout the album, but it's not necessarily always the most obvious thing. I think that's what makes it exciting.

INTERVIEWER: Were there any particular artists or sounds influencing you during the recording process?

TYLA: A lot of different things. I was listening to alternative pop, electronic music, different kinds of dance music. I was listening to music from different parts of the world.

I didn't want to limit myself to one sound. I wanted to be able to make a song that feels like you're driving at night, then something that feels like you're getting ready to go out, then something that feels almost hypnotic.

That's what I love about albums. You get to take people through different environments.

TRACK BY TRACK

INTERVIEWER: Let's get into the actual tracklist. "Lover Boy" is the lead single. Why was that the song you wanted to introduce this era with?

TYLA: It felt like the perfect introduction. It's fun, it's confident, it's flirty. It gives you a taste of the album without giving away everything.

I wanted the first single to have personality. I didn't want to come back quietly. I wanted people to hear it and immediately know something was different.

INTERVIEWER: "High Fashion" is a B-side. Was that a difficult decision? It sounds like a title that could have easily been a single.

TYLA: Oh, I love that song. I think sometimes people assume that if a song isn't a single, you don't love it as much. That's not true at all.

"High Fashion" is one of those songs that I feel like people are going to discover on their own. I love having those records on an album. The ones that become people's personal favorites.

INTERVIEWER: You also have "Drive You Crazy" and "All Eyes on Me." Both are deep cuts. Do those songs represent the more experimental side of the album?

TYLA: Definitely. "Drive You Crazy" has a different energy. It's one of those songs where I really wanted to play with the production.

"All Eyes on Me" is interesting because I feel like it captures a lot of the attitude behind the album. There's something about knowing you're being watched and deciding that you're going to give people something to look at.

I think that's a big part of this era.

INTERVIEWER: "Needed Me" is track five. What can you tell us about that one?

TYLA: I love "Needed Me." It's one of those songs that just feels good. It's an album song, definitely, but I think it's important because it adds another layer to the project.

Not every song needs to be this huge statement. Sometimes you just want a song that you can listen to over and over.

INTERVIEWER: Then we have "New Woman," the B-side to your second single, "Phone." Is there a connection between those two records?

TYLA: I think they complement each other. "Phone" has this energy to it that I really love, and "New Woman" explores a different side of that same confidence.

I like the idea of having two songs that can exist together but don't necessarily do the same thing.

INTERVIEWER: "Phone" and "Big Shot" are particularly interesting because they're positioned as the second single and its A-side, respectively. What was the thinking behind that release?

TYLA: I think they both represent different parts of the album. "Phone" is a really fun record, and "Big Shot" has that bigger, more in-your-face energy.

I wanted to give people something to dance to, but I also wanted them to understand the personality of this era.

INTERVIEWER: "Like A Star" and "Like A Man" are another interesting pairing, with "Like A Man" serving as the A-side of "Nicotine." Do you approach those songs as companions?

TYLA: Yeah, definitely. "Like A Star" has a really pretty quality to it. It's one of those songs that I feel like you can get lost in.

"Like A Man" has a different attitude. It's a little more direct. I think having them together gives you two different perspectives.

INTERVIEWER: And then there's "Hooked," another deep cut.

TYLA: I feel like "Hooked" is one of those songs that people might not appreciate immediately, but then three months later they'll come back and say it's their favorite. (laughs)

I love those songs. They're important to the album because they make the project feel complete.

THE FAVORITES

INTERVIEWER: You have 13 tracks on this album. If you could only choose one favorite, which would it be?

TYLA: You're asking me to choose one? That's actually so unfair. (laughs)

I would probably say "Nicotine" and "Fantasize."

INTERVIEWER: Two answers! Why those two?

TYLA: "Nicotine" is just THAT song for me. I love the feeling of it. I love the production, I love the way everything comes together. It's one of those records where I can listen to it and immediately feel like I'm back in the studio making it.

And "Fantasize" is special because it's the closing track. I think it leaves you with a certain feeling. It's a little different from the rest of the album, but it belongs there.

I love that song so much.

INTERVIEWER: "Nicotine" is also planned as the third single, coming after the album's release. Does that make it more exciting knowing that it's one of your personal favorites?

TYLA: Absolutely. I think it's going to be really interesting to see how people react to it.

Sometimes you have a song that you love, but you don't necessarily know how everyone else is going to receive it. I'm excited for people to get to that point in the album and experience it.

And then hopefully they want to hear it again.

WHAT COMES NEXT?

INTERVIEWER: You're entering your fourth album cycle. Do you think you're approaching your career differently now than you were during A*POP?

TYLA: A hundred percent.

When you're starting out, you want everybody to like everything you do. You want every song to be successful, every performance to be perfect, every decision to be the right one.

Now I understand that it's okay to take risks. It's okay to experiment. It's okay if somebody doesn't like something.

I'm not making music just to please people. I'm making music because I love it.

INTERVIEWER: Finally, when somebody finishes listening to Ngingumculo for the first time, what do you want them to take away from it?

TYLA: I want them to feel good. I want them to feel confident. I want them to feel like they can walk into a room and own it.

I want them to have fun with it. Dance to it, get dressed to it, listen to it in the car, listen to it with their friends.

But most importantly, I want them to understand I’m unapologetically me

INTERVIEWER: So, Ngingumculo. I am music.

TYLA: Exactly, Don’t forget it. (laughs)