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2023 has seen several new artists achieve international success and Tyla stands tall on this list with her hit single 'Water' rocketing her to mainstream American success.
In a recent interview with RollingStone, the South African sensation highlighted the genres that influence her music, particularly her smash hit 'Water'. Tyla shared that at the core of her hit single is Amapiano which is the dominant mainstream genre in South Africa. Amapiano has also crossed over to Nigeria where it continues to dominate the Afrobeats soundscape.
Tyla also stated that R&B played a major role in shaping her music as she was influenced by both male and female R&B stars as well as pop stars.
Her single 'Water' carries Afrobeats genre fusing and arrangement as Tyla combines Amapiano, R&B melodies, and Pop progression. The fast-rising star acknowledged the influence of Afrobeats in her music as she referenced Asake's use of stacked vocals as her favourite element in Afrobeats.
Stacked vocals is the use of multiple (crowd) vocals like an orchestra in delivering a part of a song like the refrain. This is an element in Afrobeats Asake popularized through his electrifying chart-topping releases.
Asake's use of orchestra vocals on several of his records played a decisive role in distinguishing his music and contributed to his unprecedented 2022 chart-topping run. From his first mainstream hit single 'Omo Ope' featuring Olamide, Asake deployed orchestra which he continuously used in his subsequent releases as he rocketed to superstar status.
Tyla's latest record 'Truth or Dare' also carries Afrobeats element as it's a blend of Amapiano, House music, and R&B delivered through Afrobeats-styled arrangement.
Both Tyla and Asake have enjoyed hugely successful 2023 with the former's hit single 'Water' peaking at NO. 8 on Billboard Hot 100 while Asake achieved a landmark feat by selling out the 20,000 capacity O2 Arena.
Both the fast-rising South African sensation and the Nigerian superstar are in contention to win the Best African Music Performance at next year's Grammy award set for February 5, 2024.