Tyla on Her Fashion Inspirations

Thanks to the success of her song “Water,” Tyla has become a global music brand. She is actually among the fortunate young people to receive a Grammy Award during their first year of performing professionally. Her song “Water” earned her the 2024 Grammy Award for Best African Music Performance.

The South African artist Tyla talks to about the inspiration for her well-known Y2K look and her latest ad with Bose.
She has displayed her avant-garde sense of style by dressing in traditional South African attire as well as other ensembles. Over the past few years, she has cemented her place in the exclusive “pop girl” league and quickly rose to the top of the genre’s buzz list. Like many other pop stars, she didn’t become well-known through a lengthy Disney career or a stint on a reality show in the 2010s. Instead, she became well-known after her fourth single, “Water,” went viral on TikTok in 2023 due to its catchy beat, her fluid choreography, and the distinctive style that went with the song.

“When I started seeing everybody in the world make videos to my song and make covers, when I saw how far it reached, I was like, ‘Nah, this is crazy,”

“I love how strong pop culture was back then and how everything just felt like, ‘Wow,'” she says. “I love how Britney [Spears] would dress. She would do a lot of random stuff that felt like a completely different world from the one we’re in today. I really like Rihanna’s [early 2000s] style, too.”

Tyla has clearly been influenced by that era of fashion and has created a type of uniform for herself. She is typically spotted wearing a two-piece outfit with lots of faded accents, tiny miniskirts, and cutouts.

“I’ve always liked what I’ve liked, but now that I have more access to things, I’m able to play more,” says the artist. “My vibe has always been to wear things that don’t look too perfect. I like a bit of messiness or something a bit shocking.”  Tyla’s personal sense of style in her early years was largely responsible for her preference for quirky apparel.

“When I was still coming up in South Africa, I didn’t have money to spend on custom looks. So me and my best friend used to grab a bunch of things and tie it everywhere and cut them up just to make a cute performance outfit,” she explains. “I loved it so much that I just wanted [that look] everywhere. I wanted to be ripped up or use a top as a skirt. I just find it exciting making clothing work in different ways.”

“I work closely with my stylist (Lee Trigg) and I’m also always on Pinterest. I come across the cutest clothing from designers that nobody knows,” Tyla says. “It’s like a game to me to find hidden gems. Now, I’m able to incorporate more African designers too, and I feel like those low-key brands are the ones that fit my vibe the most.”

Tyla has donned two-piece outfits, which are seen as distinctly South African.