Tyla's A*POP Declares African Music's Place at the Centre of Global Pop

Global pop star Tyla's forthcoming album 'A*POP' is quintessentially her. A bold evolution from her debut album, the 14-track album combines Tyla's sultry vocals with R&B, pop and amapiano. Listening to the album truly reveals how much of a movement it is for the artist, as well as a moment of representation and identity. Tyla declares that African music is pop music, and they can exist in harmony as one. This marks a forefront in a global musical shift, and the start of something new for the artist. Featuring standout hits like “IS IT,” “CHANEL” and “SHE DID IT AGAIN (feat. Zara Larsson), A*POP is a vibrant world, a defining second album that truly solidifies her as a global icon. 

Tyla told Zane Lowe in an interview: "For this album, I really just wanted to go back to myself and why I wanted to become a pop star in the first place. Making this album, I listened to a lot of my childhood favourite songs and I made an album that sounded exactly like what I wanted a pop star to sound and look like when I was growing up."

Tyla described the growth since her landmark self-titled debut album and this new project: "'A*POP' is different because I'm a different person than I was when I made 'Tyla'. 'A*POP' is made through experiences that I've had living as someone who is in the limelight. Last year was a year of a lot of growth. I was doing everything and anything, experiencing so many different things. It felt exciting to make it and watch it become what it is now."

She describes the album making process as "effortless and almost like a diary entry". Tylaadds, "Throughout making the album, I was going out a lot. I was listening to a lot of music playing in clubs in all the different countries I was in. I would go to karaoke. I would be singing so many songs that I enjoyed as a child and connected with that again."

The album surpasses many new releases this year. It is the perfect blend of something recognisable, and a new era for Tyla. Her unmatched eroticism and prolonged vocals mixed with log drums and infectious rhythms makes something truly unique. What really stands out about this 'A*POP' is its breeziness, the atmosphere it creates. It's danceable in some moments, and in others retrospective. The collaborations allow each artist space to shine, while creating a distinctive sound which feels just like the two. It feels like a journey, and that is exactly what the album intended to achieve.