"I'm my own artist" — Tyla reacts to being compared to Rihanna by fans

South African singer Tyla opened up in her Cosmopolitan cover story published on April 30 about fans comparing her with Rihanna, The 22-year-old singer who had given recent hits like Water and Been Thinking, said, that while she was flattered with the comparison, she wanted to follow her own path.

She added—

"It's flattering because Rihanna is Rihanna. It's a compliment. But at the same time, I'm my own artist. I'm Tyla."

The artist is considered to be the youngest African singer to win the Grammy Award. She won in the category of Best African Music Performance in 2024. In the recent interview with Cosmopolitan, she stated that she does not want to be the "next Rihanna."

---

African singer Tyla opens up about her comparison to Diamonds artist Rihanna

While talking to Cosmopolitan, 22-year-old singer Tyla revealed her thoughts after getting compared to Rihanna since her debut. When the interviewer asked her about her outlook to such a comparison, she stated that people would soon recognize her as "her" when they start recognizing her music.

The interviewer further asked her if she felt a sense of pressure as a result of the comparison to the Fenty Beauty owner. Tyla responded by saying—

"I’m fine with it now. People want to tie me to something familiar to them, cool. But at the end of the day, we’re doing something no one’s done before, and it can’t really be compared to anyone."

The young singer said that she was inspired watching Rihanna, because that was when she realised that one could make it in America without belonging from there. Recalling her thoughts before she came to the US, Tyla said—

"I represent people that didn’t know they could make it in America. I thought you had to be American to be famous."

The South African singer signed with the American record label Epic Records, just a few years back, in 2021. This happened after her song Getting Late witnesses immense success at a domestic level. Her international fame and recognition, however, came from Water.

In 2023, in a conversation with Interview Magazine, she spoke about how much she admired Rihanna's story of rising to fame. The Truth or Dare artist further added that while she usually connected to songs and not particularly the singers, RiRi drew her attention with how she succeeded so much.

She additionally said—

"I do remember loving the story of Rihanna because she came from outside of America. It made me feel like my dream was achievable because, like you said, it’s not something that happens every day for us."

In the interview with Cosmopolitan, she also spoke about the 2023 hit number. She revealed that initially she didn't know that the song will be such a success. However, eventually, when it began getting popular, she realised that the song was going to do really well.

She added—

"People from everywhere are listening to it and dancing to it, no matter their age."

The singer further expressed happiness and pride since her African sound has been attached to this hit song.

---

Tyla spoke about her family and African heritage in the interview

In her Cosmopolitan cover story, Tyla spoke about her deep connection to her African roots. Upon being asked about her childhood there, she described growing up in a "spiritual and lively" atmosphere. While talking about people getting to know more about African culture, the young singer talked about RiRi's performance in the 2018 Grammys.

Tyla added—

"I remember Rihanna doing the Gwara Gwara dance during her 2018 Grammys performance and we were going crazy at home... But now that it’s a South African being the face of it, it hits a different spot."

She recalled her childhood when she would enjoy singing Adelle's songs. She revealed how her life has changed after Water became a superhit. Tyla described that even though she still lives in South Africa, she could shift her family to a much safer place.

She added—

"I'm able to show my parents the world at this age, you know?"

Water, when released, made it to the top ten in about sixteen countries. Apart from the Grammys, the singer has also been nominated for other awards including a MOBO Award and a BRIT Award. She is currently associated with a new genre called "popiano", that is basically a mix of amapiano and pop.

She was about to start her Tyla Tour to promote her debut studio album Tyla. While the tour was expected to begin on March 21 in the European cities and conclude on May 28 in North American, it got cancelled in the latter. The tour in the European leg has been postponed, however, no further information has been received as of now.