South African singer Tyla won a Grammy in the category of Best African Music Performance on Sunday.
She won the award for her song “Water“, at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards premiere ceremony at the Peacock Theatre in Los Angeles.
“This is crazy. I never thought I’d say I won a Grammy at 22 years old,” Tyla said when she accepted the award.
“Thank you to the Recording Academy for this category. It’s so important and I know I’m forgetting some things, but I won a Grammy! Thank you, thank you, ” she said
Best African Music Performance is a new category for the Grammys, added for the 2024 ceremony in which Asake and Olamide, Ayra Starr, Burna Boy, and Davido featuring Musa Keys were also nominated.
South African comedian Trevor Noah was also nominated for a Grammy in the category of Best Comedy Album; the award went to Dave Chappelle.
Tyla dropped her hit single Water in July 2023. The song spawned a TikTok dance challenge, with users participating across the world.
The song landed on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 7.
This marked the first time in 55 years since Hugh Masekela’s Grazing in the Grass, that a solo song by a South African musician made it onto the chart.
Tyla became the youngest South African to appear on the prestigious list.
In 2021, Tyla inked a deal with the US label Epic Records and has since been making significant progress in the entertainment industry.