From fashion shows to music festivals, Tyla is bringing the sounds of amapiano – a mix of deep house, gospel-inspired keyboards and traditional percussion – from Africa to the world.
The singer, often referred to as South Africa's answer to US pop stars Ariana Grande and Lady Gaga, is already staking her claim to be their heir.
And nowhere was that more apparent than at Tyla’s Milan Fashion Week after-party concert in February, where she appeared in the black leather dress worn by Lady Gaga in the Paparazzi music video.
After that event, where Tyla, 29, also rubbed shoulders with celebrities including Kim Kardashian and reggaeton star J Balvin, she went on to support singer Chris Brown on his European tour.
Her burgeoning profile garnered an enthusiastic reaction when she took to the Big Slap Festival stage in Malmo, Sweden, where she performed the hits Been Thinking and Getting Late.
Speaking to The National backstage, she says she is trying to keep level-headed about the rise of her career, all while learning from her peers.
“This is something I realised when performing with Chris Brown,” she says. “You know, I dreamt my whole life of being at this stage of my career and I am so blessed for that.
“But then going on that tour with Chris Brown was amazing because I studied his performance, which is amazing.
“This did give me a lot of confidence on how I wanted to carry myself on stage.”
Those study sessions have paid off.
Tyla is an assured performer on stage, which she showcased with silky vocals and slick choreography alongside her backing dancers.
Born in Johannesburg, Tyla gained local buzz by competing in song challenges on Musical.ly, the social media app that went on to form TikTok. The artist's growing online profile landed her a management deal and studio session with Johannesburg producer Kooldrink.
The result was her 2019 debut single Getting Late, a seductive and hypnotic amapiano track that helped to push the genre to listeners outside South Africa.
“I recorded that song while I was still in high school,” she says.
“Every day was the same, I went to school and then every weekend I would be in the studio recording music. It was very hectic but exciting at the same time.
“Getting Late was one of those songs that we created in the studio and it just felt good and we knew that we had to release it. That song changed my life.”
Not only did Tyla sign to major US label Epic Records, but her talent also reached the ears of Tricky Stewart, the US producer who scored hits with Beyonce (Break My Soul), Rihanna (Umbrella) and Mariah Carey (Touch My Body).
“I was very nervous when I first met him because I love all the songs he produced,” Tyla says, recalling that studio session earlier this year.
“But what he does is that he creates a vibe that is really welcoming. We would work on songs and we would just build it and add different things to it until they felt right.”
One of those was Been Thinking, a club hit blending amapiano's subtle grooves with polished pop melodies.
It’s a sound Tyla believes could be the evolution of amapiano.
“We have seen something similar with Afrobeat, which became big as artists played with different genres such as RnB and pop,” she says.
“I think amapiano can also reach that level if we keep trying new things because the music is open enough to try that.”
Whatever happens, the people will be listening.
Tyla was one of several African artists performing at The Big Slap festival, including Nigeria’s Burna Boy and French-Cameroonian artist Tayc.
“We are definitely in a great moment as African artists,” Tyla says.
“All eyes are on us now and people are finally paying attention because we have great music to share.
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
If you go
Flight connections to Ulaanbaatar are available through a variety of hubs, including Seoul and Beijing, with airlines including Mongolian Airlines and Korean Air. While some nationalities, such as Americans, don’t need a tourist visa for Mongolia, others, including UAE citizens, can obtain a visa on arrival, while others including UK citizens, need to obtain a visa in advance. Contact the Mongolian Embassy in the UAE for more information.
Nomadic Road offers expedition-style trips to Mongolia in January and August, and other destinations during most other months. Its nine-day August 2020 Mongolia trip will cost from $5,250 per person based on two sharing, including airport transfers, two nights’ hotel accommodation in Ulaanbaatar, vehicle rental, fuel, third party vehicle liability insurance, the services of a guide and support team, accommodation, food and entrance fees; nomadicroad.com
A fully guided three-day, two-night itinerary at Three Camel Lodge costs from $2,420 per person based on two sharing, including airport transfers, accommodation, meals and excursions including the Yol Valley and Flaming Cliffs. A return internal flight from Ulaanbaatar to Dalanzadgad costs $300 per person and the flight takes 90 minutes each way; threecamellodge.com
Gulf Under 19s final
Dubai College A 50-12 Dubai College B
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
