The South African pop star, Tyla, heard the cries of masses asking for a song of the summer and released an entire EP. WWP, short for, “We Wanna Party,” was released on July 25 with four tracks, including a feature from Wizkid. While the project is short, she doesn’t leave anything up to interpretation, putting no hidden meaning of what she wants to convey in her music.
This project is specifically for anyone whose favorite song on her debut album, TYLA+, was “Shake Ah” because just like it, the songs are fun. They make you want to move your hips, even if you aren’t a dancer. Apart from “Bliss“, which stands out as the only love song showcasing vulnerability, each brings a powerful urge to unplug and step out into the night.
Since her mainstream debut, the Grammy-award winning artist has made her mark with Amapiano-focused pop titles layered with R&B influence. Amapiano is a subgenre that originated in South Africa, blending a number of different music genres including deep-house and jazz. Stylistically, WWP is slightly different from her debut album, as it leans more on log drums that make the music more rhythmic.
Getting people to dance was Tyla’s goal. In an interview with Capital XTRA, she expressed her disappointment in the fear of humiliation causing a decline in dancing at parties. Similarly, Tyler, The Creator has also shared this same frustration. His inspiration for his album, Don’t Tap the Glass also came from the current club climate’s lack of dancing.
When talking about her EP, Tyla expresses joy at being able to be explorative with a collection of this size. “I’m kind of in this phase of experimenting and I don’t want the pressure of a whole album,” she says.
Despite dipping her toes in different genres, Tyla’s primary sound is Amapiano. However, much to the internet’s dismay, she has been placed in Afrobeats categories in many American awards shows. During her acceptance speech at the 2024 VMAs , she briefly expresses how she feels about the miscategorization.
“There’s a tendency to group all African artists under Afrobeats. Even though Afrobeats has run things and opened doors for us, African music is so diverse. I’m South African, I represent Amapiano!”
Like a true class-act, she goes on to recognize her running mates in the category, Ayra Starr and Tems.
The self-proclaimed party girl has given more than enough reasons for Amapiano to have its own category. She has done so with her performances, which have gone viral due to her “Bacardi” style choreography. Tyla has done a great deal of influencing trends by showcasing the talent and flair of South African culture. Ultimately, she’s making it known that, even though she’s far and wide, it’s South Africa to the world!
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