Tyla’s ‘A*POP’ Is a Confident, Culturally Rooted Step Forward

Tyla’s new album A*POP arrives not as a victory lap but as a recalibration. Following a Grammy win and the runaway success of “Water,” the South African artist uses these thirteen tracks to deepen her sound without reaching for another viral moment. The result is an assured collection that treats her cultural roots as a foundation, not a novelty.

The album opens with “Is It Love,” setting a tone of understated confidence and melodic ease that carries through much of the record. Playful cuts like “Chanel,” “Mr. Nonchalant,” and “Right Now” lean into the effortless charm that first defined her, while slower moments— “Feel Something,” “Double Blind,” “I Don’t Care” —show a singer willing to explore longing and self-reflection without losing her cool. Throughout, Tyla’s vocals guide the music, never forcing a narrative but letting hooks and production do the work.

Collaborations reinforce the album’s deliberate positioning. South African artists Mawhoo and Babalwa M appear alongside a feature from Liquideep on “Fairytale,” a track that connects past and present without tipping into nostalgia. Zara Larsson’s presence on “She Did It Again” might read as a crossover play, but the song stays rooted in Tyla’s identity, rendering the collaboration a genuine exchange rather than a calculation.

What holds A*POP together is intention. Tyla doesn’t attempt to replicate the conditions that made “Water” a global phenomenon, nor does she chase current trends. Instead, she uses the album to assert a position where South African pop feels equally at home next to international ambitions. It’s a record that knows exactly what it wants to be, and rarely strains to prove it.