Tyla wins MTV VMA for Afrobeats (but it’s ‘bittersweet’)

South African singer Tyla stunned when she made her debut at the MTV Video Music Awards on Wednesday (11 September).

She took to the red carpet in a yellow string minidress from the Arena’s collection.

Tyla says she was looking for an outfit that matched her ‘vibe’ and that she could ‘wear my natural hair’ with.

At the awards show, she walked away with Best Afrobeats Song for her smash hit Water.

Accepting the award, she used the opportunity to highlight why African music should not be categorised into one Afrobeats category.

"This is just so special, but also bittersweet because I know there's a tendency to group all African artists under Afrobeats… The global impact that Water has had on the world just proves that African music can be pop music too,” she began.

"It's a thing, and even though Afrobeats has run things and has opened so many doors for us, African music is so diverse. It's more than just Afrobeats."

The 22-year-old went on to say she makes Amapiano music, a South African genre that fuses house, jazz, and kwaito.

“I come from South Africa, I represent Amapiano, I represent my culture.”