Water is exactly what readers of the latest ‘Cosmopolitan’ will be calling for after they cop a gander at Tyla‘s sizzling accompanying feature lensed by famed photographer Amber Asaly.
Donning designer duds from the likes of Moschino, Robert Cavalli, and more, the South African hitmaker – still hot on the promo trail for her history-making, self-titled debut album – stunned inside the mag’s pages while tackling hard topics like the controversy around identifying as “coloured,” those pesky Rihanna comparisons, her canceled tour, historic GRAMMY win, and so much more.
Hop inside to see highlights from her chat with ‘Cosmo.’
TYLA ON CLAIMS SHE “DENIES HER BLACKNESS”:
“When people are like, ‘You’re denying your Blackness,’ it’s not that at all. I never said I am not Black. It’s just that I grew up as a South African knowing myself as ‘Coloured,’ she said. “I’m also mixed-race. I’m also Black. I know people like finding a definition for things, but it’s ‘and,’ not ‘or.'”
TYLA ON BEING CALLED “THE NEXT RIHANNA”:
“It’s flattering because Rihanna is Rihanna. It’s a compliment. But at the same time, I’m my own artist. I’m Tyla. And I know as people get to know me and my music, they will see me as just Tyla. So I’m fine with it now. People want to tie me to something familiar to them, cool. But at the end of the day, we’re doing something no one’s done before, and it can’t really be compared to anyone,” Tyla shared.
TYLA ON HER CANCELED TOUR:
“Obviously, I wanted to do all the shows, but it didn’t really make sense considering the injury and the recommendations from the doctor. I’ll be back on it very soon, and I will be giving my Tygers the best show ever,” she relayed. “I’m still recovering. At least I have medicine that helps ease the pain. It sucks, but I know God’s going to bring me out of it.”
*****
Read the full ‘Cosmo’ interview here and click PLAY on the video above to see Tyla revisit some of her iconic music videos and live performances as well as her historic GRAMMY win from earlier this year.