Higher Power

There will be no "I just can't believe it!" sentiments in this story. Twenty-two-year-old pop sensation Tyla isn't interested in being a wide-eyed ingenue-she always knew she'd get here.

If you are one of the few humans left on the planet who has somehow escaped the gravitational pull of the song that has quickly become as ubiquitous as the element it's named after (spoiler: water), your days are numbered. Soon after Tyla's now-hit was uploaded to the internet last July, its uniquely hot vibe catapulted her monthly Spotify streams to 29 million and infiltrated every single one of my playlists. The accompanying choreography spawned a whole pop culture moment of its own on Tik Tok. Even as a 37-year-old mom, I found myself playing it on repeat while popping that thang everywhere from the beach to the Winelands during my COVID-redo honeymoon in sunny South Africa earlier this year.

I soon became fascinated with this new global pop (or "popiano," if we're being technical-more on that later) star from South Africa. And it wasn't just because of the shiny new self-titled debut album and freshly won Grammy. It was also because she's sparked nuanced conversations around the world about racial identity simply by being who she is, a proud member of the Coloured community of South Africa (more on that later too). Something that's even more powerful than a chart-topping track.