Tyla X Ayra Starr
‘Girl Next Door’
(Epic)
TYLA and AYRA STARR RELEASE ‘GIRL NEXT DOOR’
A knockout collaboration between two of Africa’s
hottest female rising stars
Tyla is the latest rising star tipped by Spotify RADAR Africa
“Tyla is on a mission to be South Africa’s biggest popstar”
– i-D
“Tyla enters Main Pop Girl territory”
– Official Charts
“Global superstar-in-waiting”
– PopBuzz
“Seamlessly blends R&B with elements of Amapiano…bringing [her] further into
the global spotlight”
– NME
“Tyla’s pushing the boundaries of popular music in South Africa”
– NOTION
“She’s well on her way to becoming one of South Africa’s biggest Gen Z pop stars”
– Native Mag
12 May 2023: South African superstar singer and songwriter Tyla and Afrobeats phenomenon Ayra Starr have joined forces on a new single ‘Girl Next Door’. It marks the first collaboration between two of Africa’s hottest female rising music stars.
The vibey Afrobeats mid-tempo is produced by Nigerian producer P.Priime, who has worked with Wizkid, Omah Lay, and Bad Boy Timz. The song hears these two confident female protagonists issuing a no-nonsense warning to their love interest about not leaving them for ‘some girl next door’. Tyla fires: “Don’t mess this up, I’m warning you. Got a lot of options, wishing they were you”.
Tyla said: “I absolutely loved working with Ayra Starr on our new single ‘Girl Next Door’. She’s such a talented artist and I feel like our energies really came together to create something special. I can’t wait for everyone to hear it!”
‘Girl Next Door’ arrives hot on the heels of ‘Been Thinking’, produced by multiple GRAMMY Award-winning producer Tricky Stewart (Beyoncé, Rihanna). Beyond amassing millions of streams, it incited tastemaker applause worldwide. Pitchfork proclaimed, “Her latest single ‘Been Thinking’ is a slick club anthem that channels the seductive pop-R&B hits of mid-2000s Ciara and Rihanna.” Rolling Stone touted the single among its weekly “Songs You Need To Know,” and Notion hailed it as “a slick dance floor heater that revels in seductive R&B.” NME raved, “The track seamlessly blends R&B with elements of Amapiano – the South African-born genre that fuses African melodies, jazz, piano melodies and deep house music – bringing the latter sound, and its creator, further into the global spotlight.”
Tyla kicked off 2023 with a bang; opening for Chris Brown on the European leg of his Under The Influence Tour, which included five dates at London’s O2 Arena. She also made her Fashion Week debut, as a guest sitting front row at Dolce & Gabbana’s Milan show next to Kim Kardashian.
Global superstar-in-waiting Tyla has been making waves internationally by fusing Amapiano with ethereal pop R&B vocals that recall Aaliyah and Cassie, earning her critical acclaim from NME, PAPER Magazine, I-D and CLASH. Her debut single ‘Getting Late’ featuring Kooldrink has amassed over 6.1 million views and earned Annie Mac’s Tune of The Week on BBC Radio 1, plus playlist additions to BBC Radio 1Xtra and KISS. She followed it up with the incredible DJ Lag collaboration ‘Overdue’, which soundtracked the trailer for Netflix’s Blood & Water. Tyla returned with ’To Last’ in 2022 to great acclaim, earning praise from CLASH and The Independent, and made her first red carpet appearance at the MOBO Awards in November.
ABOUT TYLA
Tyla’s music pushes boundaries. Infused with her vibrant personality, her songs offer an innovative take on pop and R&B, shimmering with the euphoria of South African amapiano, and an otherworldly approach to production that makes every track feel like something totally new. The Johannesburg native introduced herself internationally with her debut ‘Getting Late’ featuring Kooldrink, and ‘To Last’, her new singles via Epic Records, push her artistry forward and solidify her versatility as she bounds toward her goal. But despite her big dreams, Tyla is doing her best to remain carefree. She never anticipated that ‘Getting Late’ would permeate beyond South Africa, much less reach the U.S., but realized something was happening when people all over the world were making TikToks to the song, eventually resulting in millions of streams. Tyla’s emotionally rich music began when she was just 12, penning songs in her diary, which led to writing and singing more seriously as a high schooler. Ever since, she’s been guided by her intuition, which has her primed to build out her fan base and maximise her reach. She’s focused on the year ahead, performing and crafting her debut studio album, with the same intention from when she began. Signed to Epic Records through a joint venture with Johannesburg/New York-based Fax Records, and co-managed by We Make Music and Africa Creative Agency, Tyla is poised to achieve international dominance with style, soul, and spirit.
