Who is Tyla? The South African singer is taking over TikTok with her infectious ‘Water’ dance trend

Name: Tyla

Birthday: 1/30/02 (21 years old)

Best known for: Her hit single “Water,” which has sparked a TikTok dance trend.

Socials:  TikTok | Spotify | YouTube | Instagram | X

About Tyla: 

Tyla Laura Seethal, known professionally as Tyla, is a South African singer/songwriter who’s currently going viral for her TikTok-famous song, “Water.”

According to Insider, the singer was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, on January 30, 2002, and is the middle child of five. She is reportedly of Indian, Zulu, Mauritian and Irish descent and has said she’s incredibly proud of her heritage.

“I’m very passionate about my country, our culture and music; I really believe in it,” Tyla told i-D earlier this year.

Despite a lifelong passion for music, Tyla initially had no plans of going into the business.

“I was actually studying Mining Engineering,” the 21-year-old told Native in 2021.

Shortly after starting the course, she claimed to have had second thoughts.

TikTok soon became Tyla’s main outlet, and she quickly built a large fanbase by sharing pop song covers performed with catchy dance routines. By 2020, the singer released her first original single — “Getting Late” — and it instantly became a hit. With the latest release of her sexy song “Water,” Tyla’s success has shot to new heights.

“First of all it’s a banger, like it’s a crazy song,” Tyla told PEOPLE of why she thinks people seem to love it so much.

In a recent profile on the singer, the outlet described the single as an “Afrobeat-tinged breakout about a steamy romance” and noted that it’s currently doing so well and has so far peaked at No. 21 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Over on TikTok, fans are so into the song that it has been featured in well over 1 million videos and counting.

Aside from being a super catchy tune, “Water” also seems to be winning the internet for starting the Water Dance Challenge, in which people try to emulate Tyla’s dance moves in the music video.

Fans have even been so into it that even their dance challenge videos are now going viral.

TikTok influencers like Bella Poarch (@bellapoarch) and Enola Bedard (@enola.bedard) have joined in on the craze, too.

In response to all the hype, the singer also teamed up with Capital One to show fans how they can pull off the moves at home.

The new hit single has inspired other video trends, too — like one where TikTokers use a special flower filter similar to one Tyla has used herself.

Other TikTokers are even filming reaction videos of their significant others while playing the “Water” video in the background.

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