SA: Tyla Brings A*POP Celebration Home to Johannesburg

The event, presented in partnership with South African Tourism and powered by Absa, will give Tyla an opportunity to reconnect with fans in the city where her music career began. Her supporters, known as Tygers, will also be able to participate in a TikTok campaign using songs from A*POP for a chance to attend the event.

South African Tourism will provide transport for selected fans from across Gauteng to Gold Reef City. Tourism Minister Patricia de Lille said the initiative highlighted Tyla’s connection to South Africa and her influence on young people.

“Tyla has always been authentic in her work. A daughter of the African soil and an advocate for South Africa. I agree with her, that you must visit South Africa to understand its beauty and its people,” de Lille said.

The homecoming comes less than a month after the release of A*POP, which arrived on 24 July. The 14-track album builds on Tyla's fusion of pop, R&B, amapiano-inspired rhythms and house music, while incorporating elements of South African musical culture.

The project features South African artists including MaWhoo, Babalwa M and Liquideep, alongside Swedish singer Zara Larsson. Tracks such as ‘CHANEL’, ‘IS IT LOVE’, ‘SHE DID IT AGAIN’ featuring Larsson and ‘IS IT’ have emerged among the album's notable songs.

A*POP debuted at No. 43 on the Billboard 200 with 16,966 first-week units and reached No. 5 on the Billboard Top R&B Albums chart. It also reached No. 1 on the Billboard World Albums chart, making Tyla the only African artist to have topped the chart with multiple projects, according to the information provided.

The album’s international performance follows a series of milestones for Tyla, whose 2023 single ‘Water’ became a global hit. The song earned her first Grammy Award for Best African Music Performance in 2024, while ‘Push 2 Start’ won the same category in 2026.

Tyla has also spent more than 100 weeks at No. 1 on Billboard’s US Afrobeats Songs chart and holds the record for the most No. 1s on the chart.

The Johannesburg event will also form part of the wider campaign around A*POP and Tyla’s first full headline global tour. The artist said returning home remained important despite her growing international profile.

“Whenever I’m home, I feel like myself again. I love being surrounded by my people and my fans, it reminds me where I come from,” Tyla said.

The TikTok initiative will allow fans to create videos using any song from A*POP. Selected participants will receive tickets to the Gold Reef City event, providing an opportunity for supporters to participate directly in the album's homecoming celebration.

For Tyla, the Johannesburg event comes at a point when her career has expanded from a local breakthrough to international success, while her music continues to draw heavily on South African influences.