Tyla answers the dA-Zed Quiz

Imagine being a teenager posting TikToks with your sibling, hoping to find your way into music, only for a couple of years later to be performing on a stage with your name, quite literally, written in the sky. For South African ‘Popiano’ princess Tyla, that experience is just her reality. In the last few years, she has gone from a schoolgirl in Johannesburg, posting videos online, to becoming one of the world’s biggest pop stars.

Last Thursday (March 13), the singer took to a stage at Villa Miani in Rome, to launch Mercedes-Benz’s brand new CLA. During her performance, hundreds of drones spelt out ‘TYLA’ across the Roman sky. The star-studded event also saw the launch of the brand's new project ‘Class of Creators’, which calls upon the likes of Ice Spice, KidSuper and Gustaf Westman to create different creative collaborations and art pieces inspired by the new CLA.

When I meet Tyla, she is lounging on her bed, fresh off the Villa Miani stage. “It was crazy, with the drones and everything,” she says. “I feel good. I was really excited to get on and perform.” Despite her immense talent and confidence, it soon becomes clear that she has the same humour, same comedic timing, and same FYP as most people our age. This relatability is a huge part of her appeal: later that night, when I check her TikTok, fans gush over the star’s funny lip-syncing videos (“the only celebrity who runs her own socials,” writes one commenter). When you strip away the Grammy Award, meticulous security details, the partnership with one of the world’s biggest motor companies and endless broken records, deep down she ultimately remains a 23-year-old girl.

Below, she takes our new dA-Zed pop quiz, spilling on the best time to leave a party, breakup advice and what she would tell her younger self.

A is for… Advice. What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given? I always say this, but my mother always told me to treat everybody the same, regardless of who they are.

B is for… Birthplace. Where were you born? Johannesburg.

C is for… Cover. What is your favourite song to sing that’s not your own? I love to sing Boys II Men, and those types of old R&B songs like Aaliyah.

D is for… Dream. What was your childhood dream? To become Tyla.

E is for… Exit. When is the right time to leave a party? I would leave when it’s hype hype hype… just before it dies down, I’m out.

F is for… FYP. What’s on your For You Page right now? I watch a lot of memes and funny things. I like to laugh, so humour, memes, unserious videos and stupid videos. I’ll waste my time.

G is for… God. Do you have a faith or spiritual practice? Yeah, I am always talking to God throughout the day.

H is for… Hobby. Do you have a niche hobby? If so, what is it? I like to draw.

I is for… Internet. Where do you spend the most time on the internet? Probably Tiktok.

Who would play you on a TV series about your life? Who can play me? I don‘t know if anyone could play me. 

J is for… Jokes. Who makes you laugh most in the world? My sister.

K is for… Kismet. Do you believe in fate? Yeah, I do.

L is for… Love. What’s the most romantic thing someone’s ever done for you? Romantic thing? Probably just surprised me by showing up somewhere very far I did not expect them to.

M is for… Meme. What’s a meme you reference/send to people over and over again? There’s this gif of Patrick from SpongeBob with his thick ass cheeks clapping, that gif!

N is for… Nature. What’s your favourite animal? I really like tigers and horses.

O is for… Obsession. What is your current obsession? I like nature and switching off. And taking baths with candles

P is for… Party. Where’s your favourite place to go out? South Africa.

Q is for… Quote. What quote do you live by? Peace is a promise you keep, that’s for God. 

R is for… Reading. What book can you read again and again and again and again? Anything that has to do with drama, boyfriends and cheating. Anything with drama I will read over and over again.

S is for… Star sign. What’s your big three? Girl, I know nothing about star signs. I know Aquarius because January, that’s all I know.

T is for… TV. Who would play you on a TV series about your life? I don’t know… who can play me? I don't know if anyone could play me. I can play myself.

U is for… Underrated. What do you think is underrated? I don’t know if it’s underrated, I feel like a lot of people like it, but true crime investigations, and horror movies. When I hear someone does not like a horror movie, I’m just like why?

V is for… Video. What is the last video on your phone? I never know where my phone is. Oh, it’s of me practising for this performance yesterday, actually.

W is for… World. What’s your dream travel destination? Hawaii.

X is for… Ex. What advice would you give to someone trying to get over their ex? Literally block them everywhere. Delete every picture, every video, every number, every email. Everything that reminds you of them, just delete and forget. Try your best to forget. Hang with friends, hang with the girls. Get your mind off of it, work on yourself. Do things you love to do. I have a lot of advice.

Y is for… Younger self. What’s one thing you’d say to your 13-year-old self? What would I tell my younger self? Probably to spend more time with family and friends, because now when I’m on the road, I hardly ever see them. 

Z is for… Zzz. What do you do when you can’t sleep at night? Literally TikTok, scrolling.

X is for… Ex. What advice would you give to someone trying to get over their ex?Literally block them everywhere. Delete every picture, every video, every number, every email. Everything that reminds you of them, just delete and forget. Try your best to forget. Hang with friends, hang with the girls. Get your mind off of it, work on yourself. Do things you love to do. I have a lot of advice.

Head to the gallery above to check out images from Tyla’s performance at the Mercedes-Benz CLA World Premiere.