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Tyla celebrated her global success on home soil on Saturday night, receiving the International Achievement Award at the 32nd South African Music Awards (Samas) at the Sun City Superbowl in Rustenburg, North West.
The Johannesburg-born singer, who is a two-time Grammy winner, became only the second artist after Black Coffee to receive the Sama AfriPure International Achievement Award twice, the last time being two years ago.
Taking to the stage, the 24-year-old global icon delivered an emotional acceptance speech celebrating her South African roots, her journey to global stardom and the African artists who came before her.
“Hello, South Africa! Thank you, guys, so much, guys. I can’t even explain the feeling I have right now standing on the stage,” she said to the audience.
“This is my first time at the Samas, and I just remember being a little girl dreaming of this day.
“Obviously, I had the dream of travelling the world and becoming a pop star, but a big dream of mine was to come to the Samas, and now I’m here, so it’s another thing I’m ticking off. Thank God! Yes.
“And honestly, I don’t have many words to say. There’s never been a ‘Tyla’ before me, and I don’t have a roadmap. I don’t have someone to call and ask how they did things and which steps to make. So, as I stumbled through my career and my life now, growing up as a woman and an artist in front of the world, I just thank South Africa for being there for me and for supporting me, and just for, you know, everything that inspires me.
“South Africa runs through my veins. It shows in the way I speak and the way I dance, and I want to thank Bacardi also, Pretoria, because the moment I did Bacardi on that stage to Water, it changed my whole life, and I just love my country so much.
“And I want to take this moment to celebrate all the artists from here. I want to, if I can, call Cassper, Makhadzi, and Babalwa. I want to call up Zee. I want to call up all the African artists. If you guys can come up on stage, MaWhoo. I want you guys to share the stage with me right now. Make some noise! Make some noise!
“I want to take this moment to celebrate all African artists. Our music and our culture are so rich, and I’m so proud of everybody. I thank you guys so much that I get to stand on your shoulders, and I get to be inspired by you guys every day.
“And I’m excited. I have a song with Babalwa, MaWhoo, and LiquiDeep, like. And I’m just so happy to be South African. I’m happy to be African most of all. And I pray, I pray, one day to see a unified Africa. It’s so important, and I just thank — I thank you guys so much. I thank you guys, and I love you.”
TimesLIVE
