What's stopping Tyla from becoming a bigger pop star?

[Feanor]

 

This year alone we've had four new breakthroughs in the pop girl space with Sabrina Carpenter, Chappell Roan, Gracie Abrams & Charli XCX (hers is more of a mainstream breakthrough), on top of the more established new pop girls like Billie Eilish, Olivia Rodrigo, Doja Cat, SZA and Dua Lipa still doing their thing.

 

The music scene right now is clearly very receptive to new stars breaking out, and Tyla has been on the precipice of becoming a new major pop star… but she hasn't managed to cross that line just yet.

 

Yes, "Water" was big and it also won her a Grammy, but none of her other singles since then have stuck, she didn't get any Grammy nominations this year and her debut album too is getting far lower daily streams than the current albums of almost all of the other pop girls mentioned here. It's like she has all the ingredients of a MPG, even some of the benchmarks (Grammy, VMA etc), but when put together, it hasn't quite worked out yet.

 

What's stopping Tyla from becoming a bigger pop star and snatching more success beyond "Water"?

 

 

Edited 2 hours ago by Feanor

[dumbsparce]

She's too pretty and cutesy to be taken seriously as an artist.

Edited 2 hours ago by dumbsparce

[John Slayne]

Water was not that good 

[PMM]

as for me (someone who needs proof from artist that they got the nerve and artistic vision and old gay) she's not a rockstar. she's just a singer that sing song I want more from her. She's cute and pretty can dance and all but that's not enough for me. I think I will need more time with her, maybe after 2nd or 3rd album? 

[Selegend]

the songs after Water weren't catchy enough. 

 

she's becoming a known celebrity despite being a OHW till the moment tho, she's kinda everywhere so that will make it easier for her to have another hit, it's 100% possible! 

 

[Draper.]

Her injury keeping her from performing. But she's got the right song to have a strong start for 2025.

 

She needs to do a Rihanna strategy of pop-leaning lead single (Only Girl, We Found Love, Diamonds, Work) + r&b second single (What's My Name, You Da One, Pour It Up, Needed Me) for album 2.

Edited 2 hours ago by Draper.

[TalkThatRihanna]

Give her time  Push 2 Start has been growing organically and could turn to a cute hit.

Her "SOS" is coming next year

 

[perfectillusion204]

The music she makes isn't hit worthy. And her team is trying way too hard to make her seem like she's a A-list singer when in reality no one knows her. I will be shocked if her career takes off, at least in the US. Not sure how the rest of the world views her though.

[Johnny Jacobs]

She needs bigger songs and a bigger presence. She's just cute. Nothing more. 

 

 

[cuteboyzay]

I mean for one she's making Ampiano music. 

The girl is literally starting to become huge in Asia as well (just look at live footages on YT, they go NUTS for her).

 

Not only that but it's literally her first album. You're comparing her to girls that are 3-6 albums deep lmaooo!!! And she hasn't even collabed with ANY big names yet either. The girl keeps collabing with Ampiano artists that barely anyone has really heard of.
Trust, Tyla is just building her brand and sound. Literally what Rihanna/Beyoncé did at the beginning of their careers. 
 

And then to add on, she's not a white girl making Pop music. It took Doja YEARSSS to blow up the way she has now. Trust, from what it looks like she has the presence, the confidence, the beauty and admiration from a loottt of people. She's just one big collab away from becoming a megastar lmao.

[smartalek22]

This answer to this question is usually luck above all else

[glitch]

There was too big a gap between Water and the album, releasing that EP with a few of the songs was a big mistake

Releasing a remix of water with Travis Scott, alienating the kind of people who were interested in her music (and Travis Scott fans are not listening to her)

Cancelling her tour

Waiting ages to drop the video for Jump and not properly promoting it

Waiting ages to release the video for Push 2 Start and again giving it very little push

[Dialamba]

This year alone we've had four new breakthroughs in the pop girl space with Sabrina Carpenter, Chappell Roan, Gracie Abrams & Charli XCX 
 

Why rushing ? When most of them took several years to smash, tyla is still young. 
 

also she's not white, yes there are Doja/SZA but they're black Americans. Tyla is 100% African and she doesn't make pop or r&b songs, the fact she smashed with water was pure luck + P2S is slowly rising but I don't see why she should suddenly become one of the biggest artists when that's not how things work nowadays. 

[Mezter]

Once she drops the African music she'll take off in the states. Streets are calling her the new Rihanna so she should take a page out of her book

[PrettyHurts]

I don't know but it's really annoying. And I don't agree that she needs to make more American sounding music. Truth or Dare and Jump could and SHOULD have smashed in the US. I could easily hear them on the radio. I am praying Push 2 Start actually takes off 

[Solgayleo]

It's the music. She's not making music with strong crossover appeal to English speaking audiences yet (aside from Jump which SHOULD have been a smash). Water was a bit of a fluke, albeit super catchy. She needs a home run smash hit with appeal to both top 40 and urban radio, a distinct televised performance or two and that should give her enough momentum to be set. get her in the studio with all of the big name producers and songwriters and ditch the ampiano (at least for the singles)

 

she's got IT imo. She's absolutely gorgeous, a very talented singer, can dance, and has done passably well in English interviews, but aside from the ampiano sound (which isn't really resonating with American audiences), she's a bit of a blank slate image-wise. I think she has the juice for a career similar to Rihanna's if they play their cards right

[ICLDXU4HS]

Her music including Water is mid.

[Breathe On Moi]

I really have nothing against her but after learning that she was a fashion girl that happened to break out into music, it made me understand as to why it seems that she had not artistic grit. she seems to be totally fine with being a viral hit girl, she's not having fun with her career nor music, the gays are wanting more from her than she wants/can give, unfortunately.

[Mordecai]

Do people know who she is? What's her brand? I only ask because I know nothing about her

 

The problem with these artists who become famous through tiktok is that their breakout song is so much bigger than them as an artist. It's not about them, it's about the song, which is why it's so difficult to piggyback any success off of that. She needs a proper image and style if people are going to invest in her as an artist, seems like she's making afrobeat or african influenced music which is a good niche, not sure how much crossover appeal it has though

[Pheromosa]

Her brand needs work, she has potential but it's going to take time. I don't necessarily see it for her because she's missing the X factor but she is still new 

[Rhyme]

This is only her first album. All those girls you listed are over 5 albums into their career besides Chappell and Gracie who doesn't count because she got nepobaby/Taylor payola/shes a white girl. She's sticking to her roots and wants to release the music that reps her home. Push 2 Start is one of the best songs this year and gaining.

 

You guys should stop expecting her to drop the music she wants and stop expecting her to ditch it to make western pop music. 

Edited 2 hours ago by Rhyme

[uusagii]

She lacks charisma

[havewemet]

I wish Been Thinking had been her breakthrough moment. That's when I discovered her and I have never felt so sure that someone was destined for stardom. Loved the sound, incredible presence on camera, really fresh looks and choreo. I also think it should have been included on the debut album because it sounds nothing like Water and that seems to be the biggest critique people have of her - that all her songs sound the same. I don't necessarily agree but I do think she needs to take some bigger swings on her upcoming releases.

 

Would love her to pull a Dua and hop on a couple DJ features to get her name out there more before her next album.

 

 

 

[PrettyHurts]

20 minutes ago, Mordecai said:

Do people know who she is? What's her brand? I only ask because I know nothing about her

 

The problem with these artists who become famous through tiktok is that their breakout song is so much bigger than them as an artist. It's not about them, it's about the song, which is why it's so difficult to piggyback any success off of that. She needs a proper image and style if people are going to invest in her as an artist, seems like she's making afrobeat or african influenced music which is a good niche, not sure how much crossover appeal it has though

Her brand is sexy foreign singer with star quality and a feisty personality. She very much fits the Rihanna mold. 
 

 

[JustHoran]

Water was a good bop and I still listen to it but she just screams one hit wonder to me. I don't really find her to have that much star quality or anything.