South African singer Tyla won Best Afrobeats Artist at the 52nd American Music Awards held on Sunday night at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
The 23-year-old singer, edged out strong competition from Nigerian stars Burna Boy, Wizkid, and Rema, as well as Ghanaian singer MOLIY, in the fan-voted category. This marks her second consecutive win in the category. She also took home the Best Social Song award for her hit single “Chanel.”
Tyla’s win has sparked debates among music fans about whether her sound truly fits within the Afrobeats genre, with many classifying her primarily as a pop artist. While some question the categorization, others have praised her her dominance and wins in western music award shows.
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In past interviews, the South African singer has maintained that she represents African music in its broadest sense, while proudly promoting the amapiano genre. Tyla has consistently called for wider recognition of different African genres beyond the Afrobeats label.
Elsewhere, BTS emerged as one of the night’s biggest winners, clinching Artist of the Year, winning Song of the Summer for “Swim,” and delivering a high-energy opening performance.
In the hip-hop categories, Kendrick Lamar won Best Male Hip-Hop Artist, while Cardi B dominated with wins for Best Female Hip-Hop Artist, Best Hip-Hop Song (“ErrTime”), and Best Hip-Hop Album (AM I THE DRAMA?).
Sabrina Carpenter also had a strong showing, winning Album of the Year for “Man’s Best Friend” and Best Female Pop Artist.