Tyla has just made history. Her hit song Water has passed one billion streams on Spotify, making her the first African solo artist to reach this milestone.
This puts her in the same league as Nigerian stars Wizkid, Rema, and Tems, who also hit a billion streams—but through collaborations. Wizkid did it with Drake’s One Dance, Rema with Selena Gomez on Calm Down, and Tems on Future’s Wait For U. Tyla, however, did it on her own.
Released on July 28, 2023, Water took off after a viral dance challenge at the Giants of Africa Festival in Rwanda. The song’s mix of amapiano and R&B resonated globally, climbing the charts and eventually winning Tyla her first Grammy for Best African Music Performance in 2024.
“We are incredibly proud of Tyla’s historic achievement,” said Phiona Okumu, Spotify’s head of music for Sub-Saharan Africa. “Tyla’s success is an inspiration to aspiring artists across Africa and the world, and we are honoured to have played a part in her journey.”
Tyla’s rise has been fast. She first previewed Water at Spotify’s Greasy Tunes showcase in Johannesburg in July 2023. By September, it was getting over a million streams a day. A month later, it crossed 100 million. In February 2024, she won a Grammy, and by February 2025, Water had hit a billion streams.
Her success highlights how African music is reaching new heights worldwide, thanks to platforms like Spotify’s RADAR Africa and EQUAL Africa, which help emerging artists gain global exposure. For Tyla, this is just the beginning.
