By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
South African singer Tyla is set to return to Johannesburg on Sunday, 16 August, for an A*POP takeover at Gold Reef City, marking a homecoming for the two-time Grammy Award winner.
The event, presented in partnership with South African Tourism and powered by Absa, will give Tyla an opportunity to reconnect with fans in the city where her music career began.
Her supporters, known as Tygers, will also be able to participate in a TikTok campaign using songs from A*POP for a chance to attend the event.
South African Tourism will provide transport for selected fans from across Gauteng to Gold Reef City.
Tourism Minister Patricia de Lille said the initiative highlighted Tyla’s connection to South Africa and her influence on young people.
“Tyla has always been authentic in her work. A daughter of the African soil and an advocate for South Africa. I agree with her, that you must visit South Africa to understand its beauty and its people,” de Lille said.
The homecoming arrives just weeks after the release of Tyla’s highly anticipated sophomore album, APOP*, which landed worldwide on 24 July.
The 14-track project sees the Johannesburg-born star continue to redefine her signature “Popiano” sound, bringing together pop, R&B, amapiano-inspired rhythms, house influences and distinctly South African musical references with an increasingly global perspective.
Since its release, APOP* has made its mark on international charts, debuting at No. 43 on the Billboard 200 with 16,966 first-week units and securing an even stronger No. 5 debut on Billboard’s Top R&B Albums chart. The album has also reached the top end of digital charts internationally, including a reported No. 1 peak on iTunes worldwide and No. 3 on Apple Music’s global album chart shortly after release.
Tyla continues to cement her position as a global African music powerhouse, with her latest project reaching No. 1 on Billboard’s World Albums chart.
The achievement makes Tyla the only African artist to reach No. 1 on the chart with multiple projects, further highlighting her unprecedented global impact and the growing influence of African music on the international stage.
Reflecting on the significance of returning home and connecting with her supporters, Tyla says: “Whenever I’m home, I feel like myself again. I love being surrounded by my people and my fans – it reminds me where I come from.”
The achievements build on a run of milestones that has firmly established Tyla as a global force. She made history as the first artist to accumulate 100 weeks at No. 1 on Billboard’s U.S. Afrobeats Songs chart, while also holding the record for the most No. 1s on the chart.
Her breakout global smash “Water” earned her first GRAMMY Award for Best African Music Performance in 2024, with Tyla securing the same award again in 2026 for “Push 2 Start.”
On Sunday, Gold Reef City will become the centre of the APOP* celebration as Tyla reconnects with the fans who watched her journey unfold in Johannesburg and cheered her on as the rest of the world discovered her.