Tyla Shines at Global Citizen Festival with Heart and Hits

South African star Tyla cemented her global rise with a commanding debut at the 2025 Global Citizen Festival in New York City, New York.

Performing before an audience of more than 60 000 people at Central Park’s Great Lawn on Saturday, 27 September, the 23-year-old singer delivered a set that mixed her chart-topping singles with fresh material from her latest extended play, “WWP (We Wanna Party)”.

Her vibrant choreography, blending amapiano rhythms with Pretoria’s distinct Bacadi style, had the crowd in raptures. Yet the standout moment came when she stopped midway through “Water” to call for help for a fan who had fainted.

“Guys, they need help over there, sorry,” she said, halting the music until the situation was under control. The audience cheered as she restarted the track with renewed energy.

Tyla balanced compassion with confidence, later firing back at critics during “Mr Media” and teasing new music with “Chanel”. She closed her performance with explosive renditions of “Jump” and “Push 2 Start”.

Sharing the stage with global heavyweights including Shakira, Cardi B, Ayra Starr and Rema, Tyla proved she is more than a rising name: she is a defining voice of a new African wave of talent lighting up the world stage.

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