Tyla’s Debut Album Booted Out Of Grammys R&B Category And Moved Into Pop
In a groundbreaking moment for her music career, Tyla snagged her first-ever Grammy for Best African Music Performance earlier this year. Now, her music is being moved to the Pop category over R&B for the 2025 Grammy Awards taking place in February, per The Hollywood Reporter.
If Tyla lands a nomination in Pop, then she’ll be up against Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department, Billie Eilish’s Hit Me Hard and Soft, Ariana Grande’s Eternal Sunshine, Sabrina Carpenter’s Short N’ Sweet, and others.
The unexpected category switch has left fans talking, especially considering the album’s blend of Amapiano, Afrobeats, and R&B influence — which aligns well with the Best Progressive R&B Album category. Her viral song “Water” also spent time on Billboard’s Hot R&B Songs at No. 1.
As many would consider the South African star’s music to fit in the Best World Music Album submission — alongside Afrobeats artists Burna Boy and Tems — her genre-bending album gave more than her home sound of Amapiano. She also included musical assistance from Travis Scott, Gunna, and Becky G.
The Academy has faced scrutiny over its categorization decisions for some time now, with its most recent backlash over Tommy Richman’s “Million Dollar Baby” being considered Rap. In the past, Nicki Minaj also had a problem with the Grammy’s considering her “Super Freaky Girl” song Pop and not Rap, although they kept Latto’s “Big Energy” in the latter category.
“If SFG [Super Freaky Girl] has 2B moved out RAP then so does Big Energy!” she wrote on X at the time. “ANY1 who says diff is simply a Nicki hater or a troll.”
As first-round voting wrapped up last week, anticipation is building for the nominations announcement on Nov. 8. The 2025 Grammy Awards will take place live on Feb. 2 at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
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