How Tyla Knew 'Water' Was 'the Song' for Her

The choreographed dance moves to Tyla's sexy single "Water" put the musician's fusion of pop and amapiano on the map. In a new interview for Rolling Stone's The Breakdown, the South African star shares how she made the viral track — and what she looks for when making music.

"I'm usually driven by the beat. When someone plays me a beat, it has to grab me in order for me to even want to work on it," she says. "I love listening to beats singing random things that come to me and then listening back and choosing what fits best. After, the words just come."

Tyla said she likes songs that aren't "direct" lyrically but instead prefers ones that "make you feel something."

"With 'Water,' I just wanted a summer song that everybody could vibe to and have fun to," she says. "The meaning of the song is frisky: It's me letting a guy know, 'Show me what you got to offer. I'm done with all the talk.' Men will just talk and talk and talk."

Tyla explains that she went into the studio knowing she wanted "a summer banger." She cut the track in Cape Town and couldn't "stop playing it after" and she was shook by the response to the song during live shows.

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