Key Takeaways

• The 14-track A*POP marks Tyla’s second studio album following her self-titled debut LP.
• Singles including “CHANEL,” “SHE DID IT AGAIN,” “IS IT,” and “IS IT LOVE” led the rollout ahead of the full release.
• A*POP features first-time collaborations with Liquideep, Zara Larsson, MaWhoo, and Babalwa M.

Tyla was still a burgeoning amapiano phenomenon when her self-titled debut arrived a couple of years ago, putting any one-hit wonder doubts to rest after the success of her Grammy-winning “Water.” Fast-forward to Friday (July 24), and Tyla is bringing that same star power to A*POP.

The 14-song effort is powered by a string of tantalizing singles, including “CHANEL,” her highest-charting Hot 100 entry since her breakthrough moment, as well as “SHE DID IT AGAIN” featuring Zara Larsson, “IS IT,” and “IS IT LOVE.” Yes, the South African songstress somehow ended up with two nearly identical song titles on the same album, but we see why she kept both of them. Despite its promotional material featuring several neon and fluorescent colors, which may have led listeners to expect she was headed toward hyperpop, A*POP isn’t quite that.

In fact, records such as “FAIRYTALE” and “RIGHT NOW,” despite their very busy production, find Tyla slowing things down as she works through topics like being an object of desire, the allure and danger that come with falling in love, and more. There are also songs like “THAT GIRL,” which one social media user claimed was “Rihanna-coded,” as well as the upbeat “KISS,” perhaps one of the project’s clearest examples of dance-pop.

“A*POP is literally me trying to extend the idea of what an African pop star looks like, what an African pop star sounds like,” Tyla told Apple Music. By that measure, we’d say mission accomplished. Listen to the full LP below, then scroll for some of our favorite reactions.

Tyla fans applaud ‘A*POP’ for expanding the sound of African music

For the most part, the “BLISS” singer’s A*POP was met with glowing reviews from her Tygers. “Yah, no, I genuinely think Tyla will go down as the greatest female artist in Africa. She’s our superstar,” one person wrote on X. Another said, “This album was a whole experience from top to bottom. The beats are so fire, and she delivers vocals so beautifully on them.”

One user also pushed back on criticism over the project’s lack of more traditional-sounding amapiano or Afrobeats. “She literally said she wants to show the world that African music isn't one sound. There's so much more to it,” they added. Check out more reactions below.