Tyla has done it again. The South African global star walked away with two awards at the 52nd annual American Music Awards, held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on 25 May. She was not present at the ceremony, but her absence did nothing to diminish the significance of what she collected.
She won Best Afrobeats Artist — defending the title she claimed at last year’s ceremony — and Social Song of the Year for her 2026 single CHANEL, which has already accumulated more than 350 million streams on Spotify since its release. In winning the latter, she became the first international artist in the category’s history to take the award, a milestone that speaks to both the reach of her music and the loyalty of her global fanbase.
Beating the biggest names in Afrobeats
The Best Afrobeats Artist win was hard-earned. Tyla beat Burna Boy, Wizkid, Rema and Moliy to claim the category — a field that represents the most commercially and critically recognised voices in the genre right now. She also received nominations for Best Female R&B Artist and Best Music Video, underlining how broadly her work is being recognised across categories.
The night’s wider winners included Cardi B, Sabrina Carpenter and Justin Bieber, with Queen Latifah hosting. But for South African music, the story of the evening was Tyla — adding another international award to a collection that has grown at a remarkable pace since her breakthrough, and extending her position as one of the most globally influential African artists of her generation.
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