Music
When Tyla Says A*POP
Tyla’s A*POP is not simply trying to prove that she can go global. It argues that African pop is already one of the places where global pop is being redefined.
2025 video still: MaWhoo, GL Ceejay & Thukuthela - Bengicela feat. JAZZWRLD (Official Lyric Video) — MaWhoo / YouTube
Bio
MaWhoo — Thandeka Nontobeko Ngema, born in Eshowe, KwaZulu-Natal in 1994 — was determined early: at eleven she carried a recording to a local radio station, which turned her away as too young. She debuted properly in 2019 with Umshado, featuring Heavy-K, and her light, agile voice, unmistakably Zulu in its phrasing, has become a fixture on amapiano and 3-step records.
Thokoza with Sam Deep (2022) is certified double platinum and Kulula, with DJ Maphorisa and Kabza De Small, gold. Four albums in four years — from What a Time to Be Alive (2022) to Amazwi Okubonga (2025) — chart her move from featured vocalist to lead act, and the 2025 single Bengicela topped Apple Music's all-genre chart in South Africa while she performed across Botswana, Eswatini, Zimbabwe and Mozambique.
Verified facts
- Thokoza (2022, with Sam Deep) is certified 2× platinum; Kulula (2022, with DJ Maphorisa and Kabza De Small) is certified gold.Wikipedia
- Her 2025 single Bengicela (with GL_Ceejay and Thukuthela) reached number 1 on Apple Music's all-genre chart in South Africa and trended on YouTube and Shazam.Wikipedia
- Debuted in 2019 with Umshado featuring Heavy-K.Wikipedia
- Has released four albums: What a Time to Be Alive (2022), The Chosen (2023), The Sound of Magic (2024) and Amazwi Okubonga (2025).Wikipedia
- Born Thandeka Nontobeko Ngema in 1994; at age eleven she took a recorded song to a local radio station and was refused airplay for being too young, and she later earned a degree from UNISA.Wikipedia
- Has performed across the region, including Botswana, Eswatini, Zimbabwe and Mozambique.Wikipedia
Notable work
- Thokoza
- Kulula
- Bengicela
- The Sound of Magic
- Amazwi Okubonga
Categories
Music
Music & Links
At a glance
- Active since
- 2019
- From
- Eshowe, KwaZulu-Natal
- Genres
- Amapiano, 3-step, Afro-pop
Coverage
Articles & Interviews
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