Chat with MTV EMAs Best African Act Nominee & Amapiano Hitmaker – Tyler ICU #Mnike | Amapiano Icons
“Austin Kulani Baloyi” who is best known as “Tyler ICU” is a remarkably talented and multifaceted Amapiano artist. The South African superstar first burst onto the scene as a “House” music Dj/Producer before transitioning to Amapiano. Earlier this year, Tyler ICU released arguably the biggest ever Amapiano record – MNIKE. The song peaked at #1 for 16 consecutive weeks on several charts including Billboard “South Africa” charts. Aside from becoming a platinum record, MNIKE has got Tyler ICU to be nominated for MTV EMAs as “Best African Act”. This nomination is alongside mainstream artists like Burna Boy, Diamond Platnumz, Asake and Libianca. The Hype Magazine’s Life & Style correspondent, Charles Myambo recently had an interview with Tyler ICU. Below are some excerpts from the interview.
Full Video Interview
- (Link Coming Soon)
Key Points Discussed
- The interesting backstory behind the creation of the stage name “Tyler ICU”
- The Creative Process behind megahit “Mnike” which is arguably the biggest Amapiano song of the year
- Working on “Banyana” with Dj Maphorisa
- Opening up about personal and collective struggles that artists go through in the music industry
- Highlighting some of the constraints that artists in South Africa regularly face
- Revealing the lack of “traveling” opportunities and exposure among some artists in the Amapiano genre.
- The rapid rise and evolution of the Amapiano genre
- Selena Gomez’s Amapiano remix and other mainstream artists who have taken interest in the genre
- The positive and collaborative nature of Amapiano within South Africa and beyond.
- Tyler’s upcoming projects and aspirations
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