Earlier this year, Tyla and Lisa both happened to be free one night in Los Angeles — and it turned out to be perfect timing. The South African singer was preparing to release her debut album, Tyla, and the Blackpink superstar was in the studio with producer and songwriter Sammy SoSo, who’d worked with both of them. So Tyla hopped over to the studio and let Lisa listen to her entire album. “I didn’t know what to expect,” she tells Lisa, recalling the moment they met for the first time. “You were literally so sweet. It was so cute.” Months later, in early July, the two global phenoms are together again at LA’s Henson Recording Studios for a photo shoot, soundtracked by Beyoncé and plenty of Nineties R&B. They haven’t seen each other in a while, but they haven’t lost their instant connection: with the cameras on, they’re each other’s biggest cheerleader, hyping up every shot. Lisa drops countless “Wows!” as Tyla stares coquettishly into the camera. When it’s Lisa’s turn to pose, in a burgundy leather trench coat, Tyla bursts out, “Ooh, she’s eating!”
Tyla and Lisa have a lot in common, starting with their parallel rises to worldwide fame. Lisa, who grew up in Thailand, has become a household name after blowing up as a member of Blackpink, one of the most successful K-pop groups on the planet. Tyla, repping South Africa, is making major moves of her own: she recently became the first artist from her country to score a hit on Billboard’s Hot 100 in more than 50 years, bringing her pop-infused Amapiano sound to the US with the inescapable “Water”. (The song peaked at Number Seven.)
As they share a couch at the studio after the photo shoot, Lisa and Tyla reflect on the major moments that both are facing in their careers. Tyla just dropped a deluxe edition of her album, which earned her BET Awards trophies for Best New Artist and Best International Act, and Lisa is in the midst of relaunching her solo career while Blackpink take a break, tapping Ryan Tedder to produce her single “Rockstar”. She also dropped a collaboration with Rosalía titled “New Woman”, co-written by Tove Lo. Could a song with Tyla be next?
Lisa: I wanted to congratulate you again. Yesterday [at the BET Awards], you won two awards, so congratulations.
Tyla: Thank you so much. And congrats for your drop, girl. “Rockstar”. The video is so cool.
Lisa: You know I shot that video in Thailand.
Tyla: For real? I love Thailand. It’s so beautiful.
THE STUDIO: Henson Recording Studios, Los Angeles
Originally founded by Charlie Chaplin in 1917, and later taken over by Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss as the headquarters of A&M, where countless artists recorded, the studio was purchased by the Jim Henson Company circa 2000.
HIT LIST: Joni Mitchell, Blue; Nine Inch Nails, The Downward Spiral; Bruce Springsteen, Tunnel of Love
Lisa: What’s your favourite Thai food?
Tyla: Tom kha gai. I don’t know if I’m saying it right.
Lisa: Oh, your pronunciation is on point.
Tyla: I’m going to be performing in Thailand in November.
Lisa: OK, let me know when, because I want to be there.
Tyla: You’ll have to show me around. When was the last time you were home?
Lisa: Two weeks ago.
Tyla: That’s nice. I haven’t been home in so long. I think the last time I was back was around Christmas.
Lisa: Oh, my God. So how’s the US to you? Is it a different culture?
Tyla: It’s very different. The food, the way people talk, the way everything is… even the toilets are different. In America, when you flush the toilet, the water comes up… and then it goes in. And in South Africa, it just goes in. I don’t know why I’m talking about a toilet, but, yeah, it’s just so different. Do you like American food?
Lisa: What’s American food? Pizza? Hamburger? When I come to LA, I always get Thai food, Korean food, Chinese food… What are your favourite South African dishes?
Tyla: I would take you to a braai — it’s like a barbecue with a bunch of different foods, very flavourful.
Lisa: This music video, “Rockstar”, it has a lot of Thai elements. So when people see the music video, they just know right away: “It’s Thailand. She must be so proud.”
Tyla: I’m sure everyone back home is so proud of everything you’re doing.
Lisa: Same as you.
Tyla: For me, it’s always been something that I wanted to do — to share my culture. It’s been fun, but also difficult because not a lot of people understand it. I’ve had to get used to detaching myself from the people who don’t really care that much to learn about it. But the people who do care, it’s been such an amazing experience teaching people all our different cultures and languages, our dance moves, the way we chant. It’s exciting seeing everyone appreciate it.
Lisa: I loved your “Water” challenge. I wanted to try, but it’s not possible for me.
Tyla: Girl, you are a dancer!
Lisa: I don’t know how to shake like you do.
Tyla: I’ll teach you how to shake.
Lisa: I started to dance when I was four or five. So dancing is my number-one favourite thing to do. When people tell me to dance, I’ll be like, “OK, I can show you my dance.” It’s a fun thing, a passion. When it comes to music, you have to perform, so it is very natural for me. It’s not something I have to think about.
Tyla: It looks effortless, so that’s great. African culture and dance are one thing. Even all the viral African dance moves that come about are from literally random people in South Africa. It just feels very spiritual and very natural. It’s in our blood really. That dance is for a different genre. I just love the way it looks. So we did it on my song, which is Amapiano and pop. I feel like social media opened that portal for us to share our culture with the world, and I’m happy that I’m able to do that on huge stages. It just worked.
Lisa: I remember the first day I knew about you was from the “Water” challenge. You, dancing on stage, pouring water, and I was like, “Oh, my God, who is she?” And I started to follow your stuff more and more.
Tyla: Girl, in Blackpink, you were my favourite. You brought some edge to the group, which was so cool. Your rapping and just the way you moved and the way you dressed was so cool. Me and my best friend would watch those videos all the time.
Lisa: Oh, that’s so sweet of you.
Tyla: No, for real.
RS: Lisa, you’ve been doing this a long time with Blackpink. Are there any lessons you’ve learned that you want to share with Tyla?
Lisa: You’re doing so great! I don’t know what to say. Just keep doing what you’re passionate about. You’re doing so well.
Tyla: Is it difficult being in the position that you are, being known by so many people?
Lisa: There’s no privacy. You can tell right now with you as well. If you go somewhere, people just put the phone right in front of your face. Sometimes you’re not ready to have your photo taken. Sometimes you want to be with a bare face, with your pyjamas, go out and eat. That’s the thing that is a little tough for me sometimes, but I get used to it.
Tyla: I love the videos, the dances, the fan bases — how invested people are in K-pop. The music, the videos… it’s like its own world. I find it so cool that in K-pop, you can bring people into a world that doesn’t feel real. That’s so cool. It’s very inspiring for me as well, because it made me want to create a Tyla world. A little tiger world.
Lisa: You have your fan-club name?
Tyla: Yeah, it’s the Tigers. I always just found it fascinating how big K-pop does it. I feel like that’s how it should be. I have a group chat on Instagram, so I just send exclusive stuff, and talk to them here and there when I can. I just love seeing their videos. Whenever I meet some of my Tigers, I always love speaking to them and making videos. It’s interesting to meet people from all over the world who listen to my music. I always find it so cool like, “What? You are from the Philippines and you know me?”
Lisa: Everybody knows you. Come on! When you go back to your home, is it crazy for you?
Tyla: Yeah, but I feel like in South Africa, people aren’t really that crazy fans. It’s more like, “Hi, let’s take a picture.” And then they go about their day. I just want to chill, wear mismatched socks, walk around in big pants and whatnot.
RS: Tyla, you dropped your first album earlier this year, and Lisa, we just got “Rockstar” from you. What’s your process for deciding to put something out? Where does it start?
Tyla: I began the process over three years ago.
Lisa: For this album?
Tyla: Yeah.
Lisa: Oh, my God. It took so long!
Tyla: It took a while, mainly because I had a clear vision for it. I knew that I wanted to stay true to my culture — obviously, African music — but also a lot of pop and R&B influences. I had to work with a bunch of people to get the sound right. When I finally got it, I just went in. It felt like such a relief when I reached that point.
Lisa: My last single was two or three years ago. I finished my tour with my girls, so now we’re just focusing on our own projects. I usually work with one producer in Korea, but this time, I wanted to find something new, find another colour of Lisa. I’m lucky that I work with RCA, so they helped me to find a producer. I got the song “Rockstar”, and I loved it right away when I first heard it. Now, I’m still creating my album. It’s something new every week.
Tyla: That’s exciting. Is this going to be your first solo album?
Lisa: Yes. It’s hard. It’s a lot of pressure, but I try to have fun as much as I can. This moment is going to go super fast. I’m trying to have fun, and I’m learning by taking risks. I feel like, with the group, you’ve got your girls and they’re super supportive. When you have something, you ask them, they give you the best advice. But me working alone is like, “Oh.”
Tyla: You gotta figure it out.
Lisa: Yeah. “Is it the right decision or not?” “Oh, my God, what should I do?” That’s why I’m taking risks. “I feel this, I’m going to do this.” I just have to trust my gut. I’m happy with the result. As long as I’m happy, no one can say anything… I got a chance to star in White Lotus, and it’s my acting debut. I’m super excited and nervous, but I feel like we’ve shot a lot of music videos. You’ve got to be expressive on camera. I just wanted to try something new that I never had a chance to do, because I’ve been singing for eight years, and sometimes you feel like you need something new to try.
Tyla: I want to try to get into acting.
Lisa: You should!
RS: You guys are doing so much. How do you rest?
Lisa: When I’m resting, I just stay home. I’m super introverted.
Tyla: Low-key, yeah.
Lisa: Sometimes you need rest for that. When I have free time, I love to stay home with my cats and dog. I have five cats. I will just be with them watching Netflix, or maybe go out shopping. Eat good food. That’s all. I’m super chill. What do you do?
Tyla: When I get alone time, I literally stay in bed.
Lisa: The whole day?
Tyla: It’s bad, though. I stay in bed. I get snacks, like chips, Doritos, sour candy. And I TikTok. TikTok, Netflix, snacks, nap, wake up, another movie, nap, wake up, another movie. Or I like to take a nice, hot bath and play dramatic music and restart my life. I don’t know why I do that. I like to make a mood board.
Lisa: If I’m about to go on stage, I have a few things to do for preparation. What do you do before you go on stage? Do you eat?
Tyla: I literally can’t. I have to eat way before because I feel like if I eat right before I perform, I feel like something’s going to go wrong. I feel like if my digestion goes wild, uh-oh. I don’t want to take no chances. I love to pray with the team, listen to fun music, and laugh. I bring myself to my centre and just trust that it’s going to be a great show.
Lisa: I do a quick nap. I have to boost myself. I will just have an alarm on, for 15 minutes, and I wake up and then I eat a cup of noodles. Two or three bites, and then I’m ready. And Red Bull. But I can’t drink the whole thing.
Tyla: A nap? That’s crazy.
Lisa: Yeah. I can’t go on stage without napping.
Tyla: If you weren’t a singer, what would you be?
Lisa: I would want to be a flight attendant. When I was little, I saw a girl, she came like, “Oh, what do you want for dinner?” And they dress super nice, have nice makeup, and help people get their bags. How about you? Oh, my God, I’m curious.
Tyla: Honestly, I only saw myself doing entertainment, but I also loved Barbie. And you know how Barbie had all the jobs, so literally I wanted to be everything — just for the aesthetic, though. Not to actually work, just for the aesthetic and the outfits.
Lisa: You look like a Barbie doll. I mean, your Met Gala outfit. Iconic. I saw you couldn’t even walk.
Tyla: Girl. They were trying to make me practise going up the stairs and I was like… I said, “Hey, guys, I might have to be carried up these stairs.” It turned out so cute. I feel like it added something to the look.
Lisa: With fashion, I love to challenge myself always. I would love to wear something bold, that no one wants to wear, and I can pull it off. I love something like that. And it’s me. How about you? Do you love a miniskirt?
Tyla: Yeah. I like going with what I feel in the moment. Whatever the music sounds like, whatever I feel like during that time, I like to marry it together. I feel like it’s one thing. I want my album, the music, and everything to be a world. Dressing up in the form of music really makes it fun.
RS: How do you make sure that you find joy in what you’re doing? It’s so much work!
Lisa: This is what I wanted to do, and I’m happy to do. I want to keep creating music, dancing, fashion, everything. I love to do this. I just try to have fun as much as I can, like I said. Sometimes my mom comes around to go on tour with me. I’m trying to find the little things that make me happy and keep me positive.
Tyla: That’s a really sweet answer. This is what I’ve dreamt about forever. Literally, a little girl running around in South Africa. It didn’t really feel like it was possible. I know it’s still the beginning, but I’m already at a place where not many of us were able to get to. I’m just trying to be grateful and see it as a gift and a blessing always. The small things keep me going, because I’m inspiring a lot of people back home and showing them that it actually can happen.
RS: What are you looking forward to in the next year?
Lisa: I’m working on so many projects at the same time. I will do White Lotus and will still be working on my music, releasing my album. By next year, I think I would just keep releasing music and get together with the girls. I can’t wait to share with the girls what I’ve been doing.
Tyla: I’m sure they’re going to be so proud. It must be really nice having that type of support system.
Lisa: I’m going to be proud of them as well. They’re so sweet. They’re super supportive.
Tyla: I just want to look back and be proud of every milestone I’ve achieved so far. I want to show more of my personality. I’m a very private person, so I’m getting used to people knowing everything. It is really hard for me because I don’t like anybody knowing anything. I’m getting better at it. I just want to be able to let more people in.
PRODUCTION CREDITS
Executive Producer: KIMBERLY ALEAH. Co-Executive Producer/ Sound Mixer: TARA REID. Lisa: Makeup by EMILY CHENG. Hair by HYEYEON JANG. Nails by SOJIN OH using APRÉS NAIL. Tyla: Styling by KATIE QIAN. Hair by LOUIS SOUVESTRE. Makeup by MATTHEW FISHMAN. Outfit by MOWALOLA. Jewelry by SWAROVSKI. Shoes by ALAMEDA TURQUESA Producer: KIM HOYOS. Director of Photography: NATALIA MOSCOSO. Lighting Technician: GABE SANDOVAL. Camera Operator: ERIKA MORTON and PASCALE WILLIAMS. Editor: DENNIS THOMAS. Color Grading: AYUMI ASHLEY. Photographic assistance: COLIN JACOB and TROY UPPERMAN. Digital Technician: SEAN MOORE.
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