Tyla embraced her South African Zulu roots through a sentimental fashion token from her beloved grandmother.
In honour of her grandmother’s birthday, which was on Sunday, 5 April, Tyla shared a photo of herself wearing a traditional Zulu beaded necklace known as ubuhlalu in isiZulu.
TYLA’S GRANDMOTHER HANDMADE BEADED NECKLACE
Tyla styled her beaded necklace with ripped jeans, and her poses perfectly showcased the necklace’s beauty in what seemed like a music video for an upcoming project.
Her caption summed up her love and appreciation for the necklace and her dearest grandmother.
“My gran handmade this and reminds me every time I visit that I BETTA [better] post her piece HBD [happy birthday, gran] gran,” wrote Tyla.
TYLA: ‘THE SWEETEST SOUL’
In September 2025, the Grammy winner mourned the loss of her grandmother.
She fondly remembered her grandmother for sharing her Zulu heritage, which also encompassed her Indian, Irish, Mauritian, and Coloured background.
She described her late grandmother as “the sweetest soul” and expressed gratitude for “making me the artist I am today.”
“I thank God for your presence in my life. Thank you for all the love and all the stories you would tell me. Your presence will forever be missed. The sweetest soul,” wrote Tyla.
“You were always proud of your mother and called us royalty because of her. Thank you for teaching me about my Zulu heritage and making me the artist I am today,” she added.
“Your presence will forever be missed. The sweetest soul. I love you, Gran,” she concluded.
TYLA COOKED A PROUDLY MZANSI MEAL FOR VOGUE
Embracing her South African roots appears to be like a badge of honour for Tyla.
In the March 2025 edition of British Vogue, she cooked a classic South African dish that included pap, chutney, and boerewors.
Below are some of her most memorable quotes from the cooking video:
“I’m not the best cook, [but] I can cook to survive.“
“I picked this because it’s like my favourite food to eat, honestly. I always speak about it, and people don’t know what I mean when I say pap and chutney. They’re like what is that?”
“I love food, but I just don’t like cooking it. I can make you some stuff, but don’t expect every night a whole three-course meal. I’m not like Nara Smith, I promise.”
“This is what I like about pap, like if you feel like it’s going wrong, there’s always a way to fix it. When I was in New York, I made it, I craved it.”
“The spice that I use for the chutney is Robinson’s barbecue spice. This is the best spice, guys. You can use this for everything, like marinade [marinading] your meat, chutney, or food like anything.“