Tyla Wins Best Afrobeats Artist and Social Song of the Year at 2026 AMAs
South African popstar Tyla continues to tighten her grip on global pop culture. At the 52nd edition of the American Music Awards held on May 25 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, the singer emerged as one of the night’s defining international winners, taking home two major trophies: Best Afrobeats Artist and Social Song of the Year for her viral hit “CHANEL”.
The Best Afrobeats Artist win carried particular weight. Tyla edged out an elite field that included Nigerian heavyweights Burna Boy, Rema, and Wizkid, alongside Ghanaian-American artist MOLIY. It marks the second consecutive year she has won the category, reinforcing her rapidly solidifying position as one of Africa’s most commercially potent global exports.
Her victory with “CHANEL” in the Social Song of the Year category further underlined the song’s internet-era dominance. The single outperformed records tied to acts including Tinashe and Taylor Swift, proving just how deeply the record travelled across streaming culture, fan engagement, and digital conversation.
For Tyla, she entered the ceremony with four nominations—more than any African artist at this year’s AMAs—spanning Best Female R&B Artist, Best Afrobeats Artist, and two nominations tied to “CHANEL”. By the end of the night, her overall American Music Awards tally climbed to three.
The wins also extend what has become a remarkable two-year international run. Earlier in 2026, Tyla secured her second Grammy Awards win, claiming Best African Music Performance for “PUSH 2 START”. Meanwhile, “CHANEL” has maintained strong momentum on the Billboard U.S. Afrobeats Songs chart, where it spent an extended run at No. 1, and continued to expand her crossover reach beyond African markets.
Yet, as with many of Tyla’s recent wins, the moment also reopened ongoing conversations around the global music industry’s handling of African genres. Tyla has consistently identified herself as an amapiano artist, and previous wins in Afrobeats categories—from the VMAs to Billboard ceremonies—have repeatedly sparked debate among fans and commentators over whether global award bodies flatten African music into one commercial umbrella.
Still, regardless of the genre discourse, the numbers continue to work in her favour. The AMAs are fan-voted awards determined through streaming, sales, social engagement, and touring metrics, making Tyla’s victories reflective of measurable audience momentum rather than purely academy-based selections.
In many ways, the night captured the current shape of African pop’s global evolution. Nigerian stars remain central to the worldwide Afrobeats explosion, but Tyla’s continued dominance signals how amapiano-infused pop from South Africa is increasingly becoming part of that same global commercial conversation.
