Tyla wins big at AMA 2026
South African music star Tyla continued her international winning streak after taking home two major awards at the 2026 American Music Awards held in Las Vegas.
The singer secured the Best Afrobeats Artist award for the second year in a row, beating African heavyweights Burna Boy, Wizkid, Rema and Moliy in the fan-voted category.
She also made history by becoming the first international artist to win Social Song of the Year thanks to her hit single Chanel.
The 52nd edition of the American Music Awards took place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas and was hosted by Queen Latifah, who returned to the ceremony more than three decades after first co-hosting the show in 1995.
Although Tyla did not attend the event in person, her impact was strongly felt throughout the night.
Her song Chanel, which centres on confidence and self-worth, has already amassed more than 354 million Spotify streams and climbed to number eight on the Spotify Global chart.
The achievement also made her the first African artist to score multiple Top 10 hits on the global Spotify rankings.
The AMAs are determined entirely by public votes, music sales, streaming numbers and social engagement, making Tyla’s back-to-back victories another sign of her rapidly growing international fanbase, popularly known as the Tygers.
Now officially a four-time AMA winner, Tyla has also become the most nominated African artist in the history of the awards show.
