Four months into the year and some of the biggest artists have released new music.
From Justin Timberlake, Usher, Future to Ariana Grande and Dua Lipa, they have dropped catchy tunes that fans are loving.
Grammy award-winning Tyla, whose real name is Tyla Laura Seethal, released her very first album in March and, in the same month, superstar Beyoncé broke boundaries with the release of her first country music offering.
The releases by these pop culture artists are already dominating the world music charts as well as social media platforms with Tyla’s “Jump” and Beyoncé’s “Texas Hold ‘Em” among the viral hits.
The South African-born musician, who was recently in Mzansi, is basking in her album success.
The 22-year-old was showered with praise and affection when she touched down at OR Tambo International Airport over the Easter weekend.
Her hometown also gave her a homecoming party while scores of “Tygers”, as her fans are affectionately known, packed Mall of Africa in a bid to see her in the flesh.
The Department of Sport, Arts and Culture also honoured Tyla at the Cultural and Creative Industry Awards, where she won Best International Act.
But the “Water” hitmaker’s appeal extends worldwide and not just because of her viral hit, which contributed to her winning the inaugural Best African Music Performance award at the 2024 Grammys.
Many of the hits from her self-titled album have been charting globally, breaking records and accumulating millions of streams.
This includes "Truth or Dare", which is her second-most popular single with over 51 million streams on Spotify, trailing behind “Water”, which attained more than 520 million streams.
“Tyla”, the 14-track album which fuses amapiano, R&B and Afropop, features collaborations with the likes of US rapper Travis Scott, Nigerian singer Tems, South African amapiano artist Kelvin Momo, Becky G and Gunna.
Much of the album has widely been described as an anthem, particularly with the likes of “Jump” and “ART”, which includes scores of quirky and creative one-liners.
In just a week after its release, it took over the number 1 spot in Papua New Guinea and Tunisia.
The album also ranked number 2 in 19 other countries and number 3 in 18 places, including Fiji, Mauritius and Jamaica.
The musician has also broken the record for most top 10s across the world on iTunes, becoming the first South African artist to do so.
Despite these impressive accolades and achievements, Tyla is still relatively new to the music industry, unlike Beyoncé, who has been dominating the charts for decades and has become one of the biggest cultural figures of the 21st century.
The “Lemonade” hitmaker was even named by “Rolling Stone” as one of the greatest vocalists of all time.
And this year, she made history by becoming the artist with the most Grammy wins ever, counting 32 total Golden Gramophones to date.
Not one to simply settle into her success, Beyoncé shocked the music world when she released “Cowboy Carter,” her very first country album, last month.
“This album has been over five years in the making. It was born out of an experience that I had years ago where I did not feel welcomed … and it was very clear that I wasn’t,” Beyoncé recently wrote on Instagram following its release.
This 27-tracks album, which also includes interludes, is the second part of Beyoncé’s planned “Renaissance” trilogy following the first release in 2022.
And while the megastar recently noted: “This ain't a Country album. This is a 'Beyoncé album,” she has brought in country legends to feature in her latest offerings.
The tracklist includes “Jolene”, a cover of Dolly Parton’s beloved 1973 single which Beyoncé tweaked to give it a more modern sound.
Willie Nelson can also be heard on “Smoke Hour Willie Nelson” and “Smoke Hour II”, with the album also featuring guest appearances from Miley Cyrus, who sings on “II Most Wanted”’ and Post Malone, who joins Beyonce for “Levii’s Jeans.”
Another song on the album, “The Linda Martell Show”, is a nod to Martell, the first black woman to achieve commercial success in country music.
Despite all these hits, “Texas Hold ’Em” is currently gaining the most traction and has since become the first song by a black woman to reach No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart. It has also ranked at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks in a row.
Despite its success, “Cowboy Carter” has received widespread backlash from conservative country fans who questioned Beyoncé’s place in the genre.
But many have defended her foray into country music, pointing out that she famously hails from Houston, Texas, roots and that there are many ignored black origins of the genre.
“The criticisms I faced when I first entered this genre forced me to propel past the limitations that were put on me,” Beyoncé was recently quoted as saying.
Despite the haters, Beyoncé and Tyla are proving just girls run the world, as Beyoncé once famously sang.