Tyla is officially a Nike girl!
This week, the global sensation and GRAMMY winner was welcomed to the Nike family, signing an exclusive endorsement deal with the renowned sports brand. A match made in heaven, this partnership feels extra special for Tyla, who grew up wearing her brother’s Nike hand-me-downs.
In an interview with Nike, the South African pop star expressed her love for Nike and hinted at a possible signature shoe, “I mean, I’m a Nike girl. I love the brand. Nike isn’t just athletic clothes, it’s fashion […] I’m really excited to work together, not only to wear the clothes but to hopefully create something with the team too. Maybe a Tyla shoe? That would be fire.”
On personal style and aesthetics, Tyla embraces versatility: “Sometimes I want to feel pretty, sometimes cozy, sometimes boyish. It depends on my mood. I don’t want to look the same all the time. When I look back years from now, I want to see many different versions of myself. One hundred different Tylas.”
People often describe her style as “Flintstone” — ripped up and distressed. It all started when she had limited resources for dressing up for shows. She and her friend Thato would create makeshift outfits from random pieces, turning nothing into something.
TYLA ROCKING THE AIR MAX DN8: Courtesy of @tygerprint
Tyla has definitely come a long way — from recording music in a makeshift closet studio in Johannesburg to becoming the youngest GRAMMY-winning African artist. Having had a meteoric rise is quite an understatement. She has turned her musical style, popiano — a blend of pop and amapiano — a global sensation, while her breakout hit “Water” and its TikTok dance trend has amassed global reach.
When asked about developing her signature sound, “I’m so happy that I was able to come into the game with a sound that nobody has done, you know? The way my music sounds — nobody sounds like that. The fact that I have my own identity as an artist is what every artist, I’m sure, dreams of. So I’m just grateful that people vibe with it. It’s bigger than where I’m from; it touches the world. And it’s exciting because it shows just how far we can take this,” she shared.
Nike has a history of collaborating with music and cultural icons who push boundaries. With past collaborations featuring Billie Eilish, Travis Scott, G-Dragon, and J Balvin, Tyla is a perfect fit for her ability to blend music, movement, and fashion.
Just recently, during the Super Bowl LIX Weekend in New Orleans, the South African pop star debuted a new colorway of Nike’s Air Max Dn8.