There is something particularly powerful about winning an award you were not physically present to collect. On Monday night at the 52nd American Music Awards, held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Tyla did exactly that — twice.
The South African singer was not among the nominees confirmed to be in attendance on the night. The ceremony was hosted by Queen Latifah and aired live on CBS and Paramount+. Tyla’s name was called regardless.
Two Wins, One Night
Tyla took home two trophies, ‘Favourite Afrobeats Artist’ and ‘Social Song of the Year’, for her hit single Chanel. In the Afrobeats category, she beat out Burna Boy, Wizkid, Rema, and MOLIY, four of the continent’s heaviest names in one bracket. The award is based on fan votes and she won. 
She was also one of the most nominated African artists in AMA history, securing four nominations in total. Converting two of them into wins, in a ceremony entirely decided by public voting, says something about the size of her audience and the grip Chanel has had on the internet since its release.
The track dominated social media platforms, fuelled viral trends, and built momentum far beyond traditional streaming spaces, which is precisely why Social Song of the Year felt like hers to win from the beginning.
SEE ALSO: ‘I Tried to Speak to Her’: Was Tyla Snubbed by Rihanna?
Back-to-Back and Building
This victory did not come from nowhere. Tyla previously won the Favourite Afrobeats Artist award at the 2025 AMAs, making this her second consecutive win in the category. Back-to-back. In a fan-voted show. The people keep choosing her.
Earlier this year, she also won her second Grammy for ‘Push 2 Start’ in the Best African Music Performance category, beating Burna Boy and Davido. Two Grammys. Two AMAs. A debut album is already in the world. A second studio album, ‘A*Pop’, was announced at the 2026 Grammys and is due for release this summer.
She is 24 years old and collects hardware from the world’s biggest stages without necessarily being in the room when her name is called. At this point, the trophies are finding her.
Congratulations, Tyla. Your trophy cabinet must be getting full.
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