Pop star Tyla shares SA beauty tips and how the women in her life influenced her iconic style.
Image: Tyla/Instagram
Before she was a two-time Grammy winner dominating global charts and headlining Coachella and making headlines at the Met Gala, Tyla was just a girl in Johannesburg watching her mother, Sharleen Seethal, ritual in the mirror.
In an exclusive feature with "i-D Magazine", the "Water" singer is pulling back the curtain on the South African beauty secrets that fuelled her rise to superstardom, proving that her global appeal isn't just about the music; it’s about the heritage.
Tyla’s "authenticity" has become her strongest currency in an industry often criticised for being overly polished. By citing her mother’s minimalist routine as her primary influence, Tyla bridges the gap between the luxury lifestyle of a global pop star and the relatable South Africanisms her fans adore.
In the interview, Tyla was asked about the beauty rituals she witnessed growing up. Her response was a love letter to the simplicity of the South African "baddie".
"My mother has always been very simple, so she never had a lot of steps," Tyla shared. My mother always had to have black eyeliner and mascara, or else she will die! Or a red lip or black lip liner."
For anyone who grew up in a South African household, that black eyeliner and lip liner combo is the ultimate van toeka af (ever-present) staple.
It’s the look of the aunties, the mothers, and the girls at the taxi ranks who somehow always look effortlessly put together.
Interestingly, Tyla’s signature "Tiger" gaze started with her mom’s vanity mirror.
Global superstar Tyla Seethal with her mom, whom she credits for shaping everything she knows about what it means to be beautiful.
Image: Instagram
Perhaps the most evocative moment of the sit-down was when Tyla touched on the olfactory memories of her childhood.
Tyla’s nostalgic scent is refreshingly relatable. To her, the smell of femininity and home is synonymous with Oh So Heavenly, the accessible, beloved bath-and-body brand found on almost every SA bathroom shelf.
"When I think about the scents associated with my mother, I think 'Oh So Heavenly', like bath salts and bubble baths," Tyla recalled with her signature wit and laugh.
She painted a vivid picture of the classic South African matriarch’s "bath time" priority: "My mother loves to bath; she does not care if you’re late to go somewhere; she will run a bath, and we have to wait for her!"
The superstar’s definition of confidence is what truly elevates this conversation from fluff fodder to a transcendent lifestyle philosophy. According to the singer, her mother taught her that beauty is a multi-layered performance of character.
"I feel like I learnt that there’s a lot of like layers to beauty," Tyla explained.
“Beauty is found in so many different ways; it’s in the way you walk, it’s in the way you talk, the way you treat people, and the way you make people feel. That’s how she shaped my idea of beauty."
The gravity of Tyla’s influence lies in her ability to redefine "confidence" for a generation of young women. She attributes her poise to the wisdom her mother instilled in her.
Her "South African beauty guide" is a cultural moment because it validates the everyday lives of SA women on a global stage. In an era of "quiet luxury" and "clean girl aesthetics".
She’s on the world’s biggest stages because she’s just herself. Her "South Africanisms" are exactly why she is a global superstar. It’s the way she carries herself with a grounded warmth that you simply cannot make up or PR train, honestly.
As Tyla keeps breaking records, she’s proving that the best look you can pull off is one that honours the women who came before you. It really makes you think: when our daughters look back at our own beauty rituals one day, what parts of us will they see in themselves?