South African music powerhouse Tyla has officially cemented her status as the reigning queen of African music on the global stage. At the star-studded 52nd annual American Music Awards (AMAs) held in Las Vegas, the “Water” hitmaker walked away with the coveted Best Afrobeats Artist award, beating out an incredibly tough field of industry giants.
Tyla emerged victorious over Nigerian heavyweights Wizkid, Burna Boy, and Rema, as well as Ghanaian singer-songwriter Moliy, who made history just by being nominated.
Tyla’s major win at the 2026 AMAs caps off a phenomenal year of record-breaking success. Going into the fan-voted ceremony, she had already made history as the most-nominated African artist in the history of the American Music Awards, pulling in four nominations, including Best Female R&B Artist and Best Music Video.
In addition to bagging the Best Afrobeats Artist trophy, Tyla also took home the award for Social Song of the Year for her viral smash hit, “CHANEL”. Since its release in late 2025, “CHANEL” has dominated global music charts, amassing over 320 million streams on Spotify alone and proving that her breakout success was only the beginning.
While Tyla walked away with the trophy, the night was also a massive milestone for Ghana’s music industry. Moliy made history last month when the nominations dropped, becoming the first Ghanaian artist to ever be nominated for Best Afrobeats Artist at the AMAs.
Hosted by the legendary Queen Latifah, the 2026 American Music Awards celebrated a massive night for international music. Alongside Tyla’s big wins, global icons BTS took home Artist of the Year, Sabrina Carpenter cleaned up in the Pop categories with Album of the Year for Man’s Best Friend, and breakthrough group KATSEYE was named New Artist of the Year.
