About this song
- "Water" is a song by singer Tyla released as the lead single from her debut studio album Tyla (2024) on July 28, 2023. An amapiano song with elements of pop, R&B, and Afrobeats, it sees Tyla expressing a desire for a passionate and intimate tryst. Remix versions of the song featuring rapper Travis Scott and record producer Marshmello were both released on November 17, 2023. Water was produced by British record producer Sammy Soso. Production of the song began in London and finished in Los Angeles before it was sent to songwriters in Atlanta, who recorded a vocal demo. Tyla liked the instrumentation and recorded the song in Cape Town, South Africa. She told Interview that after finishing Water, she was convinced that the song would be successful and dreamed about "watching [her] Spotify streams climb by the second". Before Water was released, Tyla successfully performed it as an opening act on the European leg of Chris Brown's Under the Influence Tour in early 2023. She first shared a snippet of the song and its accompanying dance challenge on TikTok in July 2023. Choreographed by South African dancer Lee-ché "Litchi" Janecke and inspired by the Bacardi dance style which originated in Pretoria, the dance involves shaking one's hips before pouring water down one's back in time to the song's chorus. Originally intended for a different song with a more-appropriate musical genre for this dance style, Tyla insisted to Janecke that the choreography would work with Water and decided to add the water-pouring to help the song go viral. Tyla released another teaser and announced the song's release date via social media on July 16, 2023. The song was previewed on July 21, 2023 during an interview with Tyla on Spotify's Mic Check podcast series after she appeared on the streaming platform's Radar program for emerging artists. She posted its cover art on social media on 25 July, before it was released on July 28, 2023. The song gained traction on TikTok in August 2023 after a video of Tyla doing the accompanying dance during a live performance went viral. By mid-September, it began surging in streams and videos on TikTok. Originally planned as the lead single from Tyla's debut EP, it was the first single from her debut studio album after her international breakthrough. About the song's lyrics, Tyla described it as "kind of a naughty song" and told Rolling Stone that "the meaning of the song is frisky: it's [her] letting a guy know, 'Show me what you got to offer. I'm done with all the talk.'" She was inspired by songs which are indirect and use sexual innuendo, citing "Rock the Boat" by singer Aaliyah as an example. Tyla uses vivid imagery to express her desire for what Neon Music described as "an all-consuming, soul-stirring connection" involving romance and sex. After becoming popular on the online video platform TikTok in August 2023, the hashtags #TylaWaterChallenge and #TylaWater had over 446.8 million views with over 600,000 videos in October. Water reached #11 on the TikTok Billboard Top 50. It entered the Billboard US Afrobeats Songs chart at #37 on September 9, 2023, topping it before debuting at #67 on the Billboard Hot 100 on the week of October 14, 2023. Tyla was the youngest-ever South African and the first South African soloist in over 55 years to enter the Hot 100, following Hugh Masekela's "Grazing in the Grass" in 1968. Water climbed and managed to reach the top 10 at #10 with the rise of annual Christmas songs on the week of December 2, 2023, making it Tyla's first top 10 single. It later peaked at #7 for 2 weeks in January 2024 after the Christmas songs departed for the season, making Tyla the highest-charting African female soloist on the Hot 100 and surpassing Miriam Makeba's peak with "Pata Pata" reaching #12 in 1968. Luminate reported that during the tracking week of March 22–28, 2024, Water had 10.3 million streams in the United States, a 17% increase over the preceding week's 8.8 million. In song sales and radio airplay (the final 2 measures influencing the Hot R&B Songs chart), Water had a 17-percent increase in download sales over that time and a 4% decrease in airplay audience across all formats with 2,000 downloads sold. It topped the World Digital Song Sales, Rhythmic Airplay and Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay charts in the United States. Water peaked at #15 in Canada, where it was certified quadruple platinum by Music Canada, and was certified double platinum by the RIAA in the United States. . User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply. — lastfm
- "Water" is a song by South African singer Tyla from her debut studio album, Tyla (2024). It was released on 28 July 2023 by Fax and Epic Records as the album's lead single. An amapiano song with elements of pop, R&B and Afrobeats, it sees Tyla expressing a desire for a passionate, intimate trust. — wikipedia
Chart history
Peak position and weeks on chart across Australian community countdowns.
| Chart | Peak | Most recent | Weeks on |
|---|---|---|---|
| ARIA Top 50 Singles | #6 | 2024-05-20 (#49) | 32 |
