From sold-out arenas to a near-flawless live stream, Tyla’s Pretoria concert on January 18, 2025, was a step forward for Africa’s creative and technological prowess, setting a new benchmark for live events.
Tamasha Khanyi, a South African journalist and host at East Coast Radio, described the performance of South African sensation, Tyla, at the grand finale of her “Encore” homecoming tour on July 18 at Time Square’s SunBet Arena in Pretoria with the words “incredible show is an understatement!”
“It was so much more than an entertaining evening where I got to hear some of my favourite songs live. To me, Tyla represents so much for SA’s youth,” she wrote in a LinkedIn post after the concert.
Khanyi is one of many attendees who took to social media to express their appreciation for the sold-out spectacle. According to analysts, the event transcended the boundaries of a mere concert, becoming a historic milestone for African music and entertainment.
According to Mwinyi Kazungu, a Tanzanian entertainment lawyer based in Nairobi, “the success of livestreaming Tyla’s concert sets a new precedence for live events.”
Notably, the event marked not just an entertainment sector success but also marked the first of an unprecedented collaboration, considering it was live-streamed to 44 countries via Showmax, showcasing Africa’s creative prowess to reach a global audience through an homegrown streaming platform.
“It will soon become a norm for anyone looking to pull off a major live event to ensure they livestream it. We have always known we were headed in that direction only that it has happened fast enough through Tyla,” Kazungu explained.
Tyla’s concert in Pretoria was the last in a series of sold-out shows in Cape Town and Pretoria, helping cement her as both a domestic as well as a global force.
There was a lot for the 22-year-old to celebrate with her home fans through the concert. Her 2024 debut album “TYLA”, has amassed over 1.6 billion streams. Dubbed the “Queen of Popiano,” she has earned major accolades, including wins at the BET Awards, MTV Music Video Awards, and Grammys.
From the moment fans began filling the arena, images and video snippets shared on social media showed an atmosphere that was electric.
On stage, Tyla, the youngest-ever African Grammy winner, dazzled with her unique blend of pop, R&B, and amapiano, thrilling the crowd with chart-topping hits like “Water,” “Jump,” and “Truth or Dare.” Her performance was supported by energetic dancers and surprise appearances by fellow artists Daliwonga, Optimist Music ZA, and Ez Maestro, all of whom transformed the stage into a euphoric Amapiano party.
The sold-out show with a live audience exceeding 10000 people attracted a dynamic mix of fans, media personalities, and influencers. Families with young girls sporting Tyla merchandise, teens and young adults, were all united in their admiration for the rising global star.
The concert-goers poured out of the venue with exhilarated faces, some exits were filled with fans chanting lyrics from popular hits such as “Water”, it was clear Tyla had delivered a night to remember.
The concert served as a test for Showmax’s livestreaming technology. While Music Africa, an online music magazine, reported that some fans noted sound quality issues during the stream, Showmax’s response explained that the complaints came from less than 1% of viewers, with an overwhelming 99.99% of feedback being positive.
Yatish Narsi, the Chief Marketing Officer for MultiChoice and Showmax South Africa, described the event as a “technological feat.”
“Scaling to support viewers across 44 countries simultaneously required robust preparation, war-room coordination, and a tech team working around the clock. It’s a game-changer for African artists who have rarely managed to tour the continent,” he explained in a post-concert press statement.
The live stream’s smooth execution, therefore, is in stark contrast to similar events by global platforms. For instance, Netflix’s widely publicized Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson fight faced widespread buffering issues, affecting over 90,000 viewers. In contrast, Showmax delivered a near flawless broadcast, reinforcing the readiness of African platforms to compete on a global stage.
Fans who missed the live event can now relive the magic on Showmax, where the concert will be available on-demand from January 30. For traditional TV audiences, the concert will air on Mzansi Wethu (DStv channel 163) on February 1 at 8:30 PM, with a repeat on February 4.
The inclusion of the concert on Mzansi Wethu, accessible to all DStv packages from Access upwards, ensures that even more South Africans can enjoy this landmark event.
For Tyla, this is just the beginning. As she continues to rise, her journey serves as an inspiration for young African women, proving that the world is ready to embrace their talent, artistry, and stories.
There is even more to expect from the young star this year. She is the most nominated African artist at the 2025 iHeartRadio Music Awards with nominations in three categories: World Artist of the Year, R&B Song of the Year, and Dance Song of the Year.
The iHeartRadio Music Awards are slated for March 17, 2025, and will celebrate most-played artists and songs across iHeartRadio platforms in the past year.
bird story agency
Useful links for editors:
https://stories.showmax.com/ke/tylas-showmax-concert-to-reach-millions-more-on-dstv
https://www.iheart.com/content/2025-01-21-2025-iheartradio-music-awards-see-the-full-list-of-nominees/
https://www.musicinafrica.net/magazine/review-tylas-final-homecoming-concert
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/tamasha-communications-content-writing_tyla-showmax-sunbetarena-activity-7287552874631368704-zMU0?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop
Bird Story Agency is a specialist news agency driven by the resolve to project Africa by telling positive stories about the continent.
