Tyla’s VMA debut will go down in red carpet fashion history.
On Wednesday night, the South African artist made her first appearance at the MTV Video Music Awards. As she walked the red carpet at New York’s UBS Arena, she gave a style lesson in color theory by combining three extremely bright hues – and making them all work together perfectly.
The outfit consisted of a strapless, figure-hugging chartreuse minidress by Area, complete with floor-length fringe on the sides. As if that wasn’t colorful enough, she added extra accents with other elements of her look, from salmon-pink strappy sandals to a turquoise necklace. (The latter paired perfectly with her matching underwear, which peeked out from under her dress.)
Tyla received three nominations tonight in the categories of Best New Artist, Best R&B and Best Afrobeats, with the latter two categories recognizing her work on her 2023 hit single “Water.”
Since releasing her self-titled debut studio album in March 2024, the singer has quickly risen through the ranks of pop stardom – a feat no doubt helped by her seductive red carpet style. She topped best-dressed lists everywhere with looks she wore to high-profile events like the Met Gala last May and the BET Awards in July.
In an interview in April 2024 with Harper’s BazaarTyla described her fun and innovative approach to fashion. “I love incorporating tiger prints and the effortless island vibe – especially during this time because it’s how I introduce myself to the world and those themes are a big part of the stuff we do. We’re introducing it as part of the Tyla story,” she said. “It’s just so much fun to make it exciting for fans. I’m excited to perform more and give people more images and content and just expand the world that we’ve created and let more people in – just like it used to be when I was younger and a fangirl. I really want to create that kind of excitement again.”
As deputy editor at HarpersBAZAAR.com, Chelsey stays on top of celebrity news. She also writes about social movements and connects with activists fighting for workers’ rights, climate justice, and more. Offline, she’s probably spending too much time on TikTok, rewatching Emma (the 2020 version, of course), or buying another corset.
