When Skyla Tylaa arrived in South Africa recently for a week-long studio camp, there was little time for sightseeing. Because music, for the London-born DJ and artist, was the order of business.
It also shows how serious music is for theyoung creative, who dubs music as her life. While here, she collaborated with some of the country’s brightest talents and continues building a career that has taken her from bedroom livestreams to festival stages around the world.
Music is where she belongs.
“I’ve always known I wanted to do something in music,” she shares over an interview call.
Long before sold-out shows and chart-climbing singles, music was already woven into the fabric of her day-to-day life. Raised between Kennington and Vauxhall in South East London, Skyla grew up in a bustling family where sound was always heard. As one of seven siblings, she was surrounded by a myriad of genres frim reggae, old-school R&B, house music and the infectious energy of family gatherings.
“My mum, my sister, my aunties, my uncles — everybody listened to music,” she recalls. “If you know what it’s like to go to a London christening or barbecue, it’s just vibes. Everybody’s having a good time.”
Those early experiences planted a seed that would continue to grow.
As a child, Skyla explored every corner of music she could find. She attended singing, acting and dancing classes, trained at prestigious performing arts schools and experimented with more instruments than she can count.
“I tried every single instrument,” she laughs.
Yet despite her obvious passion, the right fit remained elusive. That changed when her sister suggested she try DJing.
The timing could not have been more unusual. The world was in lockdown, and like many aspiring creatives, Skyla found herself learning and practising from home. But while she enjoyed building her skills, something felt missing.
“I couldn’t just stay in my room,” she says. “I needed to see people’s energy.”
It is a sentiment that still defines her today.
For Skyla, music has never been about standing in front of a crowd. It is about connecting with one.
That connection became real during her first live gig in London. Looking back, she admits she had no idea what she was doing.
“If I could replay that first gig, everyone would laugh,” she says. “I made mistakes.”
But she also remembers the support. Her siblings showed up. Friends showed up. Even global stars she knew through family connections came through. Standing behind the decks, nervous and inexperienced, she felt something click.
“When I first got the taste of a crowd, I knew. DJing is me.”
The years that followed would change everything.
A trip to Ghana introduced her to amapiano, a genre that immediately captured her imagination. Its rhythm, energy and ability to bring people together felt familiar, echoing the house music she had grown up with while opening a door to something entirely new.
Soon she was learning from some of the culture’s leading figures, including DJ Maphorisa, Major League DJz and Uncle Vinny, while steadily building a reputation for her energetic sets.
Today, Skyla is adding another layer to her artistry through original music. From Bombshell to Black Music, Vele Uyena and her latest Afro-house offering Mean 2 Me, her catalogue reflects an artist unwilling to be confined to a single sound.
“All those songs speak to who I am as a person,” she says. “I love different genres.”
That openness may be what makes Skyla so compelling. She is a DJ, a performer and now an artist finding her voice across continents and cultures.
Yet beneath the growing success lies the same young woman who fell in love with music at family parties in South East London.
Ask her what she wants listeners to feel when they hear her music and her answer is simple.
“I want them to feel connected.”
For Skyla Tylaa, everything begins there.
