Tyla, the rising South African pop-amapiano superstar, was supposed to be on at the Sutro stage at 6:05 p.m. The stage was already set up: A giant inflatable tiger, a two-sided staircase.
But she was nowhere to be found come showtime. Ten minutes passed, then twenty. Disappointed viewers sulked off in groups to get a good spot at Jungle at the main Lands End stage. Finally, a voice came on the loudspeaker. “Tyla will be on very shortly.” Then, 50 Cent’s “P.I.M.P.” came back on the speakers. The crowd booed; more people trailed off.
Then, a tiger’s roar boomed across the field. At 6:38 p.m. Tyla came on, in a fashionably tattered green hoodie and a flowy, skimpy two-piece.
“San Francisco,” she trilled,” drawing out the “o” in Francisco. “Why is it so cold?”
For exactly four songs — no less than 15 minutes — Tyla’s set was dazzling. She has it. Her feathery soprano was really something to behold; as the kids say, her mic was on. She deployed her lower register on melodies that are, on the recorded version, flirting with her head voice — and it really, really works on songs that are this sensual. She played all of her TikTok hits: “Truth or Dare,” “Jump,” and of course, “Water” in back-to-back succession.
Then, as soon as it began, it just ended. She walked off the stage, without so much as acknowledging the delay. (Which is crazy, because she apologized for not having shaved her armpits before "Water.") We’ll probably never know the reason why she was delayed for so long, but that was likely the briefest performance I’ve ever seen in my years of covering Outside Lands.
The crowd walked off, befuddled and probably a little bit peeved. But despite my annoyance, I couldn’t help but be at least a little bit pleased to witness a star in the wings — especially after she canceled her tour, including the opening night of its North American leg in San Francisco, due to an injury. I sure was happy to hear at least all of “Water” — pound-for-pound, one of the most exceptional pop songs to go big on TikTok. Maybe we do just want the hits.
