Tyla, winner of the "Best Afrobeats" award for “PUSH 2 START” poses in the press room during the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards at UBS Arena on September 07, 2025 in Elmont, New York.Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for MTV
Tyla went home with her second MTV VMAs award, beating strong competition to snag ‘Best Afrobeats’ with “PUSH 2 START.” An obviously excited Tyla took to the UBS Arena to continue what’s been a winning streak at international award shows, again showing why she’s one of the biggest crossover artists in the world right now.
Tyla attends the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards at UBS Arena on September 07, 2025, in Elmont, New York.Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images
Created in 2023, the first Afrobeats category at the VMAs was won by Rema, whose “Calm Down” had cemented its global hit status through a Selena Gomez remix. The award organisers showed their international-facing requirements when they awarded “Water” the category a year after, at the time further highlighting the spectacular run of the South African artist’s pop-piano record, with questions about its sonic origins leading Tyla to give a memorable speech that year.
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“The global impact that ‘Water’ had just proves that African music can be pop music too,” she had said, taking a stance some artists were recently favoring. “Even though Afrobeats has run things and opened doors for us, African music is so diverse.”
Ayra Starr attends the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards at UBS Arena on September 07, 2025, in Elmont, New York.Dia Dipasupil/FilmMagic
It’s unlikely that “PUSH 2 START” will inspire such reflective opinions, with many artists returning to upholding their Afrobeats credentials. Also present at the VMAs were nominees Ayra Starr and Ghanaian star Moliy, whose “Shake It To The Max” was nominated in ‘Best Afrobeats’ as well as ‘Song of Summer.’
Looking the part, the artists flaunted beautiful outfits that aligned their brand direction. For Tyla, it was a cream-colored all-Chanel ensemble matched with stunning maximalist jewelry. Keeping it relatively simple, Ayra’s black leather strapped jumpsuit matched by her buzzcut gave the right doses of grit and allure. Moliy’s shiny dress wore a seamless confidence about it, with her makeup amplifying the look.
Moliy attends the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards at UBS Arena on September 07, 2025, in Elmont, New York.Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images
In what was meant to be an American affair, our African stars (and especially the women) definitely showed up and showed up remarkably.
