Calling all Tygers! Tyla is British Vogue’s March Cover Star

0:05I'm Chloe. And I'm Chomenadi, and you're listening to The Run Through. Congratulations on one of my favorite British Vogue covers yet. It is just such a fabulous graphic celebration. It feels like a party in a cover. Oh, thanks. I feel the same. I really love, like, I just love how it pops, you know? I think, and Tyler was such a, she was such a joy to work with. she just has like star power and it's so fantastic to to sort of meet someone and see someone at that stage in their career when they're just sort of fizzing with like excitement and just constantly looking around and being like wow pinch me like I'm doing my dreams are a reality it was just so fun she gave so much of her time and she was there on the set until 10 30 p.m like anything that the photographer wanted to do.

1:03She did. Like Raph Pavarotti, he's an incredible photographer we've been wanting to work with for a while. He had the crazy suggestion of like filming her like, you know, under rain. So there was all this kind of artificial rain in the studio. There was rain in the studio? Mm-hmm. Sometimes when you see a shoot, you can see it was an exciting, dynamic, collaborative on-set experience. And that's what you get from these photos. They just seem like everyone really was having a great time. him yeah and on today's show we actually have my colleague for me fetter who wrote the cover story she went she traveled to south africa to do it oh wow um yeah which was so cool she went to a a tyler concert there which was you know i mean people were bouncing off the wall they call the the tyler fans tigers oh cute so we spoke to tyler together and yeah it was a real treat i'm so excited to hear a conversation.

1:57But first, Choma, this was a very packed weekend. I don't know if you felt that way. I think you did. I did. But there was the BAFTAs, which you hosted the party for. There was the Saturday Night Live's 50th anniversary spectacular, which was events over two nights. There was the White Lotus premiere in Bangkok on HBO. And we are very lucky because our very own Liam Hess, living editor, attended the premiere in Thailand and had the exclusive American press access. Liam, I want to hear everything. Set the scene for you and the cast of Weight Lotus in Bangkok. I mean, I have to say, as a fan of the show, it was probably the fastest yes I've ever said to any invite ever.

2:50It was so exciting. Yeah, and it was a real extravaganza. They really laid on everything for this premiere. They took over the Four Seasons in Bangkok, which is the sister hotel to the one that's in the show, which is actually in Koh Samui. And all of the cast were around and about. You could see them kind of having breakfast together and catching up or Parker Posey swanning through the corridors, her muumuu kind of trailing behind to her. I would have traveled to Bangkok just to see that. Yeah, she is one of a kind, truly. So we all started at the hotel. We were all escorted in this kind of flotilla of boats up the river to the cinema where the premiere was being held.

3:39And I think the craziest thing of all was just seeing the response to Lisa from Blackpink, who is, of course, from Thailand. And you don't really realize the scale of her fame there until you're there and you witness it firsthand. Because she's sort of like the Taylor Swift or the Beyonce of Thailand. And everywhere she went, she was kind of flanked by this army of security guards. And all of the fans were screaming for her. They were all around the dock. They were all lining up the red carpet. So that was pretty crazy. And I have to hand it to her because I spoke to her at the after party and she was super humble.

4:19It was her first major acting role. So she was so excited to have it released into the world. And obviously, The White Lotus is very much an ensemble show. And you definitely got the sense that she didn't want to be hogging all of the spotlight. She was really excited to be part of this cast of amazing actors. And she was palling around with Patrick Schwarzenegger and Sarah Catherine Hook, who plays the daughter of Parker Posey and Jason Isaac's character. Yeah, they were all certainly having a good time. I mean, there was a lot to be entertained by. There was fire breathing dancers. There were drag queens.

5:04So this wasn't your average TV premiere. It certainly wasn't. know. And they, yeah, and there was an amazing Thai rapper called Millie, and I'm now obsessed with her. And lots of White Lotus themed food and cocktails and all the rest. Did they put you up at the hotel? They did. And then they very kindly actually then I was allowed to go to the hotel in Koh Samui where they actually filmed the show for two nights afterwards. And it was pretty spectacular. And I heard that the hotel that they filmed the previous season in was booked out for I think like a year after they filmed it there so if you do want to visit then now's the time.

5:46Patrick Schwarzenegger was especially eager to be interviewed by Vogue because he was wearing a very dapper Tommy Hilfiger archival suit that was very very... So on trend archives. Yeah his only regret was that it was incredibly hot as you can imagine and he was wearing a woolen suit so what did you wear i actually left my suit in london so i had to run no get out thank god for zara ran there and got a linen suit a few hours before the premiere um and that was sort of the recurring theme actually when i all of the actors i spoke to when i was asking them what was it like to film in thailand they're like it was fantastic uh the food was amazing it'll ruin thai food for you wherever you're going back to, but it was hot.

6:31They were like, everyone's top tip was, if you're visiting Thailand, bring a handheld fan. Wow. Although I later learned, actually, that part of the reason why I think their experience of it was so crazy in terms of the heat is because when they were filming the show, they couldn't use air conditioning because it would mess up the camera lenses. Oh, wow. So they were filming scenes, for example, in their beds in, like, 30, well, 35-degree heat. That doesn't translate to the American. We can translate that, hold on. But yeah, they were filming scenes under their duvets. 95 degrees. Oof. Oh, God.

7:08Liam, did you wear any tropical wear? Did you have like a Bodhi Hawaiian shirt? I did not. I had a very jazzy kind of paisley print Gucci shirt that I did not forget to pack. And I wore that with my linen suit. So I managed to stay cool, hopefully in both senses of the word. I don't know Liam please go take a nap after an epic journey and thank you so much for being our White Lotus man in Havana man in Bangkok my pleasure and keep watching the show because there are a lot more twists and turns to come Choma your amazing British Vogue British GQ fashion and film party that was the unofficial official back of the after party.

8:01Yeah, it was a lot of fun. And we had Adam Badawi, who's the head of GQ in the UK, on earlier this week chatting about it. And I'm still kind of like floating on a high from it because it was so fun. It was so starry. It was so great that our hosts, Adrian Brody, Mikey Madison, Cynthia Erivo and Harris Dickinson your favorite who was super charming it was great that two of them won BAFTAs and Adrian rocked up with his BAFTA which was really fun and was like yeah posing with it which was really fun I think he was really pumped to win and I'd like a full A to Z breakdown of your look I was obsessed with this Vivian Westwood dress you wore How did you find it?

8:51How did you get into it? Yeah, it was actually two pieces and Honey Sweet Elias styled me. So I had mentioned Vivienne to her before because I always try and wear British designers where possible. And last year I wore a vintage Vivienne Westwood look and I just thought, well, let's see what there is that's current. But I didn't look at the collection. And so it was sort of a surprise when on the Wednesday before the party, there was this look there. and I thought about it and I was like yeah let's let's try it but it was corseted so there was like a zippered corset and a skirt and let me tell you it took Honey and Yasmin Honey who's my executive assistant to get into the dress um yeah yeah I was not feeling very confident that week I was like oh no I don't actually want to get out of my sweatpants it's cold and And I don't want to get dressed up.

9:45And then it was like, whoop, I sort of hatched out of an egg and was like a new woman in this Vivian Westwood look. Well, you looked fabulous and the party looked like so much fun. Yeah. There was a lot going on this weekend besides the BAFTAs. There was also Saturday Night Live's big 50th anniversary, which is so wild that that show has remained relevant and at the forefront of the culture for half a century. The whole weekend felt like a sort of homage to Lorne Michaels, who's the creator and runs SNL. And it was just huge star wattage all around. On Friday night, there was this enormous concert at Radio City Music Hall with everyone from Cher to Backstreet Boys performing.

10:36So every generation got very excited. Wow. And then Sunday night, it was Black Tie. It was at Studio 8H, which is where SNL is filmed every week. And it was a 50th anniversary special show with tons of former cast members, former hosts, characters that people love, like my favorite, Mike Myers, Linda Richman from Coffee Talk. I just thought it was really well handled and everyone seemed to be having a great time so that was really fun I watched it I mean can we talk about Emma Stone's popcorn dress it was so hilarious to me to see people kind of people commenters pick up on the funniest things they were just like well I guess she's not gonna have somebody else is gonna have to clean up the popcorn I'm like it's funny it's SNL like let her put some popcorn on the red carpet Also, she probably did pour it out into the trash or eat some of it.

11:36Like, everyone simmered down. I did wonder about the, like, atelier at Vuitton because it was custom Louis Vuitton being like, ugh, popcorn grease is getting in here. Like, was it buttery popcorn? Because if so, that dress is never going to be worn again. But, yeah, there were some great dramatic looks. We loved the popcorn moment. Dakota Johnson had a crazy slit all the way up her leg. with like the Gucci horse bit connecting it. Kim Kardashian wore what Christian called like her version of the slip dress, which was like metallic and skin tight that Balenciaga made for her. So people really, really went for black tie, took black tie seriously.

12:20Ayo Etabiri wore Colleen Allen straight from the runway. Colleen Allen was one of the designers. Everybody's talking about Colleen Allen. Yeah, everyone loved Colleen. Colleen was a fun fact. once a Vogue intern and Colleen, everyone was talking about her presentation during New York Fashion Week and Ayo looked amazing wearing a velvet gown by her. Chloe Feynman wore a vintage Guy LaRoche dress from 1975. So it was the same age as the show. To me, it was like when people - Oh, that's cool. Sometimes buy a bottle of wine the date that you were born or got married. This weekend, I mean, I do feel like this marathon of awards season is never ending.

13:03This weekend is the Indie Spirit Awards on Saturday, hosted by Aidy Bryant. We were just saying this morning that those do always seem to be sort of a fun one that people take fashion risks with and comedic risks with the hosting. So we'll be watching that. And then on Sunday, the SAG Awards, Screen Actors Guild, are hosted by Kristen Bell. and just one week later, the Oscars. Gosh, it's all happening. We're recording this Wednesday afternoon. London Fashion Week starts tomorrow. What are you looking forward to at London Fashion Week? Oh, there's so many great things I'm looking forward to. On Saturday, Duro always does a really fabulous presentation and he always does it in an amazing location.

13:51So I'm really looking forward to that and serves like homemade biscuits and, you know, like fresh peppermint tea. I'm excited for that on Saturday. And then Jawara Alain has a show that day and so does 16 Arlington, which I'm super looking forward to. Then, of course, Sunday at Simone. I'm looking forward to Connor Ives' show. Erdem, Tolu Koka, who's a really fabulous emerging British designer who was actually on the cover of British Vogue with a trio of other designers the year before I started. And then, of course, on Monday, it's Burberry. It's always like the big kind of grand finale of the week.

14:33And Daniel came to our fashion and film party. It was the first time he was able to come because usually the party is the night before his show. So it was so nice to see him being able to let his hair down and come and relax. And he's been talking. He's sounded very excited about what he has in store. So we're all very excited to see what Burberry looks like. It's going to be a busy weekend, a busy long weekend, but a fun one. Other news that excited our daily stand-up meeting at Vogue.com were A$AP Rocky being acquitted on his trial. because we all have been huge devotees to his looks, his court looks, his court fits have gone over very well in this group.

15:24With Saint Laurent even sending out press releases about some of them, which I love. That's so amazing. That's so amazing. Obviously, I think ASAP has amazing style always. But I've actually been super into Rihanna's looks. um obviously i'm a rihanna stan but i thought you know she wore this fabulous like phoebe philo trench leather trench that um like i've been lusting over um margela like she just i think and she wore this fabulous i think i think it may have been a balenciaga look oh yes a balenciaga the sort of balenciaga printed green dress which is very like a twist on bourgeois like i like her kind of twist on bourgeois slash like you know executive realness so um and then with the the babies in tow i just thought i don't know i think i think it's it's a hard space to dress for you want to communicate the right message and i thought they both navigated that obviously being the best couple in the world in a great way they really are i love to love seeing it on valentine's day Yes.

16:34The couple that goes to court together stays together. We're Salaral together.

16:43The run through will be back in a moment.

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17:37And we're back with our amazing March cover star, Tyler. Tyler, congratulations on your first Vogue cover. Thank you, oh my God. Unbelievable. I was just so impressed with you on the shoot. I know for me, who's on the call with us, who wrote the story, our amazing style editor and I were both there and we were both just like spellbound by you and how how much energy you brought to it how much fun you brought to it how playful you are how you're able to just move in front of the camera in a way that's just like totally out of this world so I wanted to know what it felt like for you I know this was a big moment for you too It was a huge moment.

18:26Not even just a big moment. My first ever Vogue cover. Oh my gosh. It was so exciting. When I heard about it, I couldn't wait to shoot. Literally, I couldn't wait. And just the photographer is insane. I've loved his work for a while. So getting to work with him was also really fun. And just getting there and seeing how collaborative everybody was, especially with the styling. I really feel like I was a part of it. I wasn't just posing, you know, behind the seats. Like leading up to the shoot, I felt really like in it. So on the day, it was fun to just play with everybody. And yeah, I just have fun.

19:07And it was really, really great. Yeah, I loved it. Were there any looks that you put on and thought were unexpected for you? And you were like, oh, I didn't know this could be, I could channel this character. I could be this mood. I could be this girl. Were there any looks that sort of surprised you and you're like, oh, I could do more of this? Like, oh my gosh, I really loved that hair, the short hair. like I never would have went for it but when um it was put on me I was like this is actually hot like it was hot like that with like the belt look with all the belts yeah yeah like I really loved that one and um I loved the one with the really long hair and that outfit that was just Oh, the Bottega.

19:58Yeah, the way that you, seeing that in motion was insane. Yeah, like everything was just so fun to just put on and play with and shoot with, especially those big shoes, like those Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, I don't know what type of shoes. Those were also just so fun to put on. And I don't know, the keys, like literally everything was just fun. Yeah, the Dilara, that was so fab. There were a matching kind of bikini made out of keys. It was amazing. I love the way that you kept up that energy all day because it was quite a long day, wasn't it? Do you remember? It was a pretty long day and you still were just bouncing off the walls and still being really excited.

20:41And I mean, how do you even do that? Because honestly, it was a long day. We wrapped at like 10.30 I think Or 11 Yeah Yeah it was very long Like oh my gosh it was long Like I was eating in between looks But I don't know I think it was because I was genuinely having fun Like it was really fun Everybody was fun We were all making jokes Like everybody just had the same energy Like the assistant stylists were also Brazilian So we were just talking about Brazil And this, this, this Like it was a whole fun day I mean, when we last saw each other, it was when? December, I think. I think it was coming up to Christmas and you were preparing for your arena shows.

21:28I'd love to hear more about what you've been doing since then, because you've had an epic few, well, about a year and a half, 18 months now. Since we saw each other After that show, I literally went on holiday I was literally like, I'm about to spend my December right Because I haven't spent it right in a while Especially since I've gotten busy So this December, I was literally like Joburg, Cape Town I was in Nigeria, I was just partying And just having fun with friends, family I spent a lot of time with family Because I'm hardly in South Africa So I made sure to like Take the time and Yeah, like I was sleeping in my parents' bed again I was annoying my brother We were all just having fun You know, all of us in the house again Like my siblings We all kind of went our own ways So for all of us to be in one house together With our parents really felt good And yeah, and then after that Went back to work in January Did another show and streamed in 40 countries across Africa Which was insane Another Joburg one We went back and it was packed again Once again sold out Everyone really showed out And yeah, it was really cool And then now I'm working on my next project So that's fun We should go back a bit in time Before we go any further because I do want to remind everybody exactly the whirlwind year, well, career that you've had so far.

23:08I mean, your song Water went absolutely everywhere. And I know that on the set, there was a special moment towards the end of the day, which I thought was kind of special because Raph wanted to make it rain in the studio in homage to your breakout hit, which was incredible. But let's go through some of the milestones. You were the youngest African artist to win a Grammy. in 2024. You released your debut for album last year. You've had this incredible rise and I'm sort of curious to know like what have been the most exciting parts about that and what have been the most difficult parts about being in the public eye because I mean now you're sort of a global superstar and it happened so quickly and I think very few people can understand what that must be like.

23:55So I'm always curious to hear like what's that experience been like for you? Yeah, like... Obviously, it's been insane. Like, I love it. It's literally my dream. But I don't think it's what I expected fully. Like, I've had amazing times. Like, I've been traveling. I've been able to bring my sister along. Like, she's able to experience new things with me and just meet new people, make music with people that I've always wanted to make music with. And just be creative and have, like, this is the most fun job. Like, I feel like this is the most fun job you can have. Like, it's just been amazing. And just to see how far the music is going and how what I envisioned is actually coming to life.

24:45It's really exciting, especially at this age. I'm young and fresh and I'm experiencing. Like, when I have kids, I have stories to tell my kids. That's how I'm just so excited about it. But yeah, there's also a lot of difficult things. Just the fact that when you go out, wherever you go, you have to always think, okay, there's probably people that are watching or are going to record you and going to follow you. I don't know. I find that a bit weird and it's annoying at times. But I don't know. I feel like with everything that I'm getting in return, the life that I'm living, I feel like I can deal with that you know I really can deal with that because the upsides are just yeah I just love it you get that sense when you um meeting you and seeing you know the people who are around you you have such a good crew around you and talking about having your sister is that part of how you stay grounded yeah definitely the people around me and my sister for sure because, oh my gosh, my sister is just, also sometimes she's annoying, but she does help me feel like I'm still home.

26:01I feel like I didn't realize how important it was to have somebody like that with me during all of this because it's a lot. This whole world is a lot and it's so different to what I'm used to culturally, everything. It's just different. Like, especially in like South Africa, we don't really have this type of lifestyle like paparazzi. And so coming here and seeing this type of Hollywood lifestyle, it's been very different. And I've been learning how to adapt to it. So having Sydney with me is really fun because she's also able to check me when I need to be checked. That's important. It's important.

26:42And I know that she's honest. Like, I don't want yes men around me. Like if I'm doing something messed up, I'm saying anything messed up, like I want people to let me know. So Sydney is that person. She will always tell me the truth. Are there any examples you could share? There was this one thing that I was supposed to do. And I was just so tired. Like I was exhausted that one morning. Right. And my sister was like, just get up. Like, just get up. Like it'll be done in a few hours. Like, just do it. Like you don't want to just miss this opportunity just because you're tired. and then I was like yeah actually for real and then I did it and I was so happy that I did it you know so I don't know just she just keeps me going and keeps me realizing that this is a once in a lifetime opportunity like don't get too comfortable you know and sleep later sleep later it's a good one one of the things I love hearing is just how much you love Johannesburg you love South Africa so much and you're so proud of where you are.

27:44And I remember you talking to me about how important it was that your first show, your first big show was in Johannesburg. And I'd love you to share that with our listeners about, you know, why that was so important to you and why you have such a deep love for that incredible city. I mean, it's home, you know, like my whole life was spent there. What makes me, Tyler, is rooted in Joburg in South Africa. So I will always have a soft spot for home. But I really wanted to do the show, especially because after Water and for a while, I've been trying to like push my name. So I've been all over the world and I haven't really given home a show.

28:29So I really made it a thing to tell my team, like, guys, no matter how you guys figure it out, I really want to do something for South Africa, for home, for Africa. So we managed to do that and have this headline show for home. And the show out was literally insane. People singing every song word for word. Yes, I was there. I heard it all. It was incredible. It was funny because even like Water, when I was, I started singing it, but then I let them take over and hearing them sing it, you can hear the strong South African accents. I love it. I love it. It was really special. It was so special. It was literally so special.

29:16And it was like literally performing with friends and family because in the crowd I'm hearing, yeah, what the heck? I'm hearing this, this, this. It just felt like family, friends. I mean, South Africans can party. They really, really know how to move and they love to party. It was incredible. We don't care how sweaty we are. We don't care how crazy our makeup looks anymore, our hair. We are on those tables, we're dancing. And yeah, the music literally just takes over. Speaking of music, I know that Fumi got some of this in her story and I know that you wanted to be, you said that since you were little, you knew you wanted to be a singer.

30:00Can you talk a bit about your history with singing? Growing up, music was literally all over the house, everywhere I went. Music is like huge, especially back home. It's in everything that we do. So I kind of really fell in love with it at a very young age. Like my aunt would dance. I have cousins, aunties, uncles that sing. My uncle that sadly recently passed away, he would always pull out a guitar out of nowhere. Like any event, any event that we have, any get together, even if it's not a get together and they just showed up, like he'll pull out a guitar and just start blasting and singing and we would all just join and sing together.

30:48And I always just loved it and watching it on TV, watching concerts and music videos and just seeing how fun it looked. I just wanted to do that so badly. And me falling in love with music, especially like my type of music from back home, but also overseas, like old music, Brian McKnight, Boyz II Men. Old music? Girl, it makes me feel very old. Oh, my bad. But, I mean, it was kind of old. Like, when I was young, I was like... Yeah, I guess it is old now. Yeah, yeah. Like, I was six there, jiving to Stevie Wonder. Like, I was feeling it. So, yeah, like, music is deep-rooted in me. Even my dad, he used to be our alum.

31:37Like, for school, he would come into the room and be like, It's time to wake up. The time is 5.30. and he would make a whole ringtone song and sing it like in the room for us to wake up. So I don't know. I just feel like naturally I fell in love with it. And when did you start performing? I know you had a YouTube channel where you sang covers. Yes. Oh my gosh. I used to try and delete it. Like when I was a teen, you know how you're always embarrassed? Like, oh my word. Because my mom would put it on like for anybody that would come visit. I'm like, ma, I don't even know these people. She'll go put on the whole thing.