Tyla Wins Double at the 2026 AMAs: Best Afrobeats Artist and Social Song of the Year
Tyla is not slowing down for anyone. At the 52nd American Music Awards held on 25 May 2026 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, the South African superstar walked away with two awards in one night. She won Best Afrobeats Artist for the second consecutive year. She also won Social Song of the Year for her smash hit “CHANEL.” AfrobeatsGlobal is breaking down exactly why this night matters for African music on the global stage.
Tyla Wins Best Afrobeats Artist at the 2026 AMAs Back to Back
The competition in the Best Afrobeats Artist category was absolutely stacked this year. Tyla went up against Burna Boy, Wizkid, Rema, and MOLIY. Those are not light opponents. However, when the fan votes were counted, Tyla came out on top once again.
This is her second consecutive win in a category that has only existed since 2023. At the 51st AMAs held on 26 May 2025 at Fontainebleau Las Vegas, Tyla made history as the first woman and first South African ever to win Best Afrobeats Artist. That night, she beat Wizkid, Rema, Tems, and Asake to take it home. In her acceptance speech, she spoke warmly about faith, growth, and manifesting her dreams.
Furthermore, defending a title like this in a fan-voted show is never guaranteed. The AMA winners are determined entirely by public voting after nominees are shortlisted based on streaming figures, album and song sales, radio airplay, and tour grosses. In other words, fans decide the outcome. Tyla’s fanbase, the “Tygers,” showed up in numbers once again. That level of sustained fan engagement is what separates a one-time moment from a genuine era.
“CHANEL” Wins Social Song of the Year: A Historic Moment for African Music
The second win of the night may actually be the bigger headline. Tyla won Social Song of the Year for “CHANEL,” becoming the first international artist to ever win that category. The competition included Disco Lines and Tinashe’s “No Broke Boys,” PinkPantheress’s “Illegal,” Role Model’s “Sally, When the Wine Runs Out,” and Zara Larsson’s “Lush Life.” She beat all of them.
Social Song of the Year recognizes the track with the biggest online presence and fan engagement across the calendar year. “CHANEL” earned it on every level. The track has surpassed 354 million streams on Spotify. Moreover, it reached 4.18 million daily streams on the Spotify Global chart, which actually surpassed the 3.9 million daily streams Tyla had previously peaked at with her global breakout “Water.”
In addition, “CHANEL” climbed to number eight on the Spotify Global chart. That made Tyla the first African artist ever to have multiple Top 10 hits on the global Spotify chart. The song was also nominated for Best Music Video at this same ceremony, showing just how much cultural ground it covered in a single release cycle.
What Is “Chanel,” and Where Does It Come From?
Released on 24 October 2025, “CHANEL” is the lead single from Tyla’s upcoming second studio album A*Pop. The track blends Afrobeats, amapiano, and pop into a confident, high-energy anthem about knowing your worth. The hook centers on demanding the best in love, and the production from P2J and Ian Kirkpatrick brings that energy to life perfectly.
However, the song was not without its controversy. American rapper Yung Miami publicly accused Tyla of appropriating the concept from an unreleased track she claimed to have privately shared. The dispute generated significant online discussion. Tyla did not respond publicly, and no legal action followed. If anything, the noise only pushed more people to the song. Sometimes that is just how the internet works.
Tyla Is Now a Three-Time AMA Winner
With tonight’s double win, Tyla now has three AMA awards in total. She is a three-time American Music Award winner. That places her among the most decorated African artists in the entire history of the show. Furthermore, she is heading into the second half of 2026 with serious momentum because A*Pop, her second studio album, is scheduled for release on 24 July 2026.
This night also raised important questions about what Afrobeats representation at Western award shows can look like going forward. The Best Afrobeats Artist category now has a face that global audiences consistently vote for. However, conversations around who defines the genre and who gets recognized in it are very much alive. AfrobeatsGlobal will continue covering all of it.
Tyla is making global pop history while carrying the African sound everywhere she goes. Two awards in one night at one of America’s biggest music ceremonies is not small. It is a statement.
What do you think about Tyla’s double win at the 2026 AMAs? Did the right songs and artists get recognized? Drop your thoughts in the comments below, share this post with every Afrobeats fan you know, and follow AfrobeatsGlobal for more coverage from across the African music world. Check out our previous blog on Kwami Eugene Says TGMA Has Never Recognized His Songwriting.
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