Tyla Yawah’s story is about perseverance and choosing the bare minimum rather than not making a career out of what he loves.

The Orlando, Florida native grew up like most kids with no direction – without purpose and a lack of caring about where their future would take them. It’s what led Yawah to turn to the streets on occasion to provide for himself, especially during his teenage years.

By the time Tyla had been fired from his job at Dunkin Donuts, he had discovered that music was his calling, but he had no resources or means to make it big in the Sunshine State. That’s when he decided to make the over 2,500-mile drive from his hometown to Los Angeles.

When in L.A., the 28-year-old multigenre artist spent a month couch-surfing before he ran out of money. That’s when he asked his homie Jomi Jome, who made the trip from Orlando to California, to drop him off on Venice Beach with nothing but a skateboard and a suitcase. It was there that he learned what survival and the hunger to make it was all about.

“I will never be that person to forget where you came from and I want to keep that vulnerability every single day. Sometimes I'll just be in a mode of I'm still new to this game and I still don't know nothing,” Yawah told BET during a recent interview. “Orlando was the story behind my background, and it's the one that made me Tyla Yawah who was here out here pursuing his dreams.”

Since moving to L.A. eight years ago, Tyla has made some big inroads in creating a successful music career. A day-one supporter of Post Malone, whom he opened for during some of the Dallas rapper’s earliest shows, he deployed his persistent nature that eventually helped land him a situation with the rapper’s London Entertainment (via Epic Records). From there, Yawah studied one of his best friend’s habits – whether it be touring, recording, or even handling themselves as a highly-successful artist.

“Just learning and being around a multidiamond artist and [him] jumping straight into arenas, I'm grateful for every second that it showed me,” he explains. “It's making me a pop artist now of learning how to move, to make the best music and how to give your fans who you are.”

In 2023, Tyla Yawah’s outlook is more promising than ever. In August, he released his latest LP, Heart Full of Rage 2, showcasing the singles “Summer Vibes” and “City of Dreams,” both of which charted with the latter featuring Chris Brown – someone Yawah calls not only a collaborator but a friend in the surreal world he’s placed himself.

“We made a song that is like so powerful. It's about manifesting your life, whatever you want – the first time you drove it, the next time you own it,” he said of the single. “That's one thing that I feel about that song that it is so powerful to me because it's actually me living in the City of Dreams.”

Overall, Heart Full of Rage 2 details the strife and perseverance Tyla has exemplified over his career. Whether it’s tracks like “Bad Luck” or “Will I See You Again,” he runs the gambit of emotions one does when music quite literally gives them a purpose in life. “It's the epitome of my maturity, my vulnerability and showing people where I'm going to be in the next 30-40 years,” he says.

“I just love music so much, and it's to the point I'm not really caring about the success it brings to me,” Yawah adds. “I care about the joy of when I see people move or when I see me finishing a song; it’s such a happiness to me. It’s my meditation.”

A few weeks ago, everything came full circle for Tyla Yawah as he returned to Venice. One might think the confrontation with his past would be bittersweet, but for him, it was nothing but fun and the understanding of paying homage to a time that made him who he was.

“I went there just to feel that feeling. I even sang with a random guitarist and was enjoying myself,” he describes. “People were coming up to me and I was just looking at spots where I [used to sleep] just to feel that feeling and be back in that. Never forget where you came from.”

For Tyla, it’s his music and the joy of making it to where he’ll be for the foreseeable future. Luckily for him, he’s got fans, one of the best-selling musicians in the world, and a drive full of bangers he’s ready to record to climb even further up the ladder.

“I'm growing every single day and you guys are watching the growth, so like that's the best part about it,” Yawah says, revealing that he was heading to the studio just a few hours after our interview. “I'm here mind, body, spirit and soul just enjoying the moments and I'm watching you as you guys watch me.”

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