Johannesburg, Friday, 15th November 24 – Today one of the most influential and dynamic figures in the Amapiano space, Tyler ICU, releases his eagerly awaited album ‘Lucent’, a collection of soulful and spiritually charged tracks yet still incorporating the producer’s signature thumping sound that promises to further cement his place as a global ambassador for the Amapiano movement.
Tyler ICU has had an undeniable meteoric rise in the last few years. Praised for his innovative approach, he has garnered widespread international acclaim for his dynamic soundscapes and infectious beats. A household name on the ground-breaking Amapiano scene, Tyler ICU stands as one of its main ambassadors, while the genre and cultural movement that have revolutionized South Africa over the last decade continue to rise globally.
As a result of his relentless hard work and prevalent talent, last year marked a new career height. His 2023 multi-platinum single “Mnike” has become the biggest and one of the first fully global Amapiano hit records, with international megastars such as Rihanna touting it as her song of the year.
“Mnike” amassed nearly 100 million audio streams, 46 million views on YouTube, and 6 billion views on TikTok. It dominated the charts in South Africa, holding the #1 position for 16 weeks on the official charts, for #14 weeks on Spotify and for 11 weeks on Apple Music. Simultaneously, the record-breaking song climbed to #31 on the Global Shazam chart, and hit the Spotify Viral Global 50 chart, while also reaching Apple Music’s Top 100 in 40 territories. Unsurprisingly, Tyler ICU bagged a nomination as ‘Best African Act’ at the 2023 MTV Europe Music Awards, alongside Burna Boy, Asake, Libianca and Diamond Platnumz.
The internationally acclaimed producer kicked off 2024 with the release of Distortion EP (a compilation of tracks from his own record label, Baby Blue Entertainment), which spawned the hit “Ebasini” and followed with the saxophone-laden single “Government” and the tongue-in-cheek “Manzi Nte.” With the release ‘Lucent’, – a powerful, 15 track project that blends spirituality, self-awareness and his signature sound, Tyler ICU prepares to close off the year on a high.
‘Lucent’ is named after and is a dedication to Tyler ICU’s grandmother “The album title is my grandmother’s name; the whole album feels like I’m being raised by her again. It shows growth and how she moulded me to be the man that I am today.” This album highlights Tyler’s evolution as an artist, showcasing a deeper and more personal side to him, pushing the boundaries of Amapiano while remaining rooted in his heritage. Setting the tone for the album with the release of ‘Ngilimele’ Tyler ICU speaks on the song, ‘When the song was made in the studio, we were all going through hardships which created a space where everyone was in their feelings, in my space personally it was about a girl I loved.’ He further adds ‘You can hear the keys and the melody, which provides the intense feelings of being hurt and zoned out to the tune that touches your heart.’
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The songs on ‘Lucent’ offer a deeper layer of self-awareness and spiritual introspection “On this album I tapped more on the spiritual/religious side from my grandmother’s teachings about God, Love and about the World”. Tyler ICU delivers a body of work that not only moves the body but also touches the soul, embodying a unique fusion of spirituality, self-awareness, and amapiano’s signature groove.
Career Milestones:
South African Music Awards Nominee – Record of the Year (Banyana, 2022)
SA Amapiano Awards Winner – Best Amapiano Produced Song (Izolo, 2023)
MTV EMA Nominee (2023)
Metro FM Awards Nominee – Best Collaboration, Song of the Year, Artist of the Year, Best Viral Challenge, Best Amapiano (2024)
BET Award Nominee, Viewers Choice: Best New International Act (2024)
ABOUT TYLER ICU
Influenced by his DJ father and his vibrant township of Tembisa, Johannesburg, Tyler ICU was always immersed in music. Starting as a teenage producer out of the back room of his home, and working with multiple artists everyday after school, he quickly gained recognition in the South African Hip-Hop scene.
After co-producing and contributing to multiple records, his journey as a lead artist began in 2020 with his breakout EP ‘Money Heist’ featuring the hit “Bella Ciao” (Metro Boomin and Don Toliver partied to it recently), followed by his 2021 joint project with DJ Maphorisa ‘Banyana’, and his debut solo full-length project ‘Buya Nini’ in 2022.
In 2023, his #1 record-breaking hit “Mnike” became one of the biggest Amapiano song that travelled around the globe and a favourite to many, including the likes of Rihanna.
Tyler ICU continued with his 2023 supremacy as a guest feature on tracks such as “Suka”, “Jealousy”, “Dalie”, as well as being the executive producer on Tumelo.za’s debut EP, ‘A.L.I’.
Nominated 5x at the South African Music Awards (2022), for ‘Best African Act’ at the last MTV European Music Awards (2023), and for ‘Best New International Act’ at this year’s BET Awards (2024), he embarked on a world tour, performing stages across Canada, UK, Australia, Asia and Europe, including festivals such as AfroNation and the Notting Hill Carnival.
Known for his innovative signature sound blending various genres, mastermind producer and entertainer Tyler ICU has garnered widespread acclaim for crafting dynamic soundscapes and immersive experiences that resonate with listeners’ feelings.
Dedicated to spread vibes, inspire enjoyment, dance and freedom of expression, his stage name reflects this energy, whether interpreted as ‘Intensive Care Unit‘, symbolising the electrifying nature of his beats, or ‘I See You’, signifying the connection with his audience.
While Amapiano continues to rise globally, and inspire artists from many horizons, Tyler ICU has become one of its most prominent figures and main ambassadors, while inspiring the youth and nurturing emerging talents through his own imprint, Baby Blue Entertainment.