Tyla- “I smoked my first cigarette when I was 5.”
Written by Zenna Issa on June 14, 2024
South African music sensation Tyla Laura Seethal, has hoped on the trending ‘I cannot believe I actually got away with…when I was younger’ challenge and her revelation has jaws on the floor.
The 22-year-old, first-time Grammy Award-winning singer and songwriter, was hanging out with digital content creator Nyla Symone.
She opened up about one of the naughtiest things she had ever done as a kid, marvelling at the fact that her parents still hadn’t found out.
“Once when I was like 5 years old I hid behind my parent’s couch and smoked my mother’s cigarette. Like I’m not even joking,” animatedly narrated the ‘Water’ hitmaker.
A shocked Nyla Symone quickly interrupted, asking if the songstress had actually smoked inside the house or if she had the sense to do it outside.
“In the house! I thought I was being so sneaky,” the songstress replied in between chuckles as she recounted the ordeal. She added after she was done with her naughty escapade she cleaned up and decided she would keep everything to herself.
“Honestly, I actually thought I was being so sneaky. And till now my parents did not know, I did not tell them. I don’t know how they did not smell it or how they never knew. I just remember being behind the couch taking puffs,” Tyla stated.
A month ago while speaking during an interview with BBC1xtra Tyla opened up on how she had to “fight” with her parents who strongly wanted her to join university and further her studies after completing high school as opposed to her joining the entertainment scene.
The artist recalled pleading with them severally, while bargaining for just a little time to dip her feet in the industry promising if the craft failed then she’d abide by their wishes.
“I was on the verge, like on the verge!” Started the songstress as she emphasised how close she was to failing to chase after her dream, “I was on the verge of studying mining engineering. I literally almost did (that) instead of doing music,” Tyla said.
Expounding on the ordeal she added; “Literally only because my parents were like, ‘You have to study!’ That was the only reason! So I asked them to give me a year, just a year to prove that I can do this (music) and eventually I got them to agree,”
Finishing up, she credited her song “Getting Late,” which she released in January 2021, for helping soften her parents’ hearts, proving to them that she had great potential.
“And then in that year (2021) I released ‘Getting Late’ and I showed them, yeah I am taking this seriously,” Tyla gleefully said.