Tyla is being real: She had no clue who Nancy Pelosi was when they snapped a picture.
In a new interview with People, the South African star shared the backstory behind a photo she snapped with the former House Speaker at the Clive Davis Pre-Grammy Gala last month.
“I had no idea,” she told the outlet. “I didn’t know who she was, honestly, but I think she may have known [me] because she asked to take a picture with me.
“I was like, ‘OK, cool,’” Tyla recounted. “She held my hand, and I was like, ‘Are you sure we should hold hands?’ Because I didn’t know. I was kind of feeling a bit tight, but she was like, ‘Hold my hand, hold my hand.’ It was cute.”
In the original photo, Pelosi could be seen smiling as Tyla held her left hand. Pelosi’s Office told Rolling Stone that the politician had no comment on the encounter.
It was a star-studded night for Tyla, who also shared her excitement for having met Cher. “I was like, ‘What the heck?’ I was literally in so much shock. I love her,” Tyla said. “She’s always been an inspo … I can’t wait to even tell my kids, that’s how much of a good time I had,” she added.
The Grammys party made have led to her meeting Cher and a politician she didn’t know, but in a recent Rolling Stone interview, Tyla had some thoughts on parties in the U.S.
“Parties close way too early in America. Why are you guys going home at 2 a.m.?” she told Rolling Stone last week. “Our parties go till whenever — some people leave at 1 p.m. the next day. In America, I feel like the parties are more for networking than partying. In South Africa, it’s literally purely just to dance. Everyone is dancing.”
The new interview with People comes as Tyla dropped her full-length, self-titled album on Friday, following the success of her single “Water.” The pop-infused amapiano album featured songs such as “No.1” with Tems, “On My Body” with Becky G, and “Jump” featuring Gunna and Skillibeng.
“Tyla’s debut, sure to be on repeat at better house parties this year, shows she’s up to the challenge; amapiano probably couldn’t ask for a more effective ambassador,” read a Rolling Stone review of the LP.