Meet Tyla's parents: All about Sharleen and Sherwin Seethal
Tyla Laura Seethal is one of the youngest artists taking the music world by storm. At 22, she won her first Grammy Award for Best African Music Performance for her hit song Water in 2024. Tyla's parents, Sharleen and Sherwin Seethal, played an important role in nurturing her passion for music and encouraging her talent from an early age. In an interview with Numéro magazine in February 2024, Tyla said:
My parents were very strict, so we often stayed at home, which basically forced us to become best friends.
Source: UGC
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Key takeaways
- Tyla's parents, Sherwin and Sharleen, are South African citizens.
- Her mother, Sharleen, is a talent scout and casting director at SWT Castings.
- Sherwin is an accountant and financial professional.
- Tyla's parents initially doubted her music career, so they gave her a year to prove herself before moving on.
- In 2024, her parents travelled to the United States for the first time to support her at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards.
Tyla's profile summary
Full name | Tyla Laura Seethal |
Gender | Female |
Date of birth | 30 January 2002 |
Age | 24 years old (as of 2026) |
Place of birth | Johannesburg, South Africa |
Nationality | South African |
Ethnicity | Mixed |
Religion | Christianity |
Height in inches | 5'3" |
Height in centimetres | 160 |
Father | Sherwin |
Mother | Sharleen |
Siblings | 3 |
Marital status | Single |
School | Edenglen High School |
Profession | Singer |
X (Twitter) | |
TikTok | |
Who are Tyla's parents?
Tyla is one of four children born to Sharleen and Sherwin Seethal. Her parents raised her in Johannesburg, South Africa, where they encouraged her interests while also wanting her to pursue a stable career.
Here is a closer look at Tyla's parents and their influence on her journey to becoming an internationally recognised singer.
Sherwin Seethal
Tyla's father, Sherwin Seethal, works in the insurance industry. According to his LinkedIn profile, he is the Chief Insurance Finance Officer at Alpha Insure, an independently owned cell captive UMA in Southern Africa. He previously served as the company's head of accounting in insurance.
Sherwin attended Sparks Estate Senior Secondary before enrolling at IIE Varsity College, where he earned a diploma in financial accounting.
Although Sherwin initially had concerns about Tyla pursuing music, he eventually became one of her supporters as her career progressed.
Source: Original
Sharleen Seethal
Tyla's mother, Sharleen Jasmin, is a talent scout and casting director at SWT Castings. The agency connects talent and modelling agencies with clients seeking people for castings and media events. According to her Facebook bio, Sharleen studied at Ennerdale Secondary School (Tech).
Sharleen also played an important role in nurturing Tyla's love for music. In a video shared by AfroBeating on TikTok about Tyla Seethal's family in October 2023, Tyla revealed that her mother always wanted her to sing. Her mother responded:
You know why, Tyla? You just touched my heart; every time I felt sad.
Are Tyla's parents Indians?
The South African singer has a diverse family background. Her father, Sherwin, is Indian, while her mother, Sharleen, has Zulu, Irish, Mauritian and Indian heritage.
Source: Getty Images
Tyla has also spoken publicly about her mixed background. On 13 June 2024, she addressed criticism over her description of herself as coloured in a post on X. She wrote:
Yoh guys. Never denied my blackness, I don't know where that came from. I'm mixed with black/Zulu, Irish, Mauritian/Indian, and coloured. In South Africa, I would be classified as a coloured woman, and in other places, I would be classified as a black woman. Race is classified differently in different parts of the world.
Why Tyla's parents doubted her music career
Tyla's journey into music was not initially an easy decision for her family. Before she became famous, her parents wanted her to prioritise her education and pursue a more conventional career.
Source: Getty Images
In an interview with 102.7 KIIS FM, Tyla recalled her parents' reaction to her desire to become a professional singer. She said:
My parents were like, 'You have to study, there's no way you're doing music.' Especially in South Africa, not a lot of people at the time were doing what I wanted to do right, which was become a pop star globally.
Tyla added:
So my parents were like, 'Be realistic. You need to work, this can be a side hobby.
Tyla revealed that she became emotional while trying to convince her mother to allow her to pursue music. She eventually asked for a year to prove that she could make the career work.
Her parents agreed, giving her the chance she wanted. Tyla subsequently released Getting Late, a song that helped establish her as an emerging artist. She eventually left school, where she had been studying mining engineering, to concentrate fully on her music career.
Source: Getty Images
Tyla's career continued to grow, earning her international recognition and a historic Grammy win in 2024. Her parents travelled to the United States for the first time to join her at the Grammy Awards, where she won the inaugural Grammy Award for Best African Music Performance for Water.
They also supported her at the SA Style Awards in South Africa in March 2024, where she was named Most Stylish Performing Artist.
Who are Tyla's siblings
Tyla has three siblings: two sisters, Whitney Jasmin and Sydney, and a younger brother named Tyrese. Unlike the singer, her siblings have largely stayed out of the public eye, so little is known about their personal lives and careers. They are, however, part of the family that has supported Tyla throughout her journey to international music stardom.
FAQs
- Who are Tyla's parents? Her parents are Sharleen and Sherwin Seethal.
- What are Tyla's parents' jobs? Her father works in insurance finance, while her mother is a talent scout and casting director.
- What is Tyla's parents' age? Their exact ages have not been publicly disclosed.
- Are Tyla's parents rich? There is no reliable public information confirming Tyla's parents' net worth.
- Is Tyla from a wealthy family? Her family's financial status has not been publicly confirmed.
- Is Tyla mixed race? She has described herself as having Black/Zulu, Irish, Mauritian/Indian and Coloured heritage.
- How many siblings does Tyla have? Tyla has three siblings: Whitney Jasmin, Sydney and Tyrese.
- Does Tyla have a twin sister? Tyla does not have a twin sister.
- What is Tyla suffering from? Tyla suffered a severe back injury that forced her to cancel her 2024 world tour and several festival appearances to focus on her recovery.
Tyla's parents, Sharleen and Sherwin Seethal, were initially cautious about their daughter pursuing music as a career. However, after she proved herself, they became strong supporters of her journey. Their support has allowed them to celebrate some of Tyla's biggest milestones, including her historic Grammy win in 2024.
Briefly.co.za recently published a biography of Ed Sheeran's wife, Cherry Seaborn. She is best known as the wife of British singer Ed Sheeran. The couple first met as teenagers while attending the same school.
Cherry Seaborn Sheeran was born in Suffolk, England, and is a businesswoman and consultant with experience across multiple sectors. She began her career at Deloitte's New York office in 2014 as a Finance and Operational Risk Consultant, after earning a Master’s in Management Studies from Duke University.
Source: Briefly News
Favour Adeaga (Lifestyle writer) Dr. Favour Adeaga is an author, speaker, and coach. He graduated with a degree in Mass Communication from The Polytechnic, Ibadan, Nigeria. He did his internship at The Nation Newspaper and taught diploma students in Newspaper and Magazine courses at the Nasarawa State University, Keffi. He has curated the facts and life hacks category since 2018. Dr Favour is the author of several books available on Amazon. He currently lives in Nigeria. Email: favouradeaga@gmail.com
John Ouma (Lifestyle writer) John Ouma is a print journalist with seven years of newsroom experience, known for sharply argued think pieces at the intersection of power, politics, and society. He was awarded the FirstGen scholarship by Biola University and a merit-based scholarship by AMDA College in January 2021. Between 2018 and 2022, he worked as an opinion columnist for The Standard and Nation Africa. He is currently writing his debut literary-historical fiction novel and will enrol in a B.A. in film production at EICAR in France in the fall of 2026. Email: gervasjohn97@gmail.com
