Tyla Opens Up About Recovering from Her Back Injury: ‘Getting Better and Getting Stronger’ (Exclusive)

The stage has been calling Tyla’s name — and she’s finally back.

After injuring her back and subsequently canceling her 2024 world tour in March, the 22-year-old South African singer was excited to hit the stage again for a series of recent TV and festival performances to celebrate her debut album and Grammy-winning hit “Water.”

“It felt so good. It’s been hard not being able to do all that,” Tyla tells PEOPLE in an interview about her partnership with Bose to highlight the brand’s Ultra Open Earbuds. “The little that I’m able to do now, I’m just doing wholeheartedly until I get 100% better.”

The tour cancellation put an unfortunate pause on the “Jump” performer’s otherwise meteoric rise to fame since her 2019 debut, but the road block has also given her time to decide what her ideal live show will look like.

“I feel like some people don’t realize how I’m still very new to all of this,” says Tyla. “I’m really enjoying having fun on stage and figuring out what I like, what I want to do, what I don’t want to do. When it comes to my tour, I know it’s just going to be amazing. I look forward to that time.”

While recovery can be “frustrating at times,” she’s taking time to do physical therapy and make sure her body will be ready to handle choreography and a strenuous touring schedule. “Your back is such an important part of your body, so I just want to take my time,” she explains. “I’m looking forward to just getting better and getting stronger.”

Luckily, Tyla has still been able to share music with fans and attend events like the Grammys, MTV VMAs and the Met Gala — partly because she “would literally cry” if she had to sit out. “This is all so much fun. It’s like a dream,” she says. “I feel like I’m in a movie.”

At this point, she looks at the recovery time as a bit of a blessing in disguise. “It’s a moment to just pay attention to myself and slow down,” says the star. “I feel like it’s also something that happened because maybe God wants me to slow down, just breathe and take care of myself.”

Throughout Tyla’s downtime, she’s also been in the studio working on upcoming material. “It’s different,” she teases. “I’ve grown so much this year. I’ve evolved in so many different aspects that this new music is going to be that version of me, the now version of Tyla.”