Tyla “THAT GIRL” Dance: Choreography, Meaning & Fan Reactions
I knew I liked Tyla’s “THAT GIRL” before I knew anything about the discourse surrounding it.
The beat came on and my body basically made the decision for me.
This bounce underneath Tyla’s vocals immediately makes me want to move, and then that pitched vocal moment comes in and scratches a very specific part of my brain. I love the instrumental. I love the little production details. And once I started watching the “THAT GIRL” choreography, the song became even more addictive.
Maybe I notice songs like this differently because I have spent so much of my life dancing. I do not really separate music from movement. When I hear a beat, I notice where my weight wants to shift, where the percussion wants a hit and where a vocal change suddenly creates a new texture.
That is exactly what happened with “THAT GIRL.”
I was not sitting there wondering whether the song had viral potential.
I was already imagining how I wanted to dance to it.
And apparently a lot of other people felt something similar, because people are now searching for the Tyla “THAT GIRL” dance, choreography, dance challenge, phara walk, choreographer, song meaning and music video—while the comment section under the official video has become its own mini pop-culture event.
So yes, there is a lot to unpack.
The song? I love it.
The choreography? Even better.
The YouTube comments?
Girl.
What Is Tyla’s “THAT GIRL”?
“THAT GIRL” is a 2026 song by South African artist Tyla from her second studio album, A*POP. The album was released July 24, 2026 with 14 songs, and “THAT GIRL” appears as track two. The song runs 2 minutes and 56 seconds and was produced by P2J and Cole, with songwriting credits for Tyla, Bibi Bourelly, Douglas Ford, Richard Isong and Cole Ostrin.
The larger A*POP context matters too. Speaking with Apple Music, Tyla described the album as part of her effort to expand what people imagine when they think about an African pop star—both visually and sonically. The project continues the amapiano, R&B and global-pop blend that made her recognizable while leaning more deliberately into her South African identity.
“THAT GIRL” fits comfortably inside that world: confident, playful, luxurious and, most importantly for me, ridiculously easy to move to.
Why Is Tyla’s “THAT GIRL” So Catchy?
The short answer: the production moves before you do.
There is enough percussion underneath Tyla’s vocals to keep the record bouncing without making it feel cluttered. The amapiano-inspired rhythmic foundation creates little pockets throughout the track where movement feels almost inevitable. South African coverage of the song has similarly highlighted its polished pop production and amapiano-inspired log drums.
That is probably my favorite thing about it.
Some songs feel like somebody created a dance afterward because the marketing plan needed one.
“THAT GIRL” does not give me that feeling.
The beat itself already sounds like movement.
When I listen, I can hear where I would change levels, where I would sit into the groove and where I would let a movement breathe instead of hitting every count aggressively.
And then we get to the pitched vocal part.
That section gets me every single time.
It is not some enormous production stunt. It is a small sonic shift, but it adds just enough personality to make me want to rewind. Against Tyla’s lighter vocal style, the pitch treatment feels playful and slightly surreal without pulling you out of the song.
Those tiny moments are usually what make me obsessed with a record.
A giant chorus can get my attention.
A weird little detail makes me replay it 47 times.
Why Is the Tyla “THAT GIRL” Dance Going Viral?
The “THAT GIRL” dance is catching on because the choreography combines memorable South African movement, strong grooves, an instantly recognizable phara walk and Tyla’s naturally relaxed performance quality with a song that works extremely well in short-form video.
The trend began gaining momentum after Tyla performed “THAT GIRL” in New York during the Today show’s Citi Concert Series on July 24—the same day A*POP was released. According to The National, clips from the performance spread across social media as fans praised both the choreography and Tyla’s effortless movement.
The word effortless is important here.
Tyla does not look like she is fighting the choreography.
She looks like she is living inside it.
There are dancers who can technically hit every count and still make the routine feel like homework. Tyla has the opposite quality. The structure is clearly there, but underneath it is groove, softness and personality.
As a dancer, I will take groove every time.
Who Choreographed Tyla’s “THAT GIRL” Dance?
Lee-ché Janecke, better known professionally as Litchi Hov, is the choreographer associated with Tyla’s viral “THAT GIRL” routine.
Janecke is a longtime collaborator of Tyla’s, and The National specifically credits him with once again teaming up with her on the “THAT GIRL” choreography.
Their creative relationship makes even more sense when you hear Tyla describe how she approaches dance.
In an i-D interview, Tyla explained that Janecke helped her evolve as a dancer but also understands that she does not want to feel trapped by choreography. She wants room to respond to the music, audience and energy of a live performance instead of mechanically reproducing the same movement every time.
That philosophy is visible when she performs.
And it is one of the reasons I connect with her dancing.
I have always felt that choreography works best when the steps give you structure without erasing your personality. I wrote much more about that relationship between music, movement and identity in my own story about how dance shaped my life. Read: How Dance & Fashion Shaped My Life, My Energy, and Who I Am Today
What Is the Tyla “THAT GIRL” Dance Called?
One of the most recognizable movements in the viral routine is the phara walk.
This part of the trend is especially interesting because social media has a habit of discovering a movement through one celebrity and immediately acting like the celebrity invented it that morning.
South African viewers knew better.
The National reported that while some international fans began calling the movement the “stank walk,” South Africans recognized it as the phara walk, a movement already established within local dance culture.
That cultural context is important.
TikTok and Instagram can move choreography across countries in hours. Somebody in Johannesburg performs something rooted in an existing dance tradition, somebody in Los Angeles learns it from a Reel, somebody in London teaches it to their friends and suddenly a movement has entered an entirely new cultural context.
That is exciting.
It can also erase where the movement came from if nobody bothers to ask.
Tyla sits in an interesting position because millions of international fans may encounter South African dance vocabulary for the first time through her.
Why the “THAT GIRL” Choreography Works So Well
A great viral routine does not necessarily need to be easy.
It needs to be recognizable.
You should be able to see three seconds of somebody doing it and know exactly what song is playing.
“THAT GIRL” has that quality.
The phara walk gives the routine a memorable visual anchor, but the choreography also works because the movement follows the percussion instead of fighting it. There are clear rhythmic accents, moments where dancers can add personality and sections that look satisfying in the vertical frame of TikTok, Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts.
The biggest ingredient, though, is Tyla herself.
You could give ten people the exact same eight-count and get ten completely different performances.
That is because choreography is only partially about what you do.
Texture changes everything.
Where is the weight?
How soft is the transition?
Are you rushing?
Are you sitting into the rhythm?
Does the movement feel performed, or does it look like the beat actually reached your body?
That last part is where Tyla wins for me.
Can Beginners Learn the Tyla “THAT GIRL” Dance?
Yes. Parts of the “THAT GIRL” choreography are approachable for beginner and intermediate dancers, but matching Tyla’s groove is harder than simply memorizing where your arms and feet go.
This is the eternal dance struggle.
You learn the steps.
You watch yourself back.
And somehow you look like you are performing an entirely different species of choreography.
Welcome to dance.
If you are learning the routine, I would pay especially close attention to weight transfer and timing. Stay relaxed through the knees. Listen for the percussion instead of only counting. Avoid making every movement unnecessarily huge.
Sometimes the step is technically correct and still looks wrong because the groove disappeared.
That is why I like dances like “THAT GIRL.”
They force you to listen underneath the counts.
The “THAT GIRL” Dance Challenge Is Becoming Bigger Than One Performance
The viral routine quickly moved beyond Tyla’s own social accounts.
South African personalities including Bontle Modiselle, Somizi Mhlongo and Jojo Robinson have shared their versions, while Lizzo and choreographer Donte Colley have also joined the trend. The song has appeared in posts from Kim Kardashian and Donatella Versace, while Cardi B shared herself singing along to it.
TikTok also built an official A*POP experience around Tyla’s album rollout, including a dedicated Search Hub, fan challenges and a Fan Spotlight for community creations. TikTok reported 17.6 million followers for Tyla when the experience launched.
That is when a song starts becoming more than a recording.
It becomes a format people recognize and participate in.
You hear it.
You know the movement.
You want your version.
Tyla has already proven she understands this type of cultural loop. “Water” became inseparable from its dance challenge, and TikTok itself has described Tyla’s rise as closely connected to people discovering and recreating her music through movement.
“THAT GIRL” feels like the next chapter of that relationship.
What Does Tyla’s “THAT GIRL” Mean?
My reading of “THAT GIRL” is that it is ultimately about confidence, desire and expecting to be treated like somebody who matters.
There is plenty of glamour around the song—the luxury, status and aspirational imagery—but underneath all of that is a very relatable question:
If you say I am important to you, are you actually treating me that way?
The narrator does not sound like she is waiting for somebody else to assign her value.
She already knows she has it.
That is why the title works so well.
She is not trying to become that girl.
She already considers herself that girl.
That self-assurance also fits the larger A*POP era, which Apple Music frames as a more confident Tyla deliberately defining her own place within African and global pop music.
Then the “THAT GIRL” Music Video Dropped—and the Comment Section Became a Group Chat
Tyla released the official “THAT GIRL” music video on July 29, 2026. Directed by Mila Rowyszn and Oliwia Drożdż, the visual blends live action with retro animation and places Tyla inside a colorful fantasy world alongside an animated tiger.
When I saved screenshots of the official YouTube upload on August 31, the video was showing 2,710,292 views and 7,721 comments.
And reading through those comments was fascinating because the dominant conversation was not simply:
People hate the song.
Actually, it was almost the opposite.
A lot of people seemed to be saying:
We like this song so much that we expected more from the video.
That difference matters.
A note about the comments below
The reactions in this section are opinions posted by individual YouTube users under Tyla’s official music video. They are not my factual conclusions, they do not represent Tyla’s position, and comments alleging AI use do not by themselves confirm how the video was produced.
Like counts mentioned here are snapshots from the screenshots I reviewed on August 31, 2026 and can change over time.
Some of the Biggest Comments Were Basically: “The Song Deserved More”
One of the most-liked comments I captured came from @nthabisengsello6428, whose comment had around 8.1K likes and described the release as feeling more like a visualizer than a full music video.
That sentiment showed up again and again.
@gingerspicedcake, with roughly 6.9K likes, felt Tyla had been let down by the visual.
@btgang4463, also around 6.9K likes, argued that “THAT GIRL” deserved a proper music video with choreography.
@IamRocque similarly said they wanted choreography, a stronger storyline or something more ambitious than what they felt they received.
@MurunwaMutele said they hoped another video might be coming because, in their opinion, “THAT GIRL” deserved a moment closer to “PUSH 2 START.”
And @JessiJamezz basically summarized a huge portion of the comment section: they loved the song but wanted a different creative team behind the visual.
Again, these are their opinions, not mine.
But as someone who loves the choreography, I understand why this particular reaction became so common.
People already knew what Tyla could do with movement.
The song already had a viral dance.
So many viewers probably imagined a music video built around Tyla, great styling, a strong location, dancers and choreography going completely off.
The actual visual went in another direction.
That creative choice clearly surprised people.
The Positive Comments Matter Too
The comment section is not just one enormous pile-on.
There are also viewers openly praising Tyla and the song.
@PatriciaShamakanda called “THAT GIRL” Tyla’s best song while saying they wished it had received a stronger video.
@lu881 described it as their favorite song on A*POP.
@roguenloyaltimbs6878 simply said they loved the song.
@sadiyasowe9901 specifically said they liked both the song and the retro-animation concept.
@genesisriley7010 praised Tyla herself, calling her beautiful and talented.
And this is where the reaction becomes more interesting than a basic “fans hated the video” headline.
A lot of people were criticizing the visual because they were protective of the song and Tyla.
@jolikestodance explicitly framed the criticism as fans holding Tyla to a high standard.
@MalliArsante took a similar approach, making it clear that their frustration came from being a fan who wanted better for her.
That tells me something.
People care enough about “THAT GIRL” to argue about how it should have been presented.
Indifference would be quieter.
Then Everyone Started Counting Fingers
A major portion of the comment section focused on visual inconsistencies that viewers believed looked like generative-AI artifacts.
@gael665, whose comment had around 5.2K likes in my screenshot, called attention to a moment around 0:53 where a hand appeared to show six fingers.
@METGALIANA highlighted the same general moment.
@alexi4_lynn also commented on the finger count.
@luna-pt2gp pointed toward a scene around 1:10 that they interpreted as showing two left hands.
@AlejandroFfer-c4ll, whose comment had around 4.1K likes, argued that the core visual concept might have looked much better if executed by traditional animators.
@stephdadon, with roughly 4.5K likes, was among the commenters explicitly describing the video as AI-generated.
Other users—including @Try4d, @crystallite, @jasonweitz, @perplexedmoustache, @SailorVenus333 and @userunavailable—raised similar concerns or criticized what they believed to be AI involvement.
Again: these are viewer allegations and interpretations.
A strange-looking hand in one frame is not, by itself, documentation of an entire production workflow.
Was Tyla’s “THAT GIRL” Music Video Made With AI?
The most accurate answer right now is:
The “THAT GIRL” music video has faced widespread allegations of generative-AI use, but the complete production workflow has not been publicly documented well enough to confidently state exactly which elements were created with which tools.
Creative Bloq reported on the controversy and noted that production company Biuro has previously worked with generative AI, while also stating that this history does not conclusively prove how the “THAT GIRL” video itself was produced.
That distinction is worth keeping.
There is a difference between:
“Several viewers believe this looks AI-generated.”
and:
“Every element of this video was definitively generated by AI.”
The first accurately describes the online reaction.
The second requires evidence that has not been publicly established in enough detail.
I would rather be precise than turn a YouTube theory into a fact because it makes the headline more dramatic.
And Then the Comments Became Extremely Internet
Obviously, a YouTube comment section can only remain serious for so long.
@xealafox, with around 5.6K likes, turned the conversation into a joke connecting Tyla’s massive hit “Water” to the water-use discussion surrounding AI infrastructure.
@ayayron67-e5q, whose comment had roughly 5.4K likes, joked about putting Tyla into Cool World with Tony the Tiger.
@SheDaqQueen focused on the tiger too, joking about Tyla essentially squaring up with Tony the Tiger.
@Poptermz went with the timeless internet tradition of pretending the production budget consisted of almost no money and fast food.
@Starrye53 brought another celebrity into the joke.
And @cmamboss, with more than 6K likes in the screenshot, basically pointed out how unusual it was to see a YouTube comment section being this openly critical.
That last comment is actually more revealing than it looks.
People noticed that other people were criticizing the video.
Then that observation itself became part of the conversation.
Very internet.
The “Cool World” Reference Is Also Part of the Conversation
Some viewers interpreted the retro live-action/animation aesthetic as an intentional reference to the 1992 film Cool World.
@ayjaeee specifically mentioned being surprised that more people were not recognizing the connection, while @J.nightwing19 said they could see the Cool World vision even though they personally felt the final product worked more as a visual than a full music video.
That comparison is not coming from nowhere. Creative Bloq also described the video's aesthetic as reminiscent of Cool World.
So even within the criticism, there is another layer:
Some viewers disliked the execution.
Other viewers understood or even liked the concept.
Those are different critiques.
And that is why comment sections are useful when you actually read them instead of reducing thousands of people into one sentence.
Why the Comments Feel Weirdly Protective of Tyla
This may be the most interesting part of the entire reaction to me.
A large number of commenters are not really saying:
“Tyla is bad.”
They are saying something closer to:
“Tyla, we know what you are capable of, so why does this feel below that standard?”
That is a very different emotional relationship between artist and audience.
Fans today are not passive.
They watch budgets.
They compare eras.
They remember previous music videos.
They know choreographers.
They notice visual effects.
They screenshot mistakes.
They talk about creative labor.
They know when something feels inconsistent with the brand they have been following.
That level of media literacy is very Gen Z.
And it also explains why a comment section can become almost protective. Viewers feel like they are participating in the career itself.
Whether that closeness is always healthy is another conversation.
But it is very real.
“THAT GIRL” Is a Perfect Example of How Pop Music Works in 2026
This is where my Media Studies brain starts having fun.
“THAT GIRL” does not really exist as one piece of media anymore.
It exists as an ecosystem.
There is the recording.
The album.
The choreography.
The phara walk.
Tyla’s performances.
TikTok recreations.
Instagram Reels.
Dance tutorials.
Celebrity participation.
The animated music video.
The AI debate.
The Cool World references.
The YouTube comments.
The memes.
And now articles like this one analyzing all of it.
That is contemporary pop culture.
A song becomes especially powerful online when audiences stop merely consuming it and begin participating in what it means.
We learn the movement.
We remix the performance.
We turn the tiger into a meme.
We argue about the video.
We identify the choreographer.
We trace the cultural origin of a dance.
We hear five seconds of percussion and already know which movement is supposed to happen.
The audience becomes part of the distribution system.
And Tyla has repeatedly shown an unusual ability to make music that people want to physically participate in.
Why I Keep Coming Back to “THAT GIRL”
After all of that analysis, my personal review is much simpler.
I really like this song.
I love the beat.
I love the instrumentals.
I love how Tyla’s voice sits inside the production instead of trying to overpower it.
That pitched section gets me every time.
And I really love the choreography.
The internet can debate the video as long as it wants. The part I keep returning to is that feeling I had before I knew about any of the controversy:
The music came on.
And I wanted to move.
That is usually my best test for a dance record.
Sometimes choreography teaches you how to hear a song differently. You watch somebody hit an accent you had barely noticed, learn the movement yourself and suddenly that little piece of percussion becomes impossible to unhear.
“THAT GIRL” has that quality for me.
If you like this same intersection of pop music and choreography, I have also written about my ongoing inability to hear a KATSEYE song without immediately turning it into a dance situation. Read: Who Choreographed “Hootie Frutti” by KATSEYE? Read: I Can’t Stop Dancing to “Animal” by KATSEYE
Is Tyla’s “THAT GIRL” Worth Listening To?
Yes.
If you like rhythmic pop, amapiano-influenced production, dance-forward songs and Tyla’s softer, confident vocal delivery, “THAT GIRL” is absolutely worth adding to your rotation.
And if you dance?
You are probably going to want to learn the routine.
Just remember: getting the steps is one thing.
Getting the groove is the actual assignment.
Frequently Asked Questions About Tyla’s “THAT GIRL”
Who choreographed Tyla’s “THAT GIRL” dance?
Lee-ché Janecke, also known as Litchi Hov, is the choreographer associated with Tyla’s viral “THAT GIRL” routine. Janecke is a longtime collaborator of Tyla’s and has helped shape her performance style.
What is the Tyla “THAT GIRL” dance called?
One of its most recognizable movements is the phara walk, a move with roots in South African dance culture. Some international viewers began calling it the “stank walk,” but South African coverage identifies it as the phara walk.
Why is Tyla’s “THAT GIRL” dance going viral?
The choreography combines an identifiable movement, Tyla’s relaxed performance style, strong rhythmic accents and a song that works extremely well in short-form video. The challenge gained momentum following Tyla’s July 24 Today performance in New York.
Can beginners learn Tyla’s “THAT GIRL” choreography?
Yes. Many individual sections are learnable for newer dancers. The harder part is recreating the groove, weight placement and relaxed timing that make Tyla’s version look effortless.
What album is “THAT GIRL” by Tyla on?
“THAT GIRL” appears on Tyla’s second studio album, A*POP, released July 24, 2026. It is track two of the 14-song album.
Was Tyla’s “THAT GIRL” music video made with AI?
The music video has faced widespread generative-AI allegations from viewers, and Creative Bloq has reported on the controversy. However, the complete production workflow has not been publicly established in enough detail to confidently attribute every element of the video to AI.
Where to Watch “THAT GIRL” and Follow Tyla
Tyla’s verified Linktree currently connects fans to her Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, official website, A*POP, tour information and the “THAT GIRL” official music video.
Tyla’s Official Linktree
Listen to A*POP on Apple Music
Tyla on Apple Music
Final Thoughts: Tyla Really Is “THAT GIRL”
There are about twelve different conversations happening around this song at once.
Some people are learning the choreography.
Some are trying to perfect the phara walk.
Some are debating the animation.
Some are counting fingers.
Some are defending the Cool World reference.
Some are worried about AI and creative labor.
Some are apparently still concerned about the tiger.
And then there is me, replaying the song because the beat is just that catchy.
For all the internet discourse, the thing that works best about “THAT GIRL” for me is still the relationship between Tyla, the production and the movement.
The percussion gives the choreography somewhere to land.
The pitched vocal adds personality.
Tyla brings the groove.
And suddenly listening is not enough.
I want to dance to it.
Recommended Blogs for You
If you came here for Tyla, dance choreography, viral music or internet culture, these are the closest stories to read next:
- Who Choreographed “Hootie Frutti” by KATSEYE? Official Choreography Credits Explained — A deeper look at the people behind one of KATSEYE’s most recognizable 2026 routines. Read the Hootie Frutti choreography breakdown
- KATSEYE “Hootie Frutti” Dance: Why I Made My Own Choreography—and What YouTube Thought — My personal experience doing my own choreography and immediately being noticed by fans who knew the official moves. Read my Hootie Frutti dance story
- I Can’t Stop Dancing to “Animal” by KATSEYE — Another song that hit my brain, entered my body and somehow turned into an entire internet situation. Read my Animal by KATSEYE dance blog
- What Is the Low Cortisol Song? “Ai Đưa Em Về” Explained — A completely different kind of viral music moment, but another example of how movement and online culture can transform the way a song is experienced. Read the Low Cortisol Song guide
- How Dance & Fashion Shaped My Life, My Energy, and Who I Am Today — The personal story behind why I hear music through movement in the first place. Explore more of my dance and fashion story
You can also browse the complete Jeremy Melodious Music, Pop Culture, Dance and Viral Video archive for more stories like this. Explore all Jeremy Melodious blogs
– Jeremy Melodious
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