Tyla Responds to Fan Feedback as A*POP World Tour Moves to Pretoria and Adds Second Gauteng Show

South African global pop superstar Tyla is bringing her A*POP World Tour home in a major way, with Gauteng fans now set to experience two nights at Pretoria’s SunBet Arena. The change follows widespread fan feedback about venue seating and comfort at the originally announced Johannesburg venue. Promoters have responded by moving the Gauteng leg from the Expo Centre at Nasrec to the fully indoor SunBet Arena at Time Square in Menlyn Maine. The tour will now stop in Pretoria on Friday, 8 January and Saturday, 9 January 2027, following its Cape Town opening on 4 January. The venue change and additional date give Tyla’s South African fans another reason to look forward to what is shaping up to be a major homecoming for the Grammy-winning artist.

The decision comes after fans raised concerns on social media about the proposed setup at Nasrec, particularly the availability of seated options. Families and younger fans, including members of Tyla’s fan community known as Tygers, were among those who wanted a more comfortable concert experience. The feedback prompted promoters to reconsider the original venue arrangement and make changes before the Gauteng shows take place. Moving the concerts indoors also provides a more structured environment for the audience and production team. The new setup at SunBet Arena is expected to offer different seating categories designed to accommodate a broad range of concertgoers.

The two Gauteng dates are scheduled for 8 and 9 January 2027, giving fans consecutive opportunities to see Tyla perform in Pretoria. The dates follow the opening night of the South African leg in Cape Town on 4 January 2027. The addition of a second Gauteng concert also responds to demand for tickets in one of South Africa’s biggest entertainment markets. Instead of one show at the originally announced Johannesburg venue, fans now have two opportunities to attend the A*POP World Tour at SunBet Arena. The move represents a significant change to the South African leg while keeping Tyla’s homecoming firmly at the centre of the tour schedule.

The strong interest in the Gauteng concerts comes after the success of Tyla’s sophomore album, A*POP. The 14-track project made a major impact in South Africa when it was released, recording more than 593,000 first-day Spotify streams in the country alone. The album also reached the top 10 of the Apple Music South Africa chart, highlighting the level of local interest surrounding the project. These figures help explain the strong anticipation surrounding Tyla’s return to the South African stage. Her international profile continues to grow, but the response to A*POP shows that her music remains closely connected to audiences at home.

A*POP also places South African culture and talent within Tyla’s wider global pop sound. The album includes collaborations with South African artists MaWhoo and Babalwa M, bringing local voices into a project created by one of the country’s biggest international music stars. It also features a reimagining of Liquideep’s classic song Fairytale, connecting Tyla’s contemporary sound with a well-known piece of South African music history. These creative choices give the album a clear connection to her roots while allowing it to operate within an international pop landscape. That balance between global success and local identity has become an important part of Tyla’s musical presence.

The venue change is also significant because SunBet Arena offers an indoor concert environment at Time Square in Menlyn Maine, Pretoria. The arena provides structured seating and a controlled indoor setting, which addresses some of the concerns raised by fans about the original arrangement. For families and younger concertgoers, seating can make a substantial difference to the overall experience, particularly during a major live event. The venue also supports large-scale concert production, allowing the performance to be built around the demands of a global pop tour. The change therefore affects more than the address of the concert, as it reshapes how audiences will experience Tyla’s performance.

Fans who already purchased tickets for the Gauteng leg also have arrangements to consider following the venue change. Existing ticket holders, including those who originally purchased tickets through Howler for the 9 January date, are being facilitated through Ticketmaster as bookings move into the new SunBet Arena seating configuration. This process is intended to transition existing bookings into the revised venue setup. Fans who cannot attend the new dates or who do not want to attend under the revised arrangement can request a full refund through Ticketmaster. These measures give existing ticketholders options as the South African leg moves to its new format.

The newly added Friday, 8 January 2027 show is also available for fans looking for another opportunity to attend. Remaining ticket allocations for Saturday, 9 January are also being made available, giving audiences options across both Gauteng dates. With the two concerts taking place on consecutive nights, demand will determine how quickly the remaining tickets are taken up. The addition of the second date gives more fans a chance to see Tyla without relying on a single Gauteng performance. It also reflects the level of attention surrounding the A*POP World Tour in her home country.

The Pretoria shows will give Tygers an opportunity to hear songs from A*POP alongside some of Tyla’s other popular material. Among the tracks generating attention is She Did It Again, featuring Swedish pop star Zara Larsson. Another fan favourite, That Girl, has also gained momentum through social media, with its choreography becoming part of the song’s online presence. These tracks add to the anticipation surrounding the live shows and give fans plenty of material to celebrate when Tyla takes the stage. The combination of established hits and newer A*POP favourites should make the concerts an important part of her South African tour.

Tyla’s response to fan feedback also highlights the changing relationship between major artists, promoters and audiences. Social media allows concertgoers to communicate concerns quickly and publicly, creating an immediate channel for feedback after a tour announcement. In this case, concerns about seating and comfort became part of the conversation around the Gauteng dates and were followed by a change in venue and the addition of another show. The outcome gives fans a stronger role in shaping the practical details surrounding a major concert experience. It also demonstrates how tour plans can evolve between an initial announcement and the final event setup.

The A*POP World Tour’s South African leg now has a clear homecoming structure, beginning in Cape Town before moving to Pretoria for two nights. For Tyla, the concerts come at a significant point in her international career, following the release and local success of her sophomore album. For South African fans, the shows offer the chance to see an artist who has taken local sounds and influences to audiences around the world. The move to SunBet Arena gives the Gauteng leg a new setting designed around indoor comfort, seating and large-scale production. With the additional date, more Tygers can now be part of Tyla’s return to the South African stage.

Tyla’s A*POP World Tour in South Africa is now set to deliver a bigger Gauteng homecoming than originally planned. The move from Nasrec to SunBet Arena follows direct fan feedback, while the addition of the 8 January show gives audiences another opportunity to attend. A*POP’s strong local streaming performance and its celebration of South African talent have already established a strong connection with audiences at home. Now, that connection will continue in a live setting when Tyla performs in Pretoria on 8 and 9 January 2027. With her latest songs, fan favourites and international pop profile coming together on home soil, the A*POP World Tour is set to make Tyla’s return to South Africa a major live music moment in early 2027.