With his second album, South African singer-songwriter and rapper Ricky Tyler reflects on the profoundly transformative period that followed the release of his debut project, 2020’s Small World. “The past three years of my life have been quite a weird transition,” he tells Apple Music. “Shortly after I dropped Small World, I lost my mom, and a lot of things started to kind of happen after that. We were on the verge of losing our home. Family separated. I had to bury a couple of friends of mine. A lot of things were happening. And then my father passed away [in 2023]. That was one of the relationships I wanted to try and rekindle, because he wasn't apart of my life. I was very much affected by that, because when I got the news [that he was gone], I knew I wouldn’t get a chance to fix that. “In the midst of all this chaos, I don't know how, but I found grace. And I just started to appreciate things a lot more. All the things that really make me happy, genuinely. All the little things. My family, friendships. And I just kind of detached from trying to be this big thing in life, and just really fully immersed myself in the things that really help me grow as a human being. So I'm happy to be alive, to be able to keep sharing my piece of happiness, my world.” Across 10 tracks, Tyler (born Bokamoso Kgomotso Molema) reflects on life’s challenges and his journey towards overcoming them, punctuated by forays into R&B, pop, disco, and hip-hop. Below, he talks us through the album, track by track. “East Side” “‘East Side’ is [about] where I'm from. I’m originally from Spruitview, and then I grew up in Edenvale. I wanted to pretty much make a song just representing my hometown. It’s about me expressing all of my frustrations, and really looking at myself in the mirror. How far am I willing to take this, and what sacrifices am I ready to make for my life to really make this work? I was hoping my life would change at a certain time, but it didn't. Now, I'm definitely a lot more patient. It's also me just saying, whenever things get confusing or just draining for me mentally and emotionally, I know where I'm accepted and loved genuinely. Whenever I want to feel grounded, I'm just going to go back home and find my feet again, and then go back out into the world.” “Hold On” “‘Hold On’ is definitely a personal favourite. I wrote this about my niece, who went through some challenges. I witnessed her make some pretty grown-up decisions at a young age. She had to grow up really quickly, and she reminded me a little bit about myself growing up. The song was just a way of me just letting her know that I'm always there for her no matter what, and it's me just trying to remind her about her strengths and just to hold onto those things. It’s me motivating her and letting her know that I'm always there.” “Another Episode” [Ricky Tyler & Bien] “This is a song just about one of my wild, crazy intimate nights that I shared with someone. It’s just being really comfortable, mentally and physically, with somebody—where you bring out the crazy, wild-side you. I wanted to take people through how that whole story unfolds, just the excitement of that night, the fun of it all. It's me having another episode with somebody that I share a very comfortable connection with. I guess it's one of those things—maybe you call it a sneaky link?—but it's just sharing a fun, intimate night with someone that you're comfortable with. Bien was definitely the perfect feature because he and I pretty much preach the same message, just like those vibes—maybe a little bit of toxic masculinity every now and then on the music. But yeah, we both like to write those songs.” “No More Discos” (feat. Tyson Sybateli) “Tyson Sybateli is definitely one of my favourite rappers coming out of SA; a very, very talented young man. I wanted to just pay homage to hip-hop, because what people don't know is I started off doing hip-hop. Getting into music, that was my first love. Here, we’re just speaking our game, talking our s**t, and just realising once you're in this whole game, you realise how things actually work, and how you have to adjust—and all these little things that you have to do to really get by or to make an impact. It's also just acknowledging how far we've come and how we want to keep going, and really refocusing our beliefs and our morals, and just finding that confidence again.” “Video Games” (feat. Karun) “This is about me wanting to take somebody seriously, but she's playing too many games, or not really being fully transparent—just a lot of back and forth, the thing that keeps us glued to somebody. And also, times have changed. I think everyone's overstimulated, so we don't really know what we want these days. Or maybe one of you does, and the other doesn't really know.” “Rolling Stone” “I've always just moved like a rolling stone. I've never been afraid to face a lot of my challenges on my own. I've never been afraid to take a lot of risks on my own. I took some really big risks on my own from dropping out of school early, in my grade 11 [year]. I packed my bags and I went overseas to go and pursue acting, modelling, dancing. And then, I came back, and then I finished up. Then I pursued music. I've always just moved in my own light. I've never been afraid to just break free. It's really the only way to find your purpose at the end of the day.” “W.Y.E “‘W.Y.E’ is ‘When You're Empty’, and it's a song I wrote about a friend of mine who went through an abusive relationship. I still remember that moment when she was just sharing that whole situation with me. Just seeing her in that state really stuck with me. It was something I wanted to bring to light, just to show how much I sympathised with what she was going through. I didn't even know what to say in that moment. I was surprised that she chose me as a comfortable shoulder to lean on, and I was able to create a safe space for her to communicate this thing. It is an ongoing pandemic, and [it’s important] to create a safe space for people to communicate these things.” “Finally Famous” (feat. Vuyina) “This song pretty much encapsulates the whole album, and it sums up everything I've gone through from my debut album up until this point. I start with the voice note, which is a moment I was able to capture with me and my family. You get to hear my mom at her happiest, and my family at the happiest. And then at the end of the song, there's another voice note with my my older brother and my little nephew, and it paints the picture of how many sacrifices I had to make this work. And I guess it's also just a reminder of there's no point in going back now. Vuyina is an amazing vocalist, and obviously, she was able to really capture that moment really well.” “You Were Mine” “This is another one of my failed love stories. It's being so close to something, but yet being so far. Thinking you had someone, or thinking that you were on the same page, but you weren't. It's just that confusing circle of emotions. I'm willing to save the moment for as long as we can make it last. But I guess you have to just let go of the things you can't control. We're not in control of anyone.” “Sunday Drive” (feat. Tellaman) “I really wanted to end off the project on a good note. I still believe in things like love and hopefully finding a long-term relationship one day, and hopefully finding someone that I can hopefully continue the rest of my life with. I think it's such a beautiful thing, and I think it's something we should continue to keep promoting, apart from all the toxic things that do make cool songs. I'm a huge fan of Tellaman, so shout out to him for jumping on the song. Both of us, I guess, are just flirting with the idea of hopefully one day just finding something as beautiful as love and a strong connection and something long-lasting.”