Tyla is opening up about the A-list artist that inspired her when she was a kid!

During an interview with Trevor Noah for Interview Magazine, the 21-year-old South African “Water” singer spoke about how she first got into music.

It turns out, Rihanna played a crucial role in the rising star’s career.

Keep reading to find out what she said…

While chatting about how she got started, Trevor asked Tyla about the first artist she ever “emulated.”

“I always attach myself to songs, not specific artists,” she replied. “But I do remember loving the story of Rihanna because she came from outside of America.” (Rihanna is from Barbados.)

Tyla added, “It made me feel like my dream was achievable because, like you said, it’s not something that happens every day for us. My whole family wanted to be stars and it didn’t happen for them.”

Another huge star recently revealed that she looks up to Rihanna in the makeup space.