Tyla Is The Latest Celebrity To Reinvent The ‘50s Pompadour

The name on everybody’s lips is going to be — Tyla. Between her high-profile gig at Coachella 2025’s opening weekend and her history-making Grammy win (she took home the first-ever Best African Music Performance award), the South African singer has had a meteoric rise over the past year. And beyond her TikTok-friendly, amapiano-infused songs, Tyla’s fame can be partially credited to her unique aesthetic. Whether it’s her sand dress from the 2024 Met Gala or her highlighter yellow manicure from the 2025 Billboard Women in Music Awards, the up-and-coming artist isn’t afraid to make bold fashion and beauty choices, and the latest example can be seen in her just-launched Pandora campaign. As the newly named ambassador for the global jewelry brand, the “Water” singer posed in her favorite pieces while sporting a slicked updo that recalls the pompadour worn in the ‘50s and ‘60s by musical icons like Little Richard.

Photographed wearing selections from her own Pandora Styled by Tyla edit, the new brand ambassador donned an asymmetrical hairstyle that featured a side part and slicked-back sides with her natural curls formed into a wave-like swoop that recalled looks popularized by the Greaser subculture. Think Elvis Presley — but with a modern twist. And while Tyla’s take feels fresh, she follows the lead of several other A-list women who have updated the traditionally male style over the past several years, including Janelle Monaé, Scarlett Johansson, and most recently Gigi Hadid, who wore a “James Dean bun” for a Rabanne pop-up in New York just last month.

Although this updo is unique in its retro references, Tyla’s Pandora campaign is far from the first time she’s opted for an asymmetrical hairstyle. At last year’s Met Gala she went with an angled bob, and for the Victoria’s Secret fashion show, she dressed up her chin-length waves with cornrows on one side. It’s also been a consistent way to make her even shorter hair looks more interesting, as she did at the Jacquemus Fall 2025 show or most recently in her cover story for Nylon.

It makes sense that the emerging songstress would look to some of the biggest icons in music to inspire her hairstyles, though her choice of muses might be surprising to some. That said, Tyla is in good company with fellow pop stars like Lady Gaga and Miley Cyrus who you can always count on to take risks and subvert traditional beauty standards.