₦airaland Forum

After accepting the Best Afrobeats Award at the 2024 MTV VMAs for her hit single 'Water', Tyla expressed her gratitude for winning the category while also pointedly deciding to offer the organisers a crash course on muddling up all music from Africa as Afrobeats.

"I know there's a tendency to group all African artists as Afrobeats. Even though Afrobeats has run things and opened doors for us, African music is so diverse," Tyla said.

"I come from South Africa and I represent Amapiano and my culture," Tyla added before shouting out to Rema, Tems, Ayra Starr, Burna Boy, Wikzid, Davido, and other Afrobeats acts with whom she was nominated.

Tyla's acceptance speech has attracted some criticism from Nigerian observers who questioned her decision to largely disavow the Afrobeats after winning an Afrobeats category with a song that's clearly Afrobeats in its composition.

Media personality and award-winning OAP Do2tun criticised the South African star for accepting the Afrobeats award at the 2024 VMAs if she thought her song wasn't an Afrobeats song.

"Aunty @tyla aka am not Afrobeats, I am Amapiano. We have heard you but your song “Water” isn’t amapiano either. If you thought you were categorized in the wrong category, you should have given the award back or denounced the nomination. You clearly took an award that didn’t represent you or your sound from that statement you made," Do2tun said on his Instagram account.

Tyla's recent statement on Afrobeats is considered by some observers to be a tacit disassociation from the genre and movement in what has been a disturbing trend in Nigerian music.

Congratulations to her...

Amapiano my foot

Country filled up with hateful, confused and backward-minded set of negros

Most of these mushroom African countries are always in competition with Nigeria without our knowledge.

She is the real definition of ugly.

Zonefree:
Most of these mushroom African countries are always in competition with Nigeria without our knowledge.

As Rema, Tems, Ayra Starr, Burna Boy, Wikzid, Davido wail 🇳🇬👎🏾💩💩💩 Didn't she also whip them at the Grammy's? 🤔

SA 10 🇿🇦🏆 - NG 0 🇳🇬🥚

Rejecting the award would have sent a stronger message.


Her wena haibo brothers and sisters won't like this.

These people just like unnecessary bants. Although she has the right to state the genre she wants to be known for... Lol the joke is on the award organizers.

Zonefree:
Most of these mushroom African countries are always in competition with Nigeria without our knowledge.

Not a Nigerian calling SA a mushroom country.Same Naija that wanted to ride our Amapiano culture sooo bad lol👎🇳🇬

JaceBlaze:
Not a Nigerian calling SA a mushroom country.Same Naija that wanted to ride our Amapiano culture sooo bad lol👎🇳🇬

Lol😂, amapiano singlehandedly beat the Nig-US collabs 10-0 🇿🇦🏆🏆.

Fine girl

Good on her.

Sonnobax15:

Congratulations to her...

Amapiano my foot

Country filled up with hateful, confused and backward-minded set of negros

Now that's what I'm talking about, 'sunken placed' nation.

WannaHowzit:
As Rema, Tems, Ayra Starr, Burna Boy, Wikzid, Davido wail 🇳🇬👎🏾💩💩💩 Didn't she also whip them at the Grammy's? 🤔

SA 10 🇿🇦🏆 - NG 0 🇳🇬🥚

Everyone knows Tyla is being marketed to Americans as the exotic African with sex appeal. Tyla don't have no musical talent close to any Nigerian artist but haibo I know she made that comment so when she gets home they won't xenophobe her again like they did with Chidinma's case.

Sepukku:
Everyone knows Tyla is being marketed to Americans as the exotic African with sex ap it..peal. Tyla don't have no musical talent close to any Nigerian artist but haibo I know she made that comment so when she gets home they won't xenophobe her again like they did with Chidinma's case.

Lol, so her Nigerian opponents lack sex appeal 😂😂😂

You say Nigerians that rely on excessive auto-tune have "musical talent" 😂😂😂. I often wonder what they sound like Live without studio wizardry - that's why i find Afrobeats so annoying.🇳🇬👎🏾👎🏾👎🏾

Tyla backtracking shows the power of the SA twitteratti - we can make or break you 🇿🇦🏆🏆🏆

WannaHowzit:
Lol, so her Nigerian opponents lack sex appeal 😂😂😂

No dummy, the point here being she has nothing but sex appeal to sell to the Americans. This is a fact.

WannaHowzit:
You say Nigerians that rely on excessive auto-tune have "musical talent" 😂😂😂. I often wonder what they sound like Live without studio wizardry - that's why i find Afrobeats so annoying.🇳🇬👎🏾👎🏾👎🏾

Stop acting like you know a thing about Afrobeats Wena, a simple google of Ayra stars or Davido performing live will answer those doubts for you.

WannaHowzit:
Tyla backtracking shows the power of the SA twitteratti - we can make or break you 🇿🇦🏆🏆🏆

Nah we just have a bunch of high unemployed youth like yourself who have too much time on their hands.

Sepukku:
No dummy, the point here being she has nothing but sex appeal to sell to the Americans. This is a fact.

And yet that one talent she has (sex appeal) dwarfed her Nigerian opponents "sex appeal, musical talent" and collabs with US stars 🇳🇬👎🏾💩💩💩💩

SA i hail you! 🇿🇦🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆

WannaHowzit:
And yet that one talent she has (sex appeal) dwarfed her Nigerian opponents "sex appeal, musical talent" and collabs with US stars 🇳🇬👎🏾💩💩💩💩

SA i hail you! 🇿🇦🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆

She's from a country with exotic breeds. What did you expect from the Americans. They've been on it since the time of Iman ( the super model) but I doubt you know anything about that history knowing fully well Saffers were isolated from the world up until the 2000's.

Shame.