South African pop star Tyla has broken her silence following backlash over comments that were interpreted as fueling xenophobic sentiment, saying she is praying for a united continent and that music should bring people together, not divide them.
The Grammy-winning singer addressed the controversy on Monday during an Instagram Live, her first public response since a clip of her remarks at a European festival last week went viral and sparked heated debate online across South Africa, Nigeria, Ghana and Zimbabwe.
“I’ve seen everything that’s been said,” Tyla said. “It hurts me because I love my people. I love Nigerians, Ghanaians, Zimbabweans, Kenyans. I love all of Africa. I pray to see a unified Africa. That’s always been my heart.
The controversy began after Tyla performed at a summer festival in Portugal on August 10. In a short backstage clip shared by a fan account, she was asked about the growing presence of African artists on global charts.
Her response, which included the phrase “it’s a South African moment right now,” was edited and reposted with captions suggesting she was downplaying contributions from other African countries.
Within hours, TylaIsOverParty and #AfricaIsOne trended on X. Some Nigerian and Ghanaian fans accused her of “erasing” other African sounds, while South African users defended her, saying the quote was taken out of context.
The situation escalated over the weekend when older tweets and interviews were resurfaced, with critics accusing her of staying silent on xenophobic attacks in South Africa in previous years.
“When I said ‘South African moment’ I meant that it feels like the world is finally looking at our sound, amapiano, at our dance, at our stories. But that doesn’t mean it’s only us. Afrobeats opened the door. Dancehall opened the door. We all kicked it down together,” she said.
She directly addressed accusations of xenophobia: “I would never. I grew up with friends from all over Africa in Johannesburg. My best friend in primary school was Zimbabwean. Music is the reason I have family in Lagos, in Accra, in Harare. To think I would turn my back on that is painful.”
Tyla also spoke about the broader issue of division on the continent. “We are fighting each other online while the world is finally listening to all of us. Do you know how crazy that is? We should be celebrating each other. I pray to see a unified Africa where an artist from Durban can blow up in Nairobi and nobody asks ‘where are you from?’ They just say ‘that’s African music.
The response was mixed. Nigerian singer Tems commented “❤️ we move” on Tyla’s post. Ghanaian artist Black Sherif shared the clip with the caption “Unity.
But some fans said an apology alone wasn’t enough. “We need to see action, not just words,” one user wrote. “Donate, collaborate, speak up when it matters.”
Music journalist Nandi Dlamini noted that Tyla is in a difficult position as one of the first South African pop stars to break globally in the streaming era. “She’s carrying the weight of representing a whole country, and sometimes a whole continent. That’s not fair, but it’s the reality. This moment will test how she handles that pressure.”
Tyla, 24, broke out internationally in 2023 with “Water,” which won Best African Music Performance at the Grammys. Her self-titled debut album fused amapiano, R&B and pop, and she has since toured North America, Europe and Asia.
She has often spoken about representing South Africa, but has also collaborated with artists across the continent, including Rema from Nigeria and Ayra Starr.
Her team has not announced any new collaborations since the backlash, but sources close to the singer say she is planning a pan-African tour for early 2027 that will include stops in Lagos, Accra, Nairobi and Harare.
The Tyla controversy taps into a long-running and sensitive discussion about xenophobia in South Africa and tensions between African nationals living on the continent..
Tyla acknowledged that. “I’m 24. I’m still learning how to use my voice. But I’m learning in public, and that’s scary. If I got it wrong, I’m sorry. Let’s talk, not cancel each other.”
She ended the livestream by playing a snippet of a new song, which she said features a Nigerian producer and a Ghanaian guitarist. “This is what unity sounds like to me,” she said.
As of Monday evening, the original festival clip had been deleted by the fan account that posted it, and replaced with the full 40-second exchange, which showed Tyla also praising Afrobeats and saying “we’re all winning.”
Whether that will calm the debate remains to be seen. But Tyla’s message was clear: she does not want to be remembered as the artist who divided Africa at the moment it was finally being heard.
