Tyla Addresses Her Racial Identity After Dodging Question During Interview on ‘The Breakfast Club’

Tyla Addresses Her Racial Identity After Dodging Question During Interview on ‘The Breakfast Club’

  • Grammy Award winner Tyla addressed confusion about her race after an awkward interview on The Breakfast Club, explaining she identifies as coloured in South Africa and black elsewhere
  • Tyla issued a statement clarifying the different classifications of race globally and affirmed her dual identity
  • Fans supported Tyla, urging others to educate themselves about global cultures and praising her pride in her South African heritage

South African singer Tyla has been forced to address the coloured vs black question again after an awkward moment during her interview on The Breakfast Club. The star issued a statement setting the record straight about her race.

Tyla addresses questions about her race
Tyla has issued a statement addressing questions about her race. Image: PHILL MAGAKOE/AFP and Gilbert Flores/Variety
Source: Getty Images

Tyla shuts down confusion about her race

Grammy Award winner Tyla recently found herself charting social media trends and hogging headlines after refusing to comment about her race in an interview. The singer, who was a guest on The Breakfast Club, was accused of not embracing being a black woman.

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The Shaderoom reports that the Water hitmaker issued a statement explaining her ethnicity. The 22-year-old Joburg singer noted that she identifies as coloured in South Africa and a black woman in other parts of the world. Part of her statement read:

"In Southa, I would be classified as a Coloured woman, and in other places, I would be classified as a black woman. Race is classified differently in different parts of the world.”
"I don’t expect to be identified as Coloured outside of Southa by anyone not comfortable doing so because I understand the weight of that word outside of SA, But to close this conversation, I’m both Coloured in South Africa and a black woman."

Social media users react to Tyla's statement

The singer's fans rallied behind her. Many said people need to educate themselves about the world's different cultures.

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@mbaureloaded said:

"Americans are obsessed with people’s skin, I swear, Yoh! That’s all they discuss: people’s skin."

@reexo__ wrote:

"Americans and thinking being black belongs to them "

tebogoramokgadi added:

"Slow news day. The girl does mention who she is, including being BLACK. she's also proudly South African, unlike many who are not proud of who they are and where they come from!"

tyramonae_ wrote:

"She identified as a pretty girl from Joburg plsss leave her alone."

Comparison over Tyla and Black Coffee’s stardom sparks outrage

Meanwhile, Briefly News reported that since reaching international acclaim, Tyla has become the poster child for South African celebrities, with many fans convinced that no one has ever been on her level. This sparked a debate when netizens compared her popularity to Black Coffee's.

As Tyla's star continues to rise, the singer's success and popularity have been compared to those of other local stars before her.

Source: Briefly News

Authors:
Privie Kandi avatar

Privie Kandi (Entertainment Editor) Privilege Kandi is an entertainment news editor (joined Briefly in 2022). A Journalism and Mass Communication graduate from the Christian College of Southern Africa (2016), she has been in the arts and entertainment industry for six years. Privie has worked for the Zimbabwe International Film and Festival Trust as a communications officer and a writer and TV producer for lifestyle and entertainment channel CME TV. She passed a set of trainings by Google News Initiative. You can reach her at privie.kandi@briefly.co.za.