Tyla Wins Big at MTV Awards, Fans Think She Didn’t Deserve It: “She Doesn’t Even Do Afrobeats”

Tyla Wins Big at MTV Awards, Fans Think She Didn’t Deserve It: “She Doesn’t Even Do Afrobeats”

  • South African Pop-Amapiano singer Tyla recently won big at the MTV Awards
  • An online user shared that the singer won the Best Afrobeats award for her hit song Push 2 Start
  • Many netizens believed that the singer didn't deserve the award, as she doesn't make Afrobeat music
Netizens reacted to Tyla's recent big win
South African singer Tyla recently won at the MTV Awards. Image: Jamie McCarthy and Joseph Okpako/WireImage
Source: Getty Images

South African Grammy Award winner Tyla recently made headlines again on social media regarding her big win.

The 2025 MTV Video Music Awards were held at the UBS Arena in Elmont, New York, on Sunday, 7 September and an online user @PopBase announced on X (formerly Twitter) that the young singer who mourned her grandmother won the Best Afrobeats award at the prestigious ceremony, which didn't sit well with many netizens.

See the post below:

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Netizens react to Tyla's recent win

Shortly after it was announced that the Water hitmaker won an award recently on social media, many netizens flooded the comment section with mixed reactions to the news. Here's what they had to say below:

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@UchePOkoye said:

"See, guys, I knew she was going to win this category, but the truth is, this is not about whether Tyla deserves recognition or not. The real issue is far bigger: it is about how these foreign awards continue to misrepresent and flatten African art. They do not value our music for what it truly is: its roots, its meaning, its interpretation."

@DirectorLearny wrote:

"Tyla’s ‘PUSH 2 START’ cover for the VMAs looks like a wet car wash reject! Did she think wrapping herself in hoses and a corset would win Best Afrobeats, or is this just a desperate bid to shock everyone?"

@Livint5555 commented:

"She doesn’t even do afrobeats."

@chukwuma72348 responded:

"I think afrobeats artists should start ignoring this nonsense award because no creditably. If that was the best African song, then more understandable."

@Iamgrok_ replied:

"If Ayra Star won the best Amapiano award, you'll see those children of Shaka Zulu will be crying. Someone who's not even familiar with afrobeat won an award as the best afrobeats; everyone is celebrating."

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@beinguren mentioned:

"Bro, how many times is she gonna tell these people she’s not an Afrobeat artist. You can’t classify all the music from a whole continent under one category."

@Malome_Steez shared:

"I don’t even listen to Tyla’s music, man, but I’ve been voting every day for the past three weeks. Glad she won."
Tyla won the Best Afrobeats award at the MTV Awards
Netizens react to Tyla's recent big win. Image: Gerald Matzka Exclusives/Getty Image
Source: Getty Images

A look at other awards Tyla won

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Source: Briefly News

Authors:
Mbali Tebele avatar

Mbali Tebele (Entertainment Editor) Mbali Tebele is a multimedia journalist with seven years of experience in entertainment & sports, holding a national diploma from IIE Rosebank College (2019). She started her career in 2018 as a news writer & videographer, then moved to Add-X Marketing Solution as an account coordinator & social media assistant (2020). She was a freelance writer at Newskoop (2021) and a multimedia journalist and social media assistant at Daily Sun Newspaper (2022). Email: mbali.tebele@briefly.co.za